Learning Dependence

iPhone Study

2010-03-08T13:59:00.003-06:00

Ok, some things don't really need to be researched. Sometimes, it's just blatantly obvious...in this case, that the iPhone is addictive. Anyone who has ever had one as their phone (and so much more) knows how much it begins to invade every area of your life. But, now we have some research to verify that we've all known for quite some time - the iPhone is an amazingly incredible piece of technology that so far exceeds expectations and it's functionality continues to amaze it's users - oh, and it's evil.

I wonder if there will be some clinics start to open up for iPhone rehab...

You can read the full article about the study here.

Awesome

2010-01-07T12:40:00.002-06:00

Need more cowbell?

Really?

2009-10-23T07:58:00.001-06:00

It's hard to think that this is really a true story...

Sopapilla Cheesecake!

2009-07-20T14:34:00.002-06:00

What Do You Think?

2009-07-11T14:05:00.002-06:00

Here is a new song from Derek Webb. What do you think about it?

(I first saw this on Iggy's site)

The Best Moment of My Life So Far

2009-06-01T19:08:00.004-06:00

I'm very thankful that I've been able to experience some wonderful events in my life. Being made a new creation by Christ, meeting my wife, getting married, having a family, and getting to do LIFe Ministries. There's more that would fit in this list but I'll just keep it to this for now...the list isn't the most important part anyway.

This past Sunday, I got to walk into a lake with my oldest daughter and baptize her! It was INDESCRIBABLE.

It was a special occasion for my family and me as we were with the church where Dani and I were involved during college, Brazos Meadows. Billy Edwards is the pastor there and has been a dear friend, devoted mentor, and member of the LIFe Ministries board since we began.

But the best moment was when I looked down at her and realized what we were doing...just trying to say to the crowd that she was doing this because she's exchanged her dead life for Christ's abundant life was more than I could push out. I'm not sure what all I ended up saying, but it wasn't much.

I finally just decided to dunk her. So I did. It is an amazing view point getting to look over her as she goes under and getting to hold her as she comes back up. It's just a beautiful experience that I'm so thankful to be have had this past Sunday.

It's really hard to express adequately all that I felt, and still feel about this event. Thank You, Jesus, for making my daughter a new creation in You and for the experienced blessing of getting to baptize her in Your Name.

Academic Earth

2009-05-12T00:36:00.005-06:00

I found this really cool site called Academic Earth. You can watch lectures from professors at schools like Harvard, Stanford, Princeton, Yale, and more.

Check it out if you're interested in getting to virtually sit in on a class.

The website is www.academicearth.org

Don't Say It...

2009-04-27T21:08:00.002-06:00

This past Friday, Charlie Hall and Phil Wickham played at Common Grounds in Waco. Dani, Debbie (my mother-in-law),Logan (my brother), and I went to the concert. It was AWESOME! I've like Charlie Hall for years, but this concert was so good. From start to finish, it was Jesus speaking through him. It was incredible. Spending a little more than an hour just listening to Truth is a wonderful experience.

Now, for the past three years I've tried contacting Charlie Hall every now and then to try to connect Living In Freedom with him to see if he would be open to partnering with us in any way...and really just to talk about life, ministry, and to hear more of his journey. I've attempted to contact him because the lyrics to his music most often spells out the exchanged life/Christ-life message.

After the concert, we were hanging out and I saw Charlie Hall walk by. So, I went over to him to meet him. As I went, my thoughts were:

"Don't say that you've e-mailed him several times. Just don't say it. Don't say that you've e-mailed him several times, etc."

When I finally make it over to him, I start off the conversation with:

"Hi, I'm Matt. I've e-mailed you several times."

Man, I can't believe I said that! I was shocked and I'm not really sure what I said after that. Everything was a bit off. Man, I totally felt like Michael Scott from The Office.

Bummer.

New Again

2009-04-10T09:56:00.002-06:00

My mom sent me a link to this video so I thought I'd post it here too. Happy Easter!

Sound of Music Meets Techno

2009-04-08T13:14:00.000-06:00

Eating Breakfast

2009-03-12T12:55:00.001-06:00

Wow. No more biscuits??? No more Frosted Flakes? What??? :)

The Touch of Love

2009-03-04T11:48:00.002-06:00

I hadn't heard of little Dani's story (not my wifey...a different Dani). The title of the article is "A Feral Child's Journey to Recovery." It's a difficult story to read.

However, if you're interested in checking it out, you can read the whole article here.

MommyDani78

2009-02-18T10:40:00.003-06:00

I love my wife. I LOVE watching Jesus in her, live through her and radically change her life. The way He expresses Himself through her challenges, encourages, and spurs me on in my faith as well.

We've always connected spiritually. However, since Christmas, there has been a deeper connection in our spirits that we hadn't experience before. It's been really sweet. Not only has this connection between us been incredible to experience, but it has also greatly increased our feelings towards each other.

I can honestly say that I feel more in love with her and have stronger feelings for her than I've ever had...even when we were first dating. It is an incredible blessing to my soul to share life with her and experience our life in Jesus together.

She has a blog also...it's MUCH better than mine (and I'm not just saying that because she's my wife). :)

Her latest post in very moving and honest. If you have time, please read it...it will be worth it! You can find it here or just go to her blog here.

Free CD

2009-02-17T12:24:00.002-06:00

If you liked the song on my previous post...you can download a new cd from him by signing up to receive updates from him. There is NO COST!

