It Really is a Wonderful Life

For the Children

2010-02-22T20:45:00.002-05:00

Posted by Michelle

Over the course of my lifetime, I have heard various politicians advocate the importance of adopting their policies "for the children". Few things can manipulate a group of American adults into supporting spending for something faster than to threaten the welfare of the children if a program is not adopted. After all, most of us want our children and grandchildren to have better than what we had. They deserve nothing less than the best we can afford to give them.

That is a good point to ponder. Our children deserve nothing less than the best we can afford to give them. Is going into debt to a level that few of us can even mentally comprehend really giving our children the best we can afford? What exactly is a trillion dollars, anyway? Is borrowing exponential sums of money from countries with which we have adversarial relationships such as China really giving our children the best we can afford? Isn't China still a communist country with deplorable practices in regards to human rights?

Watching the reckless budget spending and deficits coming out of our politicians lately has made me question what exactly we are doing "for the children". As a mom, I am concerned that we are bankrupting our children before they even graduate from high school. As a mom, I question whether our children will have enough working years left to work for their own retirement by the time they finish working to support the retirements of their parents and grandparents. As a mom, I wonder if I will have to one day describe to my grandchildren the freedom and opportunity that I took for granted when I was a child.

I am not a politician. I have no candidate's political agenda in mind. I love my country, and I love my children. I would like to see our politicians adopt budgets that actually balance. I understand the choices will not be easy, but I would rather cut programs and benefits today than continue to spend money that our children cannot even earn enough in their lifetimes to cover. I am willing to sacrifice today to ensure that the nation our children inherit from us is at least as financially secure as the one that we inherited. As a mom, this is one of the things that I would like to do "for the children". How about you?

A Suffering Servant

2010-01-31T14:10:00.008-05:00

Posted by Mark

I became aware of Matt Chandler’s (a pastor in Texas) suffering shortly after he learned of a mass in his brain discovered due to a seizure he experienced on Thanksgiving Day. Since that time I have followed him on Twitter learning of updates on his condition as he shares them. What it boils down to is this: he has a Category 3 (4 is the most aggressive) tumor caused by brain cancer. He had surgery around the beginning of December and is undergoing an intensive radiation and chemotherapy regimen in an attempt to kill any remaining traces of the cancer.

Under what appears to be dire circumstances, I have been impressed with his demeanor towards the entire situation. I cannot recall any tweets (from Twitter) that proclaimed a “woe is me” attitude which would be easy to have during such a trying time. I cannot help but think of myself when reading his story. Matt is a young man (35) with a wife and 3 children. I will be 35 shortly and also have a wife and children. If a similar scenario occurred in my own life, how would I respond? Would I remain steadfast in my faith and trust that God is in control? I pray that my heart has been prepared to weather such a storm as gracefully as Mr. Chandler.

Today I read an excellent AP article that will be disseminated across the globe that gives additional insight into the suffering that the Chandlers are experiencing. One paragraph in particular jumped off the page for me as it evidenced Matt’s Christ-likeness.

“He would never ask for such a trial, but in some ways he welcomes this cancer. He says he feels grateful that God has counted him worthy to endure it. He has always preached that God will bring both joy and suffering but is only recently learning to experience the latter.”

What a testimony! Christ learned obedience through suffering yet many times, we, as American Christians, somehow think that we should be immune to it. We celebrate the joys that God brings our way but reject the suffering as un-Godly. It is for the glory of God that we participate in the sufferings for Christ! I am reminded by Matt Chandler’s testimony that I, as a follower of Christ, have the privilege of experiencing a small taste of what Christ suffered.

This morning Matt tweeted about the AP article and asked that people pray for those all over the world who would be reading his story. I pray that lives would be impacted for the Kingdom and glory of God by the story of His servant, Matt Chandler. Also, from one young man to another, I thank you, Mr. Chandler, for encouraging me with your Christ-like attitude while living as a suffering servant.

Learning to Laugh

2010-01-21T22:09:00.003-05:00

Posted by Michelle

In the last few years since becoming a mother, I have had the opportunity to experience many events that were frustrating at the time and hilarious later. I could tell you stories that would make you cry from laughing so hard. As I have lived through each of these trying moments, I have faced a choice to either lose my temper or just laugh. I must admit that I have not always chosen the latter. Here is a story I thought you might find mildly amusing that happened recently in our home.

In order to truly appreciate the story, a little background information is needed. A few weeks ago on Christmas morning, my toddler received a really fun toy. This really fun toy has a big button on the side just perfect for his chubby little hand to push and make play the inordinately loud jingle. He loves this toy and pushes that button several times at random throughout the day. And no, there is no off button. That jingle is never far from my thoughts. Are you beginning to get the picture?

Now, fast-forward to last Friday. As we arrived home from our errands late Friday morning, I happened to glance in my rear-view mirror and noticed that my toddler had fallen asleep in his car seat. My heart sank as I recognized that this little ten minute catnap almost certainly spelled doom for the afternoon nap that I and so many other moms of small children cherish as a priceless treasure. As I opened the van door, his little eyes popped open. There was nothing to be done now, so we continued on with our routine. We put the groceries away, ate lunch, prepared for naps, and read aloud from the children's book we are reading.

I knew I was in trouble as I finished reading the second chapter of the book and looked down into the big eyes of my wide-awake toddler staring back up at me with a grin on his face. Normally, he does not even make it through the first chapter before falling fast asleep. I admitted defeat, tucked the other children in for their naps, and took my toddler out to rock in the living room. I rocked softly. I rocked feverishly. I cuddled him closely. I released him to sit up. Back and forth we danced. He tried to do everything in his power to stay awake, and I tried to do everything in my power to get him to fall asleep. We both knew he was sleepy. I knew how cranky he would be later if the only nap he got that day was the ten-minute nap earlier in the van.

