Happy New Year!

...according to my new "cutest guinea pigs '09" calendar, today is the start of a brand new year. It's a chance to start new...a "re-set" for this precious gift that God gives to us each year...life.

Let's live it to the fullest!

No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, 14 I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.

Philippians 3:13-14

Possible new years resolution...

Outside...

Inside...

(the "junk drawer" of actionchurch)

I'm not one to make "New Year's resolutions" but I'm considering "resolving" to clean out my briefcase... Sure it looks sweet on the outside :-) but it is starting to get a bit messy inside. I hate to get rid of anything in there though because everything in it is needed at some point on Sunday...

What's on your "to do" list for '09?

Happy Thanksgiving!

Hope everyone has a great thanksgiving with family and friends. My plans are to hang out with the family and consume way too much pie. I will also be "consuming" way too much electricity by hanging lights on everything that doesn't move around the house... "It ain't decorated 'til you can see it from space"!

See ya on Sunday!

What's wrong with this picture???

Seriously...I want a "snow day"!

Thank you veterans...

We'll be talking about "attitude" and focusing on others all month in the during the "Mindset" series. I can't think of a better example of caring for your buddies in the very worst of circumstances...thank a veteran today.

"audience"

...did something really stupid yesterday. I put out our garbage directly behind my truck, got in my truck, and backed into the cans. Fortunately my truck is so low that it didn't run "over" the cans. (it can barely run "over" a soda can). I did manage to push my cans out in the street, tip them over, and catapult our halloween pumpkins out of the garbage and send them rolling down the street.

At first it seemed kind of funny...I amuse myself often with my own clumsiness. It seemed a lot less funny when I realized I had an audience. I managed to perform my "amazing feat of stupidity" in front of a large crowd of neighbors waiting with their kindergardners for the bus. Some laughed...some gripped their children tightly to their sides probably hoping that I wouldn't somehow manage to back over them...and my neighbor across the street helped me pick up my trash and move the cans.

Everything is more embarrassing in front of an audience... a lot of stupid stuff I do seems "OK" until someone else sees it. I was reading this verse later (below) and it struck me that we always have an "audience". God is always watching. Nothing is "Secret"... As followers of Christ we should live like we always have an "audience"...

I wonder if God ever laughs at us...?

6 But when you pray, go away by yourself, shut the door behind you, and pray to your Father in private. Then your Father, who sees everything, will reward you. Mathew 6:6

My Schedule (or, Why I don't get out much)

Michele and I get a lot of invitations (OK...Michele gets most of them) to events, parties, hang-outs, etc... and she was saying yesterday that many people are genuinely surprised when we can't attend because of my work schedule. The following is my weekly work schedule...bear in mind I am not complaining...or bragging...everyone on the actionchurch crew works or goes to school or both. I just want to let everyone know that it's not that I am anti-social and don't want to come to your event...we just have a very busy weekly schedule. OK....maybe I am a little and "anti-social" and don't want to go to your party...but I do have a very good excuse :-)

Sunday: Show up at the club at 7 to pray, pick up the parking lot, and set up the tent and outdoor signs... This is my "quiet time" on Sunday morning and how I prep for preaching...ymmv. We roll out of the club at 1pm grab some lunch and I generally fall asleep watching nascar... We occasionally do things with folks on Sunday afternoon but I am generally suffering from my "holy hangover" from the morning and am even less "fun" than usual.

Monday: Family day...the only "sane" day of the week. ...I wish I could say that we did something "fun" like going to Disney every week, but this is at least time together. I generally blog and answer mail in the morning and but I don't do sermon prep, and I TRY to stay away from the computer for the rest of the day.