Just go to Phil Wickham's website. It's really easy and the cd is nice. It is a recording of a live concert he did in Oregon. Every song is just him, a guitar, and the people who came singing along with him. I'm enjoying it.

Beautiful

2009-02-11T02:20:00.001-06:00

This is a great song by Phil Wickham, called "Beautiful."

My Caring Daughters

2009-02-05T22:23:00.005-06:00

Tonight I had the worst headache that I've ever had. I'm not being dramatic here...it was bad. I spent the latter part of the afternoon, on into the evening, lying in bed. The pain was pretty intense and my meds didn't seem to touch it.

As Dani was getting the girls to bed, I made my way up to their room to hug and kiss them goodnight. A was praying as I walked in the room and when she finished, I sat down on her bed and she compassionately asked me how I was feeling and if my head still hurt. I told I was a little better and thanked her for asking.

I then walked over to S's bed and got next to her to give her a hug and kiss. She was lying with Dani looking at her when I got over to where they were. As soon as I was close to S's face, she looked over at me and said, "You ave a aideache and I ave a treat for you. You can sleep in ere with me!" (She followed this with a big smile).

How could I say no to that! A was a little concerned that I wouldn't get enough sleep if I slept in their room because they wake up so early. And she told S that, "If Daddy has a headache, he needs to sleep in."

That sounded good to me...but I think I'll pass on that this time. So tonight, my head still hurts a little, but I'll be sleeping on the floor in my girls' room...what a treat! My girls are pretty sweet to me. I love my family!!!

Baby Talk

2009-02-02T22:40:00.003-06:00

So, I enjoy watching my girls grow up. The first 9 months are REALLY hard for me. I have such a hard time understanding what they need and meeting those needs patiently. I have realized my inadequacy in parenting the most during those first 9 months. I usually describe this time period as being in a tunnel with a really small light at the end...

That being said, due to the difficult nature of those months, I'm brought to the reality of the way we are created to parent...totally dependent on the Father who is patient, kind, good, just, perfect, unconditional, never-ceasing, and compassionate.

Now, my youngest is just over a year old (14 months). She's pretty cool too. She has, from birth, seemed to look for things to be happy about and tried to enjoy her little life up to this point. It's been fun bonding with her in unique ways, as it's been fun with my other two girls in their unique ways.

For all three, I've whispered a little saying to them as I lay them down to sleep when their still in their crib. Little L has responded differently than the other two.

I walk to her crib, holding her face close to mine, and I whisper, "Daddy loves you. Mommy loves you. Jesus loves you and He's always with you. He'll never leave you."

Just the other night she started doing this...and has done it each night since for the past week. When I start whispering, she kinda sits up and says, "shweshweshew, shweshweshew, shweshweshew." With that, she turns and leans for her pillow.

As much as I enjoy watching her grow up, I will miss when she stops "whispering" back to me. Maybe she won't...

I Am Second

2009-01-31T13:53:00.004-06:00

My friend, Tim, posted a link on his facebook about this site yesterday. It's pretty sweet. Tim and I, along with the pastors from The Vista went to a church leadership conference in Dallas this past week, hosted by Bent Tree Bible Fellowship where Pete Briscoe is the lead pastor. His clip is pretty sweet. It's definitely worth taking the time to watch these videos.

My Dream House

2009-01-23T15:47:00.002-06:00

Yep, this has to be the coolest house on earth.

First Dance

2009-01-21T15:54:00.001-06:00

I found this to be rather moving. There is just something special seeing the connection between people.

Grace Giving vs. "Biblical Giving"

2009-01-16T13:50:00.004-06:00

I'm half-way listening to some dude online talk to a group of students about the "Giving Revolution." He's discussing how he feels the Bible "compels us to give" and how it's different from those who say, "I give what the Lord leads me to give."

Wow.

The funny thing to me is that as I'm listening to him dissect what his views on giving are, it sounds like those who say, "I give what the Lord leads me to give" have a more biblical stance...because that statement would imply that their focus is on the Lord.

He spends a significant amount of time talking about how we just make up in our mind what we want to give and give it cheerfully.

Hhhmmm...

I think it sounds rather biblical to "fix our eyes on Jesus"...even in the giving department.

Ouch...he just said that the "act of giving increases our personal godliness."

Ok, I'm not going to write anymore about this. :)

Committing Sin vs. Believing Lies

2009-01-10T00:48:00.002-06:00

A comment from my previous post is the basis for this post. So, what's the difference between committing a sin and believing a lie?

Believing lies are what lead us to committing sin. If we are in Christ (which means He is also in us) then the most natural thing for us is to do the things He does (because it's actually Him doing them through us). He is our life. He is our Source for life. He is our Source for living this life. That's the true reality for those who believe in Him.

However, most of us life as if there were a different truth. We live as if this life is up to us, that we have to live it on our own (or maybe with God's help). When we live thinking God expects us to live a certain way, then we are always under the pressure to choose correctly, live righteously, and be a good witness to those around us.

However, our righteousness only comes from God...who has made us in Christ the righteousness of God (1 Corintians something....it's late so I'm not looking it up right now). :)

Anyway, as we believe lies about who we are (i.e. that we're not righteous, that we're still sinners instead of saints who sometimes sin, that God isn't pleased with us, that we don't measure up, that we're not good enough, that we need to earn His favor, etc.) then we will act according to those lies.