After an hour or so of hard labor, my little cherub finally fell asleep. I rocked him contentedly for another half an hour to ensure a good, deep sleep. As I carried him to bed, I was greeted with the wide-awake faces of his siblings. Of course, by this time it was time for them to get up. You moms out there will recognize that I had missed my window for a break. Oh, well, at least my toddler would not be cranky that evening. I gave each of the older children the go-ahead to get up but shot them warning looks to make a quiet departure and not wake the toddler. The children solemnly shook their heads and began to quietly climb out of their beds. I gave them one last look to ensure they realized certain annihilation awaited the maker of any noise that would wake baby brother before returning my attention to the task at hand.

Some of you are aware of the delicate procedure of trying to place a sleeping toddler in bed without awaking him, and here is where the information that I presented earlier about my toddler's new Christmas toy comes into play. I turned to gently rest my little boy's sleeping form in his bed when I accidentally kicked something hard hidden under his bed. That loud, annoying jingle erupted and shattered the quiet as my foot hit the big button on the side. My toddler's eyes burst open, and he immediately began to scream in terror at being jerked so rudely from a sound sleep. To their credit my older children never made a sound.

I looked down at my wailing toddler and then up at the pale faces of my other children as they froze waiting for my response. Now, I must admit that I was frustrated and that I may have reacted differently a few years and a couple of children ago, but the irony was not lost to me on this day. All I could do was throw my head back and laugh hysterically as I scooped up my toddler to comfort him. My other children gathered around me with relieved faces to join my laughter and offer additional comfort to their baby brother.

I cannot tell you how thankful I am that I chose to laugh instead of lose my temper. I am not saying that the rest of the evening was a piece of cake. My toddler was whiny and clingy, which I'm sure is everyone's favorite combination for a child to be. He only wanted to be held until it was finally bedtime. He went off to sleep without a fuss. As I gazed down at his peaceful form snuggly asleep in his bed, I smiled contentedly. I am so thankful that I am learning to laugh.

What are some frustrating events that you have learned to laugh at in your life?

Saluting the Secret Service

2010-01-17T07:43:00.003-05:00

Posted by Mark

Book Review: In the President’s Secret Service by Ronald Kessler

I just finished reading the book listed above and thought I would give you some insight into the Secret Service as well as honor them for the job they do.

In the past you may have heard some curious discussion regarding the Secret Service as a branch of the Department of the Treasury. Why would the Department of the Treasury contain a unit that protects the President? It harkens from their beginnings, in 1865, as an agency that was tasked with tracking down and arresting counterfeiters. In the late 1800’s Congress authorized the Secret Service to investigate other crimes. In 1894 upon investigation into a plot to assassinate President Grover Cleveland, the Secret Service detailed two men to protect the President from the suspects. Also in 1894 the Secret Service began to supplement the police that were protecting the White House. In 1902 the Secret Service began the official duty of protecting the President. However, it was not until 1913 that Congress authorized permanent protection of the President. Over the past 100 years, members of the Secret Service have taken on many additional responsibilities as the threats that they are to protect against have evolved. In 2003 the Secret Service was transferred from the Department of the Treasury to the Department of Homeland Security.

One of the responsibilities of the Secret Service is to protect major Presidential candidates. On May 3, 2007 protection was initiated for Barack Obama. This was the earliest start of protection for any candidate in history. As you may imagine, protection for his inauguration was a massive undertaking for the Secret Service. They coordinated 40,000+ law enforcement officers for the event. The long list of other precautions that were taken to secure the inaugural festivities is detailed quite thoroughly in one chapter of the book.

I quite enjoyed the various stories that Mr. Kessler related concerning most of the Presidents over the past 50 years. I think it was most intriguing to read how various Presidents treated the Secret Service agents charged with protecting them. Mr. Kessler includes stories about the following Presidents: Kennedy, Johnson, Nixon, Ford, Carter, Reagan, Bush 41, Clinton, Bush 43, and Obama. Given that these agents are with them 24/7/365, I think that stories about who the Presidents really are when not in front of the cameras is somewhat revealing.

Mr. Kessler attempts to shed light on what he believes is mismanagement of the Secret Service. He gives numerous examples of the agents not receiving continuing training, working too much overtime, and not being properly armed. His hopes for the agency are revealed in the last statement in the book - “My hope is that the problems revealed in the book will lead to reforms that could avert a calamity.” The book was compiled with the cooperation of the Secret Service, and more than one hundred agents were interviewed. Assuming the book is accurate in its representation of the management issues prevalent in the Secret Service, it would not be surprising if a calamity does occur at some point in the future.

Overall, I would recommend this book if you are interested in learning more about the Secret Service. It was an entertaining, yet sobering, look at the agency that is tasked with one of the most important jobs in our government. The ultimate responsibility of the Secret Service is to maintain the safety of all its protectees. This is quite a job given that every day the Secret Service receives, on average, about 10 threats against any of the people under its guard. To keep our leaders safe, is a daunting task that takes untold man hours and excruciating attention to the smallest of details. I salute the sacrifice that members of the Secret Service make giving of their lives to serve the American people.

Most Likely to Succeed

2010-01-14T21:09:00.004-05:00

Posted by Michelle

When I was a senior in high school, my fellow classmates voted to bestow upon me the title of "Most Likely to Succeed." While I knew that this was simply a gesture, it was nice to be recognized by my peers. I spent the next few years working hard and chasing after my definition of success. I was driven as I completed my college degree in three years and used my fourth year to earn a masters degree. Who could say that I was not successful?

My husband and I finished college, and I began my first career. I worked very hard in my first job. I was appreciated by my employers and well-liked by my co-workers. I spent long hours at the office when required. I did what was needed to get the job done. Within my first six months with the company, my employers were discussing the possibility of management with me. I beamed with pride. After all, wasn't I successful?

Through the course of events in my life, God shook things up and I landed with another employer in a smaller company in a little town. I was very happy in this position. I still worked hard when the need arose, but I enjoyed a more relaxed atmosphere. My employer treated me fairly, and we got along well. After several years, I began to entertain the possibility of a partnership somewhere down the road. The opportunity excited me. Could this be the definition of success?