Tuesday- Saturday: Five days a week I work as a painting contractor to earn a living and help support actionchurch. This generally consists of painting 5-7 Rental Townhouses per week. I actually start my morning (6am to 8am) working on actionchurch "stuff": blogging, returning emails, sermon planning, newsletter, etc. At 8am it's off to paint but while painting I make and return phone calls for church, plan and rehearse the sermon, book bands, reply to emails on my phone, etc. I also occasionally take lunch meetings. I generally work until 5...no quitting time...as a contractor you work until you are finished...then it's home to eat, shower, try to play barbies without falling asleep...work out, read, return email...watch some tube...pass out.

Thursday Night: On Thursday night I finalize the sermon for the week. Occasionally I will have to do some additional work on Friday night or early Saturday morning If I am late getting the lyrics from the bands... For the past two Series Josiah has been doing all the graphics which has taken a TREMENDOUS load off me in the sermon prep department (and they look much better also) I generally start at 10pm and work until after midnight putting the PowerPoint, music, announcements and my sermon stuff together... The rest of "study" and planning is done while painting.

That's my schedule...yours may be busier...I certainly would not want mine to be!

Random acts of blogging...

First- Ten Seconds of Hail on our deck on Saturday afternoon...dang, I have never seen it come down like that...

This guy from church (link) wants to give away a refrigerator...do you need one? It seems like a good deal for the "vintage" orange soda included alone... Thanks Rich

Reagan has been watching this movie every night for about a week... I know it's August but it still makes me laugh...

Signs of the coming apocolypse...

I can almost hear the "clippity clop" of the four horsemans feet...

First there was a movie remake of an abba musical....

...then the re-emergence of the "Two Coreys.

...and now these....

Prepare to meet Jesus...the end is near!

"accidental" growth

Last night I was working out...after eating peanut butter oreos and milk (seriously) and I realized that I had "accidentally" added 20 pounds of resistance to my bench press.

What's the point you might ask?

1. It's really difficult to figure out which power rods on a bowflex "add up" to a certain weight...I need a calculator.
2. I am bragging that I now bench press 40 pounds!!!
3. Even though I would have sworn that I was "not ready" to add more weight...I did it with only a little more difficulty. I didn't even realize I had added resistance until after my bench presses were over.

I'm wondering if this sheds some light on why God seems to push me into "areas of more resistance" that I swear I am not ready for... Maybe we limit ourselves by what we "think we are ready for". Maybe God has to "surprise" us with more "resistance" so we will continue to grow and not plateau. I'm starting to "rhyme" so I must go...

Independence day...

"The Constitution is as much the work of Divine Providence as any of the miracles recorded in the Old and New Testament were the effects of divine power." Dr. Benjamin Rush (signer of the Declaration of Independence.)

I hope everyone has a grateful (and great) 4th of July...

Happy Birthday Reagan!

I can't believe my little princess is turning five today. Being Reagan's "Daddy" is truly the best thing that has ever happened to me. Happy Birthday birdie...

Reagan loves to Dance and Sing at actionkidz...apparently she is doing the "Elaine Dance" in this photo...(see below) She definitely got her beauty from her mommy and her "dancing ability" from me!

Crunch n Munch Breakfast...

For those of you wondering how I stay in the "Olympic athlete" physical condition that I constantly maintain...sorry...I choked on that. Here's my fitness tip of the week. Crunch and Munch for breakfast! It has corn, (popcorn), peanuts, and all the "carmelly" goodness you will need to get you through the day.

This picture was snapped at around 6am at the Relay for Life by Ashley. Michele looks surprisingly perky considering at the time the picture was taken she had been walking nearly seven hours straight. Reagan is asleep...she must have forgotten to eat her crunch n munch. Here's a flicker link to more of Ashley's pics from the event.

I love this picture... Thanks Ashley

"Rest"

Sorry for the ugly foot picture but I wanted to remind myself of something I did yesterday afternoon. I read a novel... Not a "leadership" book... Not a book about church planting or church growth... a detective novel. Completely "pointless"...something I need to do more often. Ironically I read the novel in our sun room that we built to relax in on beautiful "sunny"summer days just like yesterday...the sun room I hardly ever enter...