For example, in the previous post, Haggard said that he was a loser. Believing that, he will act according to those thoughts. The truth, in Christ no one is a loser. No matter what we've done, we are secure in Christ and more than conquerors. Whether we experience that in our physical lives and in our souls is a diffferent issue.

Committing sin is acting on the lies we believe. If we are believing truth, we will live out truth, righteousness, and holiness. We will live this out because we will be surrendered to Christ, allowing Him to be our life (practically, in every moment, not just in our spirit).

The act of committing a sin is the by-product of a lie believed. May our lives be transformed by the renewing of our minds to His Truth. The Truth of who He is, who He is in us, and the new creation He makes all those who believe in Him.

Lies, Lies, and More Lies

2008-12-19T11:20:00.003-06:00

Ted Haggard. Just writing that name brings a whole bunch of thoughts to my mind (as it probably does you as well if you've been in the evangelical world in the past 5 years).

He was the pastor of a huge church in Colorado and president of the National Association of Evangelicals. That is, until he was accused of paying for sex from a male prostitute and using meth. He admitted to "sexual immorality" and said that he "really did sin."

What made all of this even more "news worthy" than just one of the several other ministers who have been busted for some devious act is that the NAE, and Ted Haggard especially, had been so outspoken and condemning of homosexuals and fought for "family values." The public image wasn't one of grace but judgment. So, it was no big surprise that when he was caught doing something he had so publicly preached against, he was judged publicly and humiliated.

Honestly, this whole story breaks my heart...on many levels. First, what he did was sin. He struggled with sinful actions. He continues to have that temptation. There is an article on MSN today about him and a new documentary coming up in January. You can read the article here.

I don't think there is any question in most people's minds that he was engaging (at some level) in highly risky, inappropriate, sinful behavior. I get that and agree with that.

However, I view what he did both privately (inappropriate/sinful/etc.) and publicly (preaching against homosexuality, family values advocate, public judgment of others, etc.) as symptoms of the problem. The root of the problem here is that he was believing/is believing lies.

In this current article, he says, "The reason I kept my personal struggle a secret is because I feared that my friends would reject me, abandon me and kick me out, and the church would exile and excommunicate me. And that happened and more."

His fear that he was unacceptable affected all of his actions. To cover up his insecurities, he was more bold in speaking against others who lived differently/unbiblically (not sure if that's a word but I'll use it anyway). :)

I don't know where Haggard stands with Jesus. I don't know if he's been redeemed and made a "new creation." However, I do know that regardless of any of our struggles, in Christ we are a new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17). So, if he's a believer, he's a new creation and completely accepted by Christ. All of his needs are met in Him. He may always be tempted by certain sinful behavior, but he isn't stuck in choosing them. He's been set free (Galatians 5:1).

However, believing that he's unacceptable because he struggles with sin that looks and sounds gross, he acting to cover it up...most likely believing that something was wrong with him. That's what we all do. One of the most profound truths I learned through "Be Transformed" was something like, lie believed as truth will manifest itself as truth. In other words, when we believe a lie, we begin to live as if the lie is true. Others will respond to our actions in ways that will reinforce those lies (because they see the action, not the initial lie that lead to that action). When others respond to the lie, we receive it and believe that it must be who we are.

So, we think we're stupid. We put on a front and act stupid. Others call us stupid and treat us stupid. This reinforces the lie. Or, we think we're an incredible gift to the human race. We walk around confident in our own abilities and successes, thinking we've done it all by our charisma. Others are drawn to us and encourage our egos. We receive these responses as reinforcement to the lying belief that we're awesome.

I'm not saying that Haggard didn't do anything wrong, but it's just a clear example of how believing lies can affect/destroy our lives. No matter what he's done, if he's a believer in Christ, he is still holy, blameless, righteous, perfect, and complete in Him. However, he's not experiencing freedom and life because he isn't believing that he is free and alive in Christ. Christ truly is the Source of life, but if we're living as if this life is up to us, we're not experiencing Him as the Source for our life.

My thoughts are a bit scattered over this story about Haggard, so I'll end with this. The saddest and most revealing part of this story is the last sentence of the article. It ends with a quote of Haggard. He says about himself, "At this stage in my life, I am a loser."

He has completely identified himself by his mistakes/sin/actions. In Christ, we are no longer known by our actions but instead by our union with Him. Until we realize who we are in Him and who He is in us, we will manifest self-effort in our lives...because we're believing lies about who we really are and who He is in us.

Only Christ transforms, and He does so by His Spirit renewing our minds with His Truth. My prayer for Haggard is that he will find his worth, value, acceptance, love, and life in Christ. My prayer for the church is that she will fix her eyes on Jesus, the beautiful groom and object of her affections. And in so doing, see the root of the problems around her, not just the actions. I think we'll begin addressing our culture differently when we see the lies believed, not just the behavior of those around u...including ourselves.

Grace&Peace.

Rejection

2008-12-09T09:51:00.002-06:00

Yesterday, the whole family went to pick our oldest up from school. It was fun having us all there when she walked out of her class. Then, we loaded back into the car to head home. The ride home was not quite so fun. Our oldest (A) and middle (S) weren't getting along and there was a bunch of whining and complaining taking place in the back seat.