By this time, my "biological clock", as it were, was beginning to kick in. Mark and I were happily married and settled into our own home. We were comfortable in our church and our community. But as Mark and I contemplated the possibility of having a baby, I worried about my job. I began to throw little trial balloons out to my employer to get his impression and was delighted with his positive response. My employer had two small children at the time and maintained a family-friendly atmosphere at work. Another co-worker had just had her second baby and was working part-time. I entertained the option of doing the same, but could I be a success at both?

I will never forget the day that I held my first precious little baby in my arms. He stole my heart as every other responsibility seemed to pale in comparison with taking care of him. I relished my six weeks of maternity leave and even spent the first four months of his life working part-time, some from home. However, the busy season came, and I returned full-time to work. I found myself, again, working hard to get the job done. But this time was different. My heart wasn't in it. I struggled to focus, and I worried that I was not giving my best to either my employer or my baby. Could I succeed in juggling a baby and a career?

This tension dominated my life for the next two months. Finally, I can remember one late night at work sitting in front of my computer as I began to cry. Every ounce of me screamed out to be with my baby. I was struck with the fact that someone else could do my job at the office just as well as I could, but no one else could ever love my little baby as much as his daddy and me. Somewhere in the struggle, I finally came to peace with the fact that I could not achieve my definition of success with both my career and my baby. I completed my obligation to my employer to finish out the busy season and left my job when my baby was eight months old. I will never forget my first day at home after quitting my job. I can remember sitting in my rocker wondering what I should do next. What was required to be successful in my new career?

I found staying at home with my baby to be rewarding but different. It was not long before Mark and I welcomed another little boy into our family. A few years later, we had a little girl. And a few years after that, God blessed us with a third little boy. There are no offers of management or possibilities of partnership in my new career. I must confess that I have struggled with issues of worth and value as I have wiped noses and bottoms. I have wondered at the unexpected turn my life has taken. Could I still possibly be considered successful?

There have been times when I have questioned God as to why I could not be at peace in my heart with both motherhood and a career. The simple fact is that I could not. So, with a change in career has come a change in my definition of success. I still hold big dreams in my heart for the future, but I am totally committed to my career of motherhood for this priceless season of my life. And thanks to my peers in high school for voting me "Most Likely to Succeed." You were absolutely right!

What is your definition of success?

Sowing Good Seed

2010-01-12T20:05:00.003-05:00

Posted by Mark
(A friend suggested that we inform you at the TOP of each post who is writing it. What a good suggestion!)

Yesterday began a new chapter in my life. Only time will tell how long this chapter will last. My hope is that this will be an entirely new lifestyle for me and for our whole family. The new chapter begins with a choice to eat more healthily. I desire to be a good steward of the body that God has given to me; therefore, I choose to eat differently. I must admit that this decision did not come lightly. I greatly enjoy many foods that are not particularly healthy and some that are downright unhealthy. I would prefer to eat whatever I want whenever I want it. Unfortunately, my body was not designed to stay fit and trim with that eating plan. My expanding waistline would eventually be the death of me.

I had to wrestle with myself over making a choice that would benefit me over the long run (20-30-40 years) or make the choice that feels good today. Oh, how I would rather live in the moment! That was the state of mind in which I found myself when I heard a challenge on the radio regarding sowing and reaping. The line of thinking was this: if you want to win long term then you have to sow good seed now in order to reap the benefits in the future. It hit me like a ton of bricks! I was immediately drawn to sow good decisions that would yield a harvest that I want in the future.

Even though I was armed with my inspiration to sow good seed, I must admit that I am a complainer. My wife will tell you that if I don’t like something I will complain. There have been many times over the past couple weeks that I have complained sarcastically about this new lifestyle and how it will impact me negatively. One of my running jokes is “If it doesn’t taste good then you can eat all you want of it!” In fact, I think that might be the primary rule for eating now. Of course, I am kidding …well, maybe not completely.

In my struggle to make good decisions regarding healthy eating, I had to confront my own selfish desires to consume food that is unhealthy. To choose a healthy lifestyle seems like such a huge decision now, but in light of the overall health and stewardship of my body it is not all that great a sacrifice. My desire to reap the benefits of a healthy diet have challenged me to live my life in such a way that I am sowing the seeds that will produce the result I want.

Are you sowing seed that will produce the harvest you want to reap?

The Treasure of Friendship

2010-01-10T16:06:00.002-05:00

Our family relocated to a different state for my husband's job a little over a year ago. I must confess that I was completely unprepared for how difficult it would be on me emotionally to leave the place that I had come to refer to as home. This was not our family's first relocation. Well, maybe it was in a sense.

Mark and I got married, graduated from college, and moved several states away to begin our new life together. I was so caught up in the excitement of the adventure that it did not occur to me to be homesick. Over the course of the next decade, Mark and I settled down. We bought a home, had four children, and developed friendships that we will cherish for the rest of our lives.

When it became clear to us that God was again leading us to leave our home, I had mixed emotions. I was sad to leave, but I really wasn't concerned about the difficulty. After all, hadn't I already done this once before? The answer to this question is a resounding no! You see, I have come to realize that relocating in my early thirties is not the same as relocating in my early twenties.

Change of any kind is always a stretching experience. I did not have the same elasticity with this move as I did when I was younger. Perhaps, this is one of the reasons that God brought this opportunity. I was comfortable where I was. I enjoyed living in a small town. I liked knowing people around me and being known by them as well. I had no desire to leave. Looking back, I can admit that I was becoming complacent. Nothing like a good challenge to kick complacency to the curb!

The greatest challenge I have found in this whole process is forming new friendships. Building relationships takes hard work and patience. Over the last year or so, I have found myself in many unfamiliar locations introducing myself to many friendly, but unfamiliar people. It is frustrating sometimes to patiently sow seeds into the lives of others and wait for the harvest of friendship to come. It is frustrating, but truly worth the effort.