What about you? Do you feel "guilty" about being unproductive when you relax? Are there things you have purchased to enjoy with your family and never have a chance to use because you're too "busy"? Why is "Resting" so hard to do?

2 On the seventh day God had finished his work of creation, so he rested from all his work. 3 And God blessed the seventh day and declared it holy, because it was the day when he rested from all his work of creation.
Genesis 2:2-3

Funeral on Friday...

Just wanted to let everyone know that the funeral for Josh and Dwan's daughter Syndell Rose Althoff will be on Friday. Viewing is from 11-12 at John H. Danner Funeral home on 822 E Market St. Please keep Josh and Dwan in your prayers during this tough time. Our hearts break for their loss. You can link to the obituary here

Storms in "Real Life"...

I preached on Sunday that "storms happen"... no matter who you are. This morning I got a call that I thought would be a joyous one. Even though Josh and Dwan were actually there at church yesterday I knew that today was the day they were planning to induce labor. When Josh called I was expecting him to announce the birth of their new daughter...instead he told me that the doctors could no longer find a heartbeat...that their daughter would be still born.

Michele and I were able to spend a few minutes with them today in the labor room. I wish I could say we had great words of comfort or wisdom to share...we just shared our broken heart and our prayers for them.

If you know Josh and Dwan, please let them know they are loved, supported, and prayed for... If you don't, maybe we could send up prayers and sympathies for their loss in the comment section and I can send them a link later.

I don't claim for a moment to understand or speak for God but our heart breaks for this couple...
I heard this song on the way to the hospital and it seemed to say it pretty well...

Happy Birthday to Michele..

I don't have to tell anyone that Michele is the "glue" that holds our family, actionchurch, and my entire "universe" together. I know this is an "old man" thing to say (maybe it's because we just watched the "Bucket List") but it doesn't seem that long ago that she was 21 and absolutely the most beautiful "older woman" I had ever seen...at 41 I still feel the same way.

So happy birthday Michele, I love you...and without you I would be "dead in days"...

"Inspirational place"

I keep reading in the gospels that Jesus "went up the mountain to pray". I know that we can (and should) pray throughout our day to day lives...but there are special places that just seem to "click" for us. For Jesus it was the mountains... Do you have a "inspirational place"? A place that just naturally leads to a conversation with God? A place where the "muddled" becomes clearer..and the tension just kind of fades away?

My "inspirational place" is being behind the wheel of my old truck. Maybe it's the oil fumes...maybe it's the fact that I am hurtling along the interstate in a rusty old box that is only 3 inches off the ground...maybe I feel "closer to God" because every moment on the Capitol Beltway in my old truck is a "near death experience"...I'm not sure. I just know that my "mountain" was made in Germany in 1965...where's yours?

"Camping Trip"

Ever since Reagan could talk Michele has convinced her that "camping" is "going somewhere that has room service". Reagan really enjoyed "camping" last night in a place that had Pizza Hut on the room service menu... (Here she is in full "princess" mode)

Having a great time hanging out with the girls...Reagan wanted to swim (for about five minutes) ...watched the American Idol Finale last night propped up on a million pillows in bed...I was actually really surprised at the results. I have been a David "C" fan all through the competition but I really thought David "A" would win because of the "cutesy factor"... Glad I was wrong.

Now it's off to the conference for me and off to the Mall and Movies? for the girls...

Tax(ing) time...

I'm finally getting all our final tax junk done... (yeah I know, way to put it off 'til the last minute). I was just thinking though that at this point in the year I cheer every time I find another dollar given away...and I groan every time I find another dollar taken in as income. It's "upside down and backwards" from the rest of the year when it seems so difficult to part with money and so exciting to bring it in...

I wonder if this is the way we'll feel when we look back on our lives when we get to heaven? What if we regret all the selfish things that we find so pleasurable now, and cheer all the sacrificial things that seem so hard now?

I'm not sure if this is "deep thinking" or yet another mountain-dew-and-tax-form-induced hallucination...