When we got home, I told them it was enough and that it isn't a value in our family to treat people the way they are treating people. I realized by the look on A's that she wasn't having a good day. She and I walked in the house together while everyone was still unloading. Then...

A had barely walked in the door when she threw her body on the ground and started weeping in a little ball. I sat down and asked her to tell me what was wrong. She came to sit in my lap and proceeded to say:

"I'm sad. I've had a bad day. Nobody at school was nice to me. No one wanted to play with me."

She told me no one wanted to sit by her or play with her with they went outside to the playground. She also said that one of the other girls in her class would come to her and yell, "I'm mad at you!"

For A, this is devastating. Later, when she was talking with Dani, she said that she was trying everything to make this other girl happy but she just kept saying she was mad at her.

This was all just heart-wrenching for me. We sat on the ground and cried together for a couple minutes and then tried to move on. However, the rest of her day was affected by all of this.

It's hard watching one of your kids go through difficult things.

Senior Adult Choir

2008-11-25T13:13:00.001-06:00

This has to be one of the coolest (and oddest) videos I've ever seen.

Hope Now by Addison Road

2008-11-10T14:47:00.002-06:00

I went to college with most of this band and love getting to watch how God is taking them on this ride as a band. This is their new video for one of their big hits, "Hope Now."

Cool Video

2008-11-07T14:14:00.001-06:00

Here's another video (related to the last election). It's really fun to watch!

Some thoughts from John Piper on the Election

2008-11-05T10:57:00.000-06:00

Interesting...

Sweet Video from the Crowder Band

2008-11-05T10:44:00.001-06:00

All of this footage is from the Remedy Tour last year. It was shot by those who attended and then edited together to make this video...pretty cool!

Intentions

2008-10-27T22:10:00.003-06:00

Here's another video of my good friends, Heather Coleman and Travis Lawrence. I think Heather wrote this song for them to sing together (I think that's how the song came about)...

Tenth Avenue North

2008-10-21T02:06:00.002-06:00

One of my favorite new bands is Tenth Avenue North. Just about every song on their album, "Over and Underneath," rocks. Their lyrics are thoughtful, deep, and sound. If you haven't listened to them yet, check them out! If you want to buy their stuff, do it from iTunes...you get a bonus song and this music video included with the regular cd and digital booklet.

SNL Rap with Palin

2008-10-20T08:53:00.000-06:00

Ok, regardless of politics, this was funny!

I'm Famous

2008-10-13T13:42:00.003-06:00

Well, not really. I just found out my picture was in the local paper. :) The other day, as I was meeting with a few friends over coffee, a reporter came up to ask some questions about the WiFi service. Next thing you know, our pictures are in paper and a little story about local WiFi hotspots.

So, if you want to read more about it, you can read the whole article here.

Christians in Iraq

2008-10-11T21:22:00.002-06:00

Interesting article on CNN's website about Christians struggling in Iraq. If you have time, read the whole article, it's not that long.

Here is one paragraph:

A week ago, leaflets were distributed in several predominantly Christian neighborhoods, threatening families to "either convert to Islam or pay the jizyah or leave the city or face death," said the Interior Ministry official.

Doesn't seem like any of those are great options....

7 Kids...WHAT??!!!

2008-10-01T14:32:00.003-06:00

Monday night Me Wifey and I, along with our 3 girls went to stay at a town about 45 minutes away so our friends could go to Dallas for the rest of Monday night through Tuesday evening.

Our friends have 4 kids. So, for most of Tuesday, we had 7! It was exhausting, but a bunch of fun too.

Around 10:30 Monday night, their youngest woke up screaming for his mommy (he wasn't all that happy to find that she had left and we were all he had). After SCREAMING for about 30-45 minutes, we finally laid him on the couch and he settled down...but didn't go to sleep.

He wasn't settled unless I was sitting on the recliner next to the couch. I would whisper to him that I was there each time he would start to get upset and that seemed to settle him somewhat. This went on until at least 3:00 am.

Then, I woke up a little after 7:00 and looked over at the stairs to see the other 6 children sitting on the bottom few steps looking at me! Who knows how long they had been sitting there quietly, probably wondering, "who is this guy and why is he sleeping there?"

After a run to Starbucks, Dani and I woke up a bit and ended up having a blast with all the kiddos. However, I definitely don't want 7 kids on a regular basis! :)

Now, I'm a little on the exhausted side.

Check It Out

2008-09-23T15:58:00.003-06:00

My old roommate from college, Travis Lawrence ("Stanton"), and Heather Coleman (who's like a little sister to me) recorded some music on YouTube. Sounds pretty good!!!

This one is much more serious. :)

Ingenius Idea from DCB

2008-09-16T10:35:00.001-06:00

This video is pretty sweet. This guy is Jeremy Bush, the drummer for the David Crowder Band. He's smart.

Political "Parties"

2008-09-15T13:29:00.003-06:00

I think someone should change the phrase "Political Party." Neither group seems to be "partying" in any kind of fun way. I'm rather cynical and apathetic when it comes to the political system. I am a voter, but I don't really think most people are in politics now that truly want what's best for the country. I am open to the possible reality that I am wrong, but this is what I feel after watching the process closely over the past 10 years (the length in which I've been a voter).

The other day, I started realizing that both parties spend the majority of their time explaining their enemy, rather than honestly discussing why they are the best person for the position.