Friendship is a priceless treasure worth the sacrifice to obtain. Who are the friends in your life with whom you share a common history? And what steps can you take today to reach out to someone new who just may end up a cherished lifelong friend?

I Am a ‘Bama Fan

2010-01-07T20:49:00.000-05:00

Because I lived the last 10 years in Alabama I was often asked who I cheer for – Alabama or Auburn? The question, when you live in Alabama, is part of what defines you. This was not a question that you received only during college football season – no, football is a way of life in Alabama. Little boys in Alabama grow up dreaming of playing for the Tide. Grown men reminisce about the glory days of Bear Bryant.

Tonight, the Crimson Tide is looking to add a 13th college football National Championship. I am sure that it an awesome responsibility that rests on the shoulders of those young men wearing the crimson and white. I am sure that it is a fulfillment of a lifelong passion for many.

The build-up to this moment has been a long time coming for many Alabama football fans. They had to suffer through several years of unacceptable mediocrity. Now the hopes and dreams of the Alabama nation rest on the swell of a Crimson Tide.

May the best team…no, forget it! Roll Tide!

A Few of My Favorite Things

2010-01-06T21:07:00.005-05:00

Last night, my seven-year-old asked me a question that caught me a bit off guard. I am not unaccustomed to his questions. Frequently, he asks me things like, "Mom, what's your favorite movie?" or "Mom, what's your favorite color?" or "Mom, what's your favorite superhero?". This time he asked me, "Mom, what's your favorite thing about life?". I paused for a moment to contemplate my answer. Finally, I told him that I was not sure and would need time to think about that one.

Wow! What a question! So seemingly simple, and yet, so complicated. What is my favorite thing about life? I finally had to admit to myself the impossibility of naming just one thing. I began to compile a list of some of my favorite things about life. When completed, I was amazed at the length of the list and the ease in which I had compiled it. As the old song goes, "these are a few of my favorite things":

Snuggling into a warm, toasty bed on a cold winter's night
The gentle rippling of a brook
The uproarious giggles of my children
A warm breeze on a spring day
Sunday-afternoon naps
Long, quiet evening walks alone with my husband
A cup of tea and good conversation
Visiting Florida in the wintertime
The faintly-sweet smell of my newborn baby's breath
The drip, drip, drop of refreshing rain showers
Watching It's A Wonderful Life on Christmas Eve
Gathering all of my family into a cozy home just before a storm begins to rage outside
Making my husband laugh
Mackinac Island, Michigan in August
Sitting outside with my grandpa on a hot day eating sweet, juicy watermelon on the rind and spitting out the seeds
Watching my children sleep peacefully and gently kissing them goodnight
Curling up by a crackling fire with a good book on a cold day
Marching with the militia in Colonial Williamsburg
On a scorching summer day, diving into a clear pool and gliding through the cool water
The "ah-ha" moment when a simple word becomes a life-changing revelation
My husband's first kiss and every kiss after that
And finally, my favorite thing about life may just be the privilege of getting to live it.

How about you? What are some of your favorite things about life?

The Need for Character in Leadership

2010-01-05T22:08:00.003-05:00

I read an article online today about a request that C-SPAN has made that Congress “open all important negotiations…to electronic media coverage.” The CEO of the station is hoping that the public will be allowed to see, with transparency, what is being discussed for the transformation of the health care system. C-SPAN even offered to commit all the necessary resources to covering all such sessions live and in their entirety. Many have predicted that the leaders of Congress WILL NOT open up these discussions for public scrutiny.

There are two things that are curious to me about this. First, why would Congressional leaders not want to give access to the public? And second, why would President Obama not apply pressure by publicly calling for them to do so after saying the following in a January 31, 2008 debate with Hillary Clinton:

“…part of the reason, I think, that they (Congress) have failed is we have not been able to bring Democrats, Republicans together to get it (universal health care) done. That's what I did in Illinois, to provide insurance for people who did not have it. That's what I will do in bringing all parties together, not negotiating behind closed doors, but bringing all parties together, and broadcasting those negotiations on C-SPAN so that the American people can see what the choices are.” LINK TO TRANSCRIPT

My concern is that the leaders of Congress and the President want to keep the public in the dark about health care reform because they have something to hide. Keeping negotiations in secret appears to be their standard operating procedure. President Obama’s commitment, if you will, at the debate was to NOT negotiate behind closed doors and to broadcast the negotiations on C-SPAN (the very network that has made the request!!!) “so that the American people can see what the choices are.” It remains to be seen whether President Obama will stand by this commitment.

The answers to these two questions evidence the issue at hand – the need for character in our leadership. First, all the members of Congress are supposed to be servants of the people. It takes the utmost of character to make decisions on behalf of others, when in a position such as theirs, that may not be in their own best interest. Second, when a leader makes a statement, as President Obama did committing to an action, that leader should be faithful to fulfill that commitment. I believe my parents would have called that being a “man of your word”. It is exceedingly important to measure our words carefully and do what we say we will do.

It is my intense desire to be a man of character, and I realize that each and every day I make decisions that will impact who I am. The little decisions reveal my heart’s condition, and my words establish the commitments to which I must be true. I strive to be a courageous man who will stand for what is right and true regardless of its impact upon me. This is not always easy, but I want to be a leader with character!

Will you stand with me?

Enjoying Exercise

2010-01-04T21:38:00.001-05:00

Last night, I went to bed with grand intentions. I planned to get up early to exercise. I set out my exercise clothes and even a bottle of water. I got to bed at a good hour. The children slept through the night without interruption. This morning, I found myself awaking fifteen minutes before I wanted to get up. Did I bounce out of bed with enthusiasm that everything had gone according to my plan? Well, let's just say that twenty minutes later I had finally talked myself out of my nice, warm bed.

Exercise has not always been my favorite word. Over the years, I have tried a number of different activities. I have done step classes, aerobics videos, spin classes, and even water aerobics. I have jogged, walked, and ridden a stationary bike. I have lifted free weights and tried my hand at weight machines. I have done yoga and Pilates. I'm probably forgetting a couple of activities that I have tried.

I have read different sources over the years that recommend different types of exercise regimens as the most effective, but I have found that the most effective types of exercises for me are the ones that I will actually do and keep doing. And I will only do and keep doing exercises that I actually enjoy. One of my favorite exercises is walking outside. On many week-day afternoons, I can be found walking (not strolling) outside of our local gym on beautiful trails listening to my iPod. I find that a good hour-long fast-walk outside in the afternoon helps me to reflect on my day and relax. I also enjoy the movements of yoga and Pilates. My body simply feels better, and my level of stress is noticeably lower when I regularly participate in these exercises.

Perhaps, you are noticing a pattern. I am not what you would call coordinated or athletic. I exercise to relax. I am married to an athletic man. Mark gets up at 5 in the morning several mornings each week to play basketball. In his spare time, he runs. Mark ran a 10k on Thanksgiving morning this last year in weather that I did not even want to stand out in as a spectator. He genuinely enjoys these very physical activities. I do not.

I used to compare myself to Mark and others and try to do the same, but I was challenged recently to listen to my body and discover what exercises work for me. I have come to accept who I am and that I enjoy exercises that relax me. Fortunately, I have also read several studies that discuss the health benefits of exercises like walking, yoga, and Pilates. I now realize that Mark and I are both quite active in our own different ways.

What about you? What exercises do you enjoy?

A Reminder of My Selfishness

2010-01-03T08:20:00.002-05:00

Recently Michelle and I have been contemplating a change in lifestyle. Specifically, we are investigating a change in our diet to eat more healthily. In the interest of full disclosure, she has been looking at these options for quite some time now, but I have only recently begun to do so.
My contemplation of this lifestyle change is not because I am particular unhealthy, but mainly because I feel compelled to be a better steward of the body that God has given me. However, just considering this change is killing me. I want to be healthier, but I sure don’t want to have to change to do so. I want to keep eating exactly the way I have been but get a different result – isn’t that the definition of insanity?

The process I have described above has driven me to the realization of how pathetically selfish I am. Every time I turn around, I am confronted with my desire to have my own way and satisfy the lust of my flesh. This is not good! I want to be more self-less, NOT selfish! One of the passages of Scripture that is near to my heart is Philippians 2:3.

Philippians 2:3 (NASB)
Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves;
Copyright by The Lockman Foundation. Used with permission. http://www.Lockman.org

I cannot fully explain how it has happened, but over the past 10 years of my walk with the Lord my heart has been radically changed with a desire to serve others. This requires that I act unselfishly. The realization that I described above is merely another layer of living flesh that I must allow to die in order to more closely walk with Christ.

Each time that I am brought to the place of dealing with my own selfishness, I am challenged to consider the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross. His sacrifice was His life. Whatever sacrifice I must endure pales in comparison. One of the truths by which I live is that NO SACRIFICE IS TOO GREAT FOR THE KINGDOM OF GOD. I look forward to expounding on this as I continue my journey of writing. For now please know that I am selfish, but Christ has given me a new heart. I intend to be more like Him each day going forward.

How about you? In what areas of life has God challenged you?

The Importance of Support

2010-01-02T16:16:00.003-05:00

I am very thankful for the support system that God has put into place in my life. There are several key people that play this role for me, but none is closer to me than my husband. He and I are on the "front lines", if you will, with one another. When I am down, he generally hears about it before anyone else. And on the rare occasion that he is having a bad day, I am usually the first to hear about it.

I must confess that I have not always been very good about supporting Mark when he is down without joining him. I tend to be the more pessimistic (I prefer to call it realistic) of the two of us. This is part of the reason that it is good that our support system includes more than just each other. God has provided several people in our lives who know us and love us unconditionally. When we are blinded to the truth, it is comforting to know that we have others who love us enough to set us straight.

In case you haven't noticed, life is not always easy. It doesn't always go as we plan. Sometimes things happen that do not feel good. We may embrace the adventure that is this life one day and want to run screaming away from it the next. Our walk is not always as confident as our talk. This seeming contradiction is not hypocritical. It is simply part of being human, and it is a primary reason that it is not good for any of us to isolate ourselves.

Even King Solomon, arguably one of the wisest people to ever live, recognized the foolishness of trying to go it alone. He wrote in Ecclesiastes chapter four:

Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 (NIV)
9 Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work:
10 If one falls down, his friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up!
11 Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm. But how can one keep warm alone?
12 Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.
Scripture taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 Biblica. Used by permission of Zondervan.
All rights reserved. The "NIV" and "New International Version" trademarks are registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica. Use of either trademark requires the permission of Biblica.

Have you ever picked up a stick and snapped it in two? It breaks pretty easily. Pick up two sticks, and they are more difficult to break. Three sticks are not easily broken when held together. A fistful of sticks together can be impenetrable.

Each of us falls down, and each of us needs those who love us enough to help us back up. Do you have a support system in place in your life? Who can you turn to when the adventure of life seems to overpower you?

I Want to Live the Adventure

2010-01-01T08:14:00.003-05:00

Last night I set up to record a basketball game on our DVR. About 45 minutes after the game started, I prepared to start watching the game from the beginning. The game went back and forth resulting in a close game with only a few minutes remaining. Many times in situations like these, Michelle likes to go find out who has already won the game. You may have experienced this before: you record the BIG game and then you have to try to avoid all sources of media in order to shield yourself from seeing the result before you watch it.