If I were to just listen to both parties talking about their "enemy," this is what I would conclude:

The Republicans are at war with the media. The media never portrays them in the right light and always presents the news with a slant towards the Democrats or liberalism.

The Democrats are constantly being lied about by this underground, incredibly huge Republican machine. Somehow, this faceless group of Republicans is taking everything that is said and spinning it into some sort of lie that makes the Democrat a demon. This isn't directed directly at a person, but rather at a scheming group, i.e. the "machine."

Here's how I think a great political race would look like:

Instead of each candidate/party spending MILLIONS on advertising, campaigning, and politicizing, each candidate would take all of the money donated for their cause and begin giving it to areas where they feel it is best needed. Instead of talking about about how the other candidate doesn't care about the homeless/poor, they would demonstrate how much they are concerned with this problem by financially contributing to organizations that are actually dealing with this problem right now.

Instead of talking about how they would fix education, they would begin working with the people they feel are making strides towards a better education in America and actively working on them before they are elected.

Instead of merely discussing how the other candidate doesn't know how to handle problems overseas, they would contribute to world relief organizations and volunteer in refugee camps and serving through grass roots efforts to actually affect change in the world.

I would think, that if a candidate were to actually live out these things, they wouldn't have to spend a dime on advertising as the media would cover every moment because he/she would actually be doing something that is news worthy, instead of just attempting to destroy others' character.

Just some thoughts from a cynical, apathetic, twenty-something dude.

Wipe Out

2008-09-10T10:32:00.004-06:00

I think my favorite show right now is "Wipe Out" on ABC. This show is hilarious! I can't control my laughter most of the time that I'm watching. Ever since I first saw it, I thought it was the show that I'd want to go on and compete.

So, after a little researching, I found out that you can't go on the show unless you "currently live in California." Can Texas be annexed for a few months?

I'm totally bummed...

Jesus Is My Friend

2008-09-08T07:14:00.002-06:00

A friend of mine, John, posted this and it left me speechless. So, I thought I'd share it on my blog as well.

What do you think?

Letting Go

2008-09-02T12:29:00.002-06:00

I'm a pretty laid back guy. A lot of things don't bother me, but when they do, they really do. I thoroughly enjoy being around people and just love connecting with others. Relationships are crucial to me. I truly value deep, sincere relationships and love getting to connect on a deep level with people.

For the past few years, there has been one relationship with a guy that has been a huge struggle for me. The dynamics of this relationship didn't start out as personal, and we never really reached the level where I could call it a friendship. For the most part, the only thing I could really describe the relationship as is hurtful, disappointing, and dysfunctional.

One of the biggest problems, from my perspective, is that he has no clue. I've tried communicating it with him on several occasions, asked for his forgiveness for how I've treated him, and tried to just move on. All the while, I never received any acknowledgment from him that he did anything (good or bad).

This summer it all kinda came to a head. I walked around for about a month with bitterness oozing out of me. It not only affected my relationship with him, but it affected how I viewed other things as well. I could "smell" the stench of bitterness almost flowing out of my pores.

Finally, a few nights ago while I was running, I released him. I knew that Christ in me had already forgiven him and loved him. I didn't wait for the feeling of forgiveness to rush over me and for a warm feeling to lead me into releasing him, I chose to agree with my spirit, which is in perfect union with Christ, to forgive him.

I don't do this often, but I spoke it out loud. There was something in hearing my voice say, "I release _______ from all the hurt, bitterness, and resentment that I've held towards him. I choose to forgive him in my soul as Christ in my spirit already has. I know that the most natural thing for me to do is forgive as I've been given the mind of Christ, so I choose forgiveness."

I am thankful for this process and through it have been shown several areas in my own life and through this relationship where I was wrong. I was practically living as though I had unmet needs and was hoping he would meet some of them. Thankfully, in Christ, I am complete and satisfied. No need is unmet in Him. Also, through this, I'm reminded of how much I am blinded by what I can see physically or what I feel emotionally, instead of the deep reality of who I am in Christ, and who Christ is in me.

Thank God for this relationship! Through it, even though it's been incredibly difficult, I've been able to see the beauty and reality of His life, His work, and His love in and through me.

So, I've let go and I choose Christ. As I choose Christ, He lives His life through me, which will always lead to extending grace, forgiveness, and love to others, regardless of how they have treated me.

6 Random Things

2008-08-24T21:51:00.002-06:00

Ok, so I've been tagged by me wifey to post about 6 random things about me. So, here I go:

1. I love to have fun. I look for ways to make fun in life and, most of the time, I don't know when to stop.

2. I flee from conflict like it's the plague. This is an area God continues to change in me. I been in countless situations where I begin to feel tension and will attempt to squelch it with humor or even lie in an effort to avoid conflict. Usually, this creates bigger conflict...and I am saddened when I lie, not something I like to do.

3. I quit playing football when I got to high school because I was afraid of the bigger guys. I sometimes wonder what it would have been like had a not stopped playing.

4. I have no clue what tomorrow, next week, next month, or next year will look like for my family and me. It's not easy for us, but it's definitely been and still is a great ride for us. We're continuing on the journey of learning dependence, not just dependence for the big stuff, but for every facet of life. We're learning what it means to rest on Christ, fully trusting and completely depending on Him.