I am reminded of a very early episode of Seinfeld in which Jerry recorded a Mets baseball game. As he was sitting down to watch the game his phone rings. He prepares himself and then answers the phone. Rapidly, he says, “If you know what happened in the Mets-game, don't say anything, I taped it, hello.” Then Kramer enters and they start a conversation. Kramer sees that the Mets are on TV and he says “Boy, the Mets blew it tonight, huh?” Jerry is devastated. “Ooohhhh, what are you doing? Kramer, it's a tape! I taped the game, it's one o'clock in the morning! I avoided human contact all night to watch this.” I am Jerry! For me, it destroys the experience of watching the game if I already know the end result. For Michelle, it is completely the opposite. She can’t stand the suspense and, therefore, likes to know the result before beginning to watch.

As I pondered over this difference, I wondered why each of us have different dispositions regarding wanting to know what’s going to happen. I thought about other areas of my life. One example I came up with is reading books. I am not one to read the end of a book first. I would rather enjoy the adventure as it unfolds. As I mulled this over in my mind, I thought of future events in my own life. Do I really want to know what is going to happen to me? I am not sure I know the answer to that question.

Last fall ABC television introduced a series called FlashForward. The show revolves around a global blackout in which everyone (or seemingly everyone) blacked out for two minutes and seventeen seconds. During this time they either had a vision of what they were doing at a precise moment on April 29, 2010, or they saw nothing. The people who saw nothing come to the conclusion that this means they will be dead on April 29th. The other people who saw something are affected in various ways by what they saw. Some are energized by what they saw, and it gives them hope. Some are grief stricken by what they saw, and it troubles them greatly. Either way it starts to affect their behavior.

If we knew the future, I think we would react much the same way. We would constantly be plotting to either try to avoid it or try to make it happen. This would remove the adventure from our lives! Over the past year and a half, we have lived an adventure. I found a new job, we moved across country, we found a new church … I could go on and on. In my wife’s last post, she referenced Romans 8:28.

Romans 8:28 (NASB) And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.
Copyright by The Lockman Foundation. Used with permission. http://www.Lockman.org

I find comfort in the fact that God is working all things for our good. I agree with her sentiments.

“What can I possibly find about which to worry or fear when God has promised that He is working all things for my ultimate good? I am not saying it is easy, especially when things happen that do not feel good”.

I am regularly challenged to embrace the adventure that is this life. However, I think knowing the future would only serve to compound the way of thinking about events that occur in my life. I choose daily to place myself into the hands of the God of this universe who, I trust, can lead, guide, and direct me along the right path for my life. The path will not always be easy but it will be an adventure.

Do you want to live the adventure?

New Beginnings

2009-12-30T21:56:00.002-05:00

I am not a huge fan of the New Year's resolutions that so many people are making right now. Oh, I have made my share of them, and I have broken my share of them. As an ex-perfectionist, I realize that most of my New Year's resolutions were unrealistic and only set me up for failure yet again.

I do understand the allure of the New Year's resolution. The New Year is a natural time for new beginnings. I have found that God is all about new beginnings. Rather than waiting for a new year, I believe He is showing me that His mercies are "new every morning" (Lam 3:22-23). I do not have to wait for a new year or even plan some big beginning at the start of a new year. At the beginning of each new day, I can start afresh. As I continue to learn and grow, I find His mercies new and His grace abundant for each new day. What a comfort!

With that said, I have come to truly appreciate the week between Christmas and New Year's. It has become my time to reflect on the previous twelve months and look forward to the year ahead. As I reread journal entries and remember the year's events, I am always amazed at all that God has done in my life over the past year. I find it productive to evaluate how I am doing and seek the direction that God is leading me for the upcoming year. I enjoy dreaming of the future and considering what concrete steps God may be urging me to take toward the realization of those dreams.

This year has seen some pretty amazing changes in my life. Some of these changes are obvious to the outside observer. Our family has purchased and settled into a new house. No more renting and waiting to sell our old house. God has also brought us to a fabulous church. I cannot express how good it feels to again become connected with a local body of Christ. Each of our children has grown another year older and experienced the milestones that go along with that. If I were to look, I am sure that I would also find an additional gray hair or maybe even a wrinkle to evidence the fact that I have also grown another year older.

Though the external changes are evident, it is what God is doing inside that excites me the most. He has continued to prove to me that I can trust Him. He has taken care of every detail of our relocation in His perfect time, even though that may not have always corresponded with my time.

I have also received a deeper revelation of two companion truths. First, God has consistently reminded me that He is always with me. I am being challenged to live with an ever-increasing awareness of His constant presence. Second, God has truly given me a greater understanding of Romans 8:28. What can I possibly find about which to worry or fear when God has promised that He is working all things for my ultimate good? I am not saying it is easy, especially when things happen that do not feel good, but the peace is incredible!

If I have a theme song for this year, I would have to say it is "How Can I Keep from Singing" by Chris Tomlin. If you are not familiar with the song, it is worth checking out. Even if you are familiar, it is worth a re-listen. It's all good, but my favorite line has become, "I know I am loved by the King, and it makes my heart want to sing". I know I am loved by the King. What else truly matters?

So what lies ahead? Obviously, only God knows the future; however, there are a few areas in which I believe He is focusing my attention. Our family is continuing to take steps toward healthier living in an effort to become better stewards of the physical bodies He has given to us. Since what we eat is a big part of this and I am the chief cook around here, I am anticipating change and the stretching that always seems to bring. I am also challenged to dive deeper into the Bible. I do not want to read and memorize Scripture because I should. I want to do it because His Word is life, and I am learning more and more that life is priceless.

What about you? What has your journey been like this past year and where do you anticipate you may be one year from now?

One of the Reasons We Live “Debt Free”

2009-12-29T20:20:00.003-05:00

I must tell you that I am a huge fan of Dave Ramsey. If you haven’t heard of him, just click on the link to navigate to his website. He is a personal finance guru who has successfully grown his company without one penny of debt from a card table in his living room to a dynamic company of 300+ people. It’s really no secret, if you know me that I would love to work for Dave. His enthusiastic, fiery, no-nonsense personality sprinkled with a dash of tender heartedness when the need arises is a real winner. I can’t really remember exactly when I started listening to him (I think it must have been in 2005), but his message of living on less than you make immediately resounded with me. I was hooked and have been a regular listener ever since.