5. I have a problem with either being way too silly or way too serious. I am not often in the middle. When I was in seminary, my classmates told me that my sermons didn't sound like me because there were not any jokes, it was just too much seriousness for anyone to follow for any length of time. I think it stems from always being the clown and not feeling like anyone really took me seriously, unless I was awkwardly serious...even then some would laugh. :)

6. My life right now; what I'm doing, what I believe, and how I live is a direct result of what God has done and is doing in my soul. Most of which He has done through my wife, Dani. I am deeply grateful that He put us together. Sometimes I wonder what my life would have been like had He not brought us together, and I'm pretty sure I wouldn't be in this ministry that I'm in now, I wouldn't know God, love, and grace the way I do now, and I wouldn't live on the journey of dependence (knowingly at least). The most significant things in my life that have changed my perception of reality for the better have all been primarily through my relationship with Dani. No matter what struggles we've faced or will face, I'm thankful that we're together, as God speaks to me through her clearly and powerfully. He connects us deeply and I'm so thankful for that.

Bonus: I like to write :) and ... too much. I use them like they were going out of style.

Alright, I guess that's it. If you have any questions you want to know about me, ask and I'll share. For now, I guess I need to tag some other bloggers.

Tag, You're it:

Vista Tim
Slothink About Life
The Journey to Christishness
The Transformed Church
YSMarko
Walters of the world, unite!

Here are the rules:
1. Link to the person who tagged you.
2. Post the rules on your blog.
3. Write six random things about yourself.
4. Tag six people at the end of your post.
5. Let each person know that they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.
6. Let the person who tagged you know your entry is up.

And of course, this is just fun. If you don't have time or just don't want to-no pressure :)

Wet Willy

2008-08-04T12:35:00.002-06:00

I recently heard a story from a girl who commented that her pastor used to walk up and give her wet willies in her ears. Is that ever ok? What would you do if your pastor did that to you?

Side note: This girl isn't a kid, she's an adult...does that make any difference?

I'd love to hear your thoughts!!!

A Little Confused...

2008-07-30T16:03:00.003-06:00

Today my family loaded up in our car to head to Sam's. On our way, we stopped at Blockbuster to rent Mary Poppins for the girls. S decided she wanted Charlotte's Web so we got her that one and A still wanted Mary Poppins, so we let her rent it as well (they were both $1 rentals too!).

After we got what we needed to from Sam's, we headed home. A realized she wasn't holding her new movie so she asked Dani if she could hold the movie, "Papa John's."

I guess pizza's a pretty big deal at our house. :)

Mountains

2008-07-25T10:35:00.002-06:00

I was looking for a notebook to write some notes in and found an old one that I used for journaling, Bible study, and a variety of other things. As I flipped through it, I found a poem that I wrote in 2003. So, here it is:

Mountains,
So big, so old
Impossible to move,
Yet movable.
Reaching to the sky
Majestic, snow-covered
Or brown, tree-covered and dry
Water flows freely off you
But you are not the source.
You are home to so much life
Yet life does not originate from you.
Magnificent beauty,
Fiery destruction.
I wonder what God was thinking
When He spoke you into being.
You are a great example and hope
As Jesus to His disciples spoke,
If one should ask in faith
For a mountain to be moved,
It will be moved indeed,
Even if that faith is as small as a mustard seed.
Mountains,
So big, so old
Impossible to move,
Yet movable.

Political Song

2008-07-21T09:00:00.002-06:00

Here's kinda how I feel about politics...

This song is on Derek Webb's album, "The Ringing Bell" if you're interested.

Little L isn't happy her blueberries are all gone

2008-07-17T19:39:00.003-06:00

The after shot from her first try with blueberries! She's crying because they're gone. :)

New Apps for iPhone

2008-07-17T09:15:00.003-06:00

Last night I downloaded several of the free apps for the iPhone, most of which are pretty cool. One of the apps I put on my phone has a list of several restaurants and allows you to check the nutritional facts on their menus, as well as find the closest restaurant of choice.

Another app is what I used to post the previous post of Dani sitting across from me at TGI Fridays during our 7th Anniversary dinner on June 23rd. It was fun!

This application lets you take a picture and post it directly to a blog of your choice, adding the title, description, and tag and then uploads immediately. Pretty cool stuff.

I can't wait to try out the one that lets you listen to music on your phone and mix/scratch while the song is playing. Rock on! I've always wanted to be a dj...I can live the dream, kinda.

Peek-a-boo!

2008-07-16T20:30:00.002-06:00

Dinner at TGI Fridays for our 7th Anniversary.

Daddy's Weekend

2008-07-13T11:29:00.002-06:00

This weekend, Dani had a "Mama's Getaway" and I stayed home with our three girls. It's been fun...and tiring. Dani does a much better job than me at running the house and keeping everything in order.

Anyway, this morning we were planning on going to church. The older two dressed themselves while I gave our baby a bath and got her dressed (with a dress Dani set out before she left). While I got ready, everyone hung out in my bedroom and the older two drank a bunch of water by filling up their cups in the bathroom sink.

After I got dressed, I fed baby while I thought the older two were going to the restroom for the last potty trip before we left.

I loaded everyone up for church, almost 30 minutes late for the service, and we headed off. The ride to church was a bunch of fun as we listened to one of the girls' favorite cd's: Alan Jackson singing a bunch of hymns.

When we pulled up to church, I started to get the girls out of the car when I noticed something...S had pottied in her seat!!!

So, we loaded back up and headed home. No church today.

Brooke Fraser - Shadowfeet

2008-07-11T12:11:00.003-06:00

I just found this girl on iTunes and think her music rocks. This song is pretty cool so I thought I'd share it here. Her album has done great in New Zealand (where she's from) and just recently became available in the States. It's being pushed as a "Pop" album but a Christian thread runs throughout every song.

She's also one of the singer in Hillsong. I'd love to hear what you think about the music...

I Hope He's Proud of Me

2008-07-03T22:51:00.003-06:00

I saw this clip and was saddened by her comments. She's 24 and still longing for her dad to be proud of her. Divorce is tragic...

Oh Snap...and by that I mean Snapping Turtles

2008-06-30T13:35:00.003-06:00

This past weekend I was with a youth group from Boerne, TX. We were camping at Inks Lake State Park and took some time to swim in the lake. It was beautiful, but the water was a little murky...I couldn't see my legs once I was in the water.

Anyway, After swimming around for a while, I got on float (ok, it was a pink float) and started to slowly head for the shore. When I was about 10 feet from the shore, I saw something pop out of the water about a foot away from me with the corner of my eye. By the time I looked over, it was already underwater and those on shore said they thought it must have been a turtle, although no one really saw it clearly for sure.

Moments later, something knocked me off of my float and into the water! I didn't know I could swim as fast as I did.

I wasn't really all that interested in getting back in the water after that, but I did. Thankfully that was my only encounter with the living creatures in the lake. Of course, the students will probably never let me live this one down.

Overall, it was a great retreat and a great weekend. I'm sure glad to be home now though.

7 years

2008-06-23T09:21:00.002-06:00

Today is Dani's and my 7 year anniversary. I'm so thankful to be married to her and thoroughly enjoy her friendship, depth, and sensitivity to Jesus.

I am often amazed at how her strengths make my weaknesses look better. She challenges, encourages, and supports me. She's an incredible mom to our girls and I'm so thankful that they get to look up to such a godly woman as their primary role model.

The past 7 years have been quite a ride and I'm excited about the rest of our lives together, as I'm confident that the best is yet to come.

I LOVE me wifey!

CFL's

2008-06-23T01:02:00.002-06:00

Thought this was interesting.

What do you think?

If you've already purchased one of these lightbulbs, have you disposed of them properly? I know I've had a few that I did not follow the rules of proper disposal.

Great Message from Louie

2008-06-21T21:40:00.002-06:00

I've been a fan of Louie Giglio ever since Dani and I went to Passion '99 in Ft. Worth. I just watched this message and thought it was pretty sweet.

Huh, Laminin...

Summer League

2008-06-20T22:18:00.002-06:00

Yesterday was a crazy-busy day. I mowed my parents' yard, my yard, cleaned the house for company who came over for dinner and played in my first soccer game since my Sophomore year of college.

I feel I've become a bit old. I have my favorite news anchor crew, 10:00 news station, and I enjoy mowing the yard. I'm also getting tired earlier and earlier.

The guests who came for dinner were a ton of fun and it was really nice getting to know them. We met through our church and found that we have a lot in common. Our kids all played outside on the trampoline and an inflatable that my parents bought our girls last year.

Then, I left to play soccer. I've been running again lately so I thought I might be in okay shape...I was WRONG!

This league is a 7-man league. There always has to be at least 3 girls on the field during the whole game. We subbed the dudes every 3 minutes. First off, 3 minutes felt like an eternity when I was on the field and way too short when I was off. At times, my feet felt like I was stuck in cement.

All that said, I had a TON of fun. It was just great getting out there again and kicking the ball around. I never realized what kind of shape I used to be in though. I also was a bit surprised at how easy it was for me to talk some trash to some of the players on the other team.

As soon as one of them said something to me, I snapped back without even thinking about it. It's crazy...I know I have NO room to talk out there. I could barely move after making one run, let alone muster up the composure to spit out one sentence without heavy panting between each word.

I was rather pathetic trying to prove my point to some dude. Trash talking is usually probably done better when you can actually say everything without gettind dizzy in the process. :)

Anyway, I think I'm going to play every Tuesday and Thursday through the summer so maybe I'll get back in a little better shape before it's all done.

Soccer sure is fun! But the day after is painful...

"The Voice of Color"

2008-06-18T13:54:00.005-06:00

Marko posted about this fun test you can take to find out what color family suits you best. Here are my results:

What color family suits you best?

Baby Got Bible

2008-06-13T10:44:00.003-06:00

I found this video a few years ago when I was a youth pastor, but haven't seen it in a while. I'm glad it's online now. I hope you enjoy.

(Oh, the guy who did this remix has the same name as my dad...only he's not him).

Howard Publishing

2008-06-13T09:59:00.004-06:00

The editor that I met with at the writer's conference last weekend was Denny Boultinghouse of Howard Publishing. I'm not that familiar with this publishing house but he sent me three books that he thought could help me in my writing.

So, I just received these books last night and started to read one of them. The one I chose to start with is called A Scandalous Freedom by Steve Brown.

As soon as I started reading this book, I wanted to finish it. It's incredible and engaging and clearly presented. The author has been a pastor for 25 years and is now a professor at a seminary in Florida. It is obvious that he has had to field countless questions and faced people who fear resting in their freedom in Christ.

I'm not far enough yet to fully endorse this as a great book, but if it continues the way it's started, I think it's going to be a book I read several times and will be added to my list of books to go through with other people.