Proverts 22:7 (ESV)
The rich rules over the poor, and the borrower is the slave of the lender.

_{The Holy Bible, English Standard Version copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.}

One of the thrusts of Dave’s message is based on Proverbs 22:7 (shown above). When you borrow from someone, you become enslaved to them. I recognized that every month I was being held captive to paying the truck payment and the credit card bills. Thankfully, Michelle and I had not dug ourselves too deeply into debt. We determined that, going forward, we would live free from the entanglements of debt. Each month was a purposeful movement towards reducing debt and living on our plan to live within our means. Finally, in early 2006 I was convinced that I should sell my truck to enable us to be completely debt free. It was a wonderful feeling to not have the debt weighing us down!

Let me toss in one fact here before I continue. The only debt that Dave will not yell at you for having is a home mortgage that is on a 15 year fixed rate with the payment being no more than ¼ (approximately) of your take-home pay. So when I say “debt free,” I am referring to no debt beyond a mortgage of this type.

Since that moment in 2006, we have been committed to making decisions that keep us debt free. Over the past year, we have experienced several challenges to our resolve to maintain a debt-free lifestyle. Upon relocating to another state for employment, we consciously chose to rent a residence in a city half an hour away from my new job. We made this sacrifice in order to continue to make our house payment at our previous residence and make the rent payment while living within our means. It was not easy living and working in two different cities!

The second test of our willpower came once we sold our residence out of state. Would we be willing to follow Dave’s guidelines for a mortgage? It was actually quite agonizing because we just couldn’t find a home that we liked in the area we wanted and in the price range that we could afford. There were several times that I wanted to scrap the whole idea and buy a house that, looking back, would never have been a blessing. Thankfully, wisdom prevailed and we chose to put down a good down-payment and only take out a 15-year fixed-rate mortgage. Our home is a “fixer-upper”, but I can honestly say that I could not be more pleased with our decision. We are so thrilled with the home in which we live!

Once again, if you know Dave, you know that one of his mantras is “Live like no one else so later you can live like no one else”. Michelle and I have made, and plan to continue to make, that decision every day. Today, I am happy to report that we have been able to experience one of those small moments of joy that comes with that decision. Pictured above is our new gas fireplace insert. We love it! We look forward to getting many years of use out of it. Can’t you just see the flat screen TV mounted above it?!? However, if we had not been living on a budget and working our plan, we would not be in a place to purchase this luxury. A portion of our thanks has to go to Dave Ramsey for inspiring us to live like no one else so that now we are getting a small taste of living like no one else. Thanks Dave!

What could you do if you were “debt free”? What’s stopping you?

In Memoriam

2009-12-28T22:06:00.001-05:00

In my school days, I was blessed with several truly exceptional teachers. One such teacher was Mr. R., my Humanities teacher, freshman year of high school. He was the type of teacher that a student dreads in school but comes to truly appreciate as an adult. Mr. R. expected excellence from each of us and never let us get by with less than our best. I had already heard of Mr. R. before that first day of high school as I stood outside of his classroom preparing to enter. His reputation preceded him.

Actually, my story really begins five years earlier on a fall day when I was in the fourth grade. A retired English teacher entered our classroom to assist our teacher in grammar instruction. Mrs. R. wore a smart, red business suit with her white hair pinned up neatly on her head in prim and proper fashion. Whispers from the bigger fifth and sixth graders had already warned us that Mrs. R. was no-nonsense. She spoke perfect English and allowed nothing less from her students. Mrs. R. drilled us in the proper usage of the comma, semi-colon, and apostrophe. Her personal pet-peeve was the term "a lot". Mrs. R. taught us never to use "a lot", but at least to know that it was two words and not one. We learned how to diagram sentences and to never end with a conjunction. Looking back, I realize that Mrs. R. laid the foundation for my English grammar. She taught me how to write properly.

Rumor had it that Mrs. R. had a husband who taught at the high school and was just as tough as she was. It was with this knowledge that I entered Mr. R.'s classroom my freshman year. I must admit that I was a bit surprised when I first met Mr. R. His wardrobe was everything that Mrs. R.'s was not. I cannot honestly remember ever seeing him in anything other than faded blue jeans, plaid shirt, bulky sweater, and something that resembled moccasin slippers. He was a big, bear of a man with thick glasses and shaggy hair. Just imagining the two of them together in all of their contrast still brings a chuckle to me.

Mr. R. had a strict grading policy for our five-paragraph themes. He read our rough drafts and marked each error, but he stopped reading when he came to the third error. There were times when he did not even get passed the first sentence! We were allowed to correct our errors, try to proof the rest of the theme ourselves, and return our second draft to Mr. R. He, again, read the draft and stopped after marking the third error. This was crunch time. We corrected the theme and turned in the final draft. I confess there was a time or two that I handed Mr. R. a final draft in which he had never read beyond the first paragraph. I could only imagine the mine field of red ink and the disappointing grade that may await me. That's right! Mr. R. always corrected our papers in red ink. It did not damage my self-esteem, but it sure did get my attention! If Mrs. R. laid my English grammar foundation, Mr. R. built one of the stories.

Mr. R. was so much more than an English teacher. He taught me to be excellent. He refused to allow the word "yeah", requiring "yes" in its place. As my Humanities teacher, Mr. R. truly opened my eyes to a world I had never before experienced. He inspired me to love old movies. He instilled in me an appreciation for fine art. He tried his best to awaken some interest within me for opera. (Sorry, Mr. R.) To this day, I still automatically identify the focal point when first looking at a painting or photograph. Mr. R. tried to bring a little culture into our public education. I will never forget how he insisted that we not clap every time the music stopped when he took us to the symphony. He did not want us to embarrass him. When others around us clapped, Mr. R. simply looked at us to make sure that none of the dolts were from his class.

I have not thought of some of these memories in some time, but these experiences have helped to make me who I am. I received the news today that Mr. R. passed away on Christmas Eve this year. After shedding tears, I determined to do something that would truly honor him and write this blog. Thank you, Mr. R., for requiring the best of your students. Thank you for inspiring me to be excellent. Thank you, Mrs. R., as well. You and your husband will forever live in my heart. My family's thoughts and prayers are with you.

Reader, how about you? Who were the teachers who truly inspired you to be more than you thought you could be?

The Tyranny of the Blank Page

2009-12-26T15:09:00.001-05:00

I have wanted to be an author since I was 8 years old. Growing up, I wrote poems, songs, essays, short stories, and even tried my hand at a novel. Granted, none of these works turned out to be very good, but I loved it. When I went to college, I gave up the dream to pursue a more "serious" career. I set my writing aside to focus on my studies, my career, and eventually, my family.

Obviously, that was a number of years ago, but the dream of writing has never really gone away. About ten years ago, I began to journal. I found the practice enjoyable and even relaxing as I was able to explore and express my thoughts and feelings. No one was judging my grammar or my content. No one even read an entry without my permission.

As much as I loved to write as a child, I have found that the gift I took for granted in my younger years does not flow as freely now that I am an adult. More times than not, I am haunted by what some have called the tyranny of the blank page. I have tried to tell myself that I am just collecting life experiences now and that the creative writing juices will flow again later, but what if that is not true?

When Mark began this blog and asked me to contribute, I was excited for the opportunity to write. I was also nervous. Perfectionism plagued me with all sorts of questions and doubts. My mind literally went blank when trying to decide on my first blog topic, thus, this entry.

I remember hearing a long time ago that an author's best material comes from what she knows and where she is at. As I embark on this blogging journey, I am pushing through the terror within me at the prospect of becoming vulnerable by allowing others to read what I write. Hopefully, some will enjoy what I write and maybe even connect with what I have to say.

I have decided to embrace a childhood dream that I feared might be dead, and I doubt that I am alone in that experience. Do you have a childhood dream that you have begun to pursue again or would like to pursue again?

An Example

2009-12-25T07:28:00.001-05:00

I am an avid basketball player/fan, and I regularly get up at 5 in the morning to go play basketball at a local church. If you are thinking that is way too early to do anything, much less play basketball, I have to let you know that we regularly have more than 10 guys there to play. The normal routine is for us to shoot around a bit and then we gather in a circle to pray and get the teams organized. Recently, my friend, who usually gets the guys organized and prays, was unable to play for several weeks. Because I am one of the older guys and have been playing there regularly for about 1 year (and because I wanted to start playing!!!), I stepped into the void and decided I would handle those duties in my friend’s absence.

Yesterday while I was playing, a young man disagreed with a foul I called on him. I probably don’t have to tell you that pick-up basketball can sometimes get quite competitive, and we do occasionally have arguments over foul calls. To be fair, I don’t call many fouls and, looking back, I probably shouldn’t have called that one. Nevertheless, I did and he honored the call although he didn’t think it was right. A little while later he grabbed a rebound over my head and I think I may have pushed him as he was coming down. Honestly, it was imperceptible to me, but just as he was stepping away from me after returning to the floor I realized that I had pushed him. He looked at me and commented that we needed to talk after the game. It wasn’t a threat, and he wasn’t being hostile but more just a statement of fact. Once the games that morning had ended he came up to me, and we had a brief conversation.

This young man expressed to me that he had just become a Christian and asked me about where I went to church. He went on to explain that he looked up to me as an example because I had been the one to pray that morning. I apologized to him for pushing him on the rebound that I mentioned above. We had a good conversation and we parted on good terms.

Not until I was on my way home from the gym did I fully realize the impact that his statement about me being an example had on me. I suddenly realized the gravity of the situation. By praying I had put myself in a position PUBLICLY to represent Jesus Christ. I recognize that I represent Christ every day in all that I do, but somehow this seemed different. The guys at the gym only see me for that short amount of time on the basketball court. To be frank, this is probably the place where I come in contact with more people who don’t acknowledge Christ than at any other time of my day. To be sure, this experience has made me re-think how I act on the basketball court. I certainly will be more conscious of my actions towards others.

Because I am a follower of Christ I am an example for others of who He is. If I lived with this thought always in mind would I act differently than normally do? This is the question on which I intend to meditate. I hope that my answer is no. Do you have an answer to that question?

The Beginning...

2009-12-23T07:18:00.001-05:00

About a week ago my wife, Michelle, and I were attempting to have a conversation with each other in our drafty old house after I had come home from work. Sometimes, our 4 children do not have the same plans. Our daughter was walking around the house singing Christmas carols, one son was following us around constantly asking us how to spell Christmas words, our youngest son was not feeling well, and our oldest son was just thrown into the Christmas chaos. Suddenly both Michelle and I realized that we were living a scene from “It’s A Wonderful Life.” I have to admit – it was hilarious!!! We had a good laugh!

“It’s A Wonderful Life” is such a good movie. It is becoming a Christmas tradition in our home to have the whole family sit down and watch it. My favorite moment in “It’s A Wonderful Life” is at the very end when all the people come to help George and then the telegraph comes in from Sam Wainwright and Harry shows up. The closing scene always brings tears to my eyes. I think it must be because George fully realizes how much of an impact he has had on others. I have to admit that my heart yearns to make this type of impact on people. I have come to understand that I can do this by following my heart to serve others. In fact, I am beginning to see this become a reality in my life. There are just too many ways to explain right now, but I hope to expand on this in the future.

I believe that the reason for the Christmas season, Jesus Christ, is the One who has instilled in me the heart to serve others. By serving others, I am able to share just a small portion of what He has done for me. Amidst all the craziness of this time of year I am stopping to remind myself that this really is a wonderful life!

I am new to blogging and this is just the beginning of me learning how to write well. Please come along on my journey.