A Scandalous Freedom: The Radical Nature of the Gospel.

Yet Another Matt Smith

2008-06-11T14:42:00.003-06:00

Ok, this guy's older than me so I guess he has more of a right to sigh, "Yet Another Matt Smith" than I do but it is always fun for me to see what others do who share the same name.

I'm still hoping to attend the Matt Smith Convention sometime in 2009.

This is "Sloppy"

2008-06-09T13:32:00.002-06:00

This past weekend, I attended a writer's conference in East Texas. One of the cool parts about the conference is that I got to send in a few chapters of my book for an editor to look over and offer a critique of it.

Overall, the meeting was encouraging, but there were a few moments that were a bit less than encouraging. He started by saying that the first sentence was "sloppy." He said that if he had received it at a regular time and not for the conference, that he probably wouldn't have read any more past the first sentence.

The good news is that he liked the idea behind the book, I just need to work on how I'm communicating that idea. So, more work to do but at least I've started...

Hopefully, I'll get less and less "sloppy" as I go.

Youth Ministry Humor

2008-06-02T13:13:00.003-06:00

These guys, Marko and Tic, are the head dudes at YouthSpecialties. I thought this was pretty funny...partly because I've either thought some of these things or had people respond to me in similar fashion.

Call of "Duty"

2008-06-02T13:08:00.000-06:00

Country Living

2008-05-26T10:27:00.005-06:00

Ok, so we LOVE our neighborhood and all the neighbors we've met so far have been pretty nice. There is very much of a community feeling and a bunch of kids are always playing together on any given street.

That being said, there is one aspect to living where we do that I find rather humorous. I joke a lot with me wifey that we live in the country, even though we're surrounded by people. I could actually probably straddle our yard and our neighbors yard and touch both of our houses. So, we don't have the land that typically comes with living out in the country, but our neighbors help us feel like we are. :)

One of our neighbors has a big pickup with camo trim!

The other day, one of our neighbor's boys went into a friend's house but didn't tell his parents. Once they realized they didn't know where he was, they frantically started searching. The dad had a broken ankle so he was hobbling down the street yelling the boy's name.

The boy came running out heading for his dad (probably about 50 yards away). By the time he reaches his dad, the dad already had his belt off and in a loop and in one motion spanked the boy and started to put his belt back on.

A few days later, my family decided to head over to the neighborhood pool for a little swim. I was sitting on the side feeding our 5 month old and watching my other girls swim with Dani.

I looked over at another family and could barely hold in my laughter. Most people would bring noodles and floats to the pool...not in my neighborhood. This family brought a lasso. No joke! This older teenage boys was roping his little sisters! It was hilarious. They did this for about 15 minutes and then decided to get in the pool.

That just about sealed the deal for me. I'm convinced...we officially live in the country...without really living in the country.

Honesty

2008-05-23T01:21:00.002-06:00

We just got a trampoline at our house. It's pretty exciting and we've been jumping for days now. Yesterday, I was jumping with A, my 4 year old, and we were having a blast. She was getting up her courage to jump higher and I was being careful not to double bounce her.

She sat down at the opposite side from where I was so I decided to jump high and land on my back. When I did, she laughed and said, "Whoa, you're a heavy guy!" Every time for the next several bounces, she repeated herself and laughed.

I guess that's a fat joke... :)

What Would You Do?

2008-05-12T14:38:00.002-06:00

What would you do if you were riding on this train when someone starting doing what she's doing?

Note: There is some foul language in this video...

This Is Home

2008-05-12T09:45:00.001-06:00

This is a new song from Switchfoot and the video uses clips from the movie Prince Caspian. Hope you like it...

National Day of Prayer

2008-05-01T16:30:00.001-06:00

I guess I should pray today.

Talented Kid

2008-04-17T01:58:00.002-06:00

I just saw this video and was blown away. Listening to his story and then hearing his voice is incredible. I hope he makes it big...

A Unique Elephant

2008-04-08T12:05:00.001-06:00

If you haven't seen this already, you should take the time. It's pretty incredible.

Theologian Quiz

2008-04-07T13:04:00.004-06:00

There is a fun quiz you can take that will tell you what theologian you most closely relate with. I'm not sure that I answered every question accurately seeing as how I've forgotten a lot of what I learned in seminary so some of the terminology was a blast from the past...and I'm not sure I remembered everything correctly.

That being said, I guess I'm pretty much in line with Karl Barth. You can take the quiz by clicking on the link under the picture of Karl Barth below or you can click here.

Which theologian are you?
created with QuizFarm.com

You scored as Karl Barth

The daddy of 20th Century theology. You perceive liberal theology to be a disaster and so you insist that the revelation of Christ, not human experience, should be the starting point for all theology.

Karl Barth

100%

Jonathan Edwards

80%

Martin Luther

73%

John Calvin

67%

Anselm

67%

Jürgen Moltmann

60%

Charles Finney

53%

Augustine

47%

Friedrich Schleiermacher

40%

Paul Tillich

40%

I'd love to know who you're matched with...

Study of American's View of Sin

2008-04-05T09:37:00.002-06:00

A recently released study of Americans over the topic of sin has some rather interesting findings. You can view the info here.

One of the biggest things that stood out to me was this paragraph:

"One of the biggest differences in whether people believe in the concept of sin is actually not even religious, but political. Among political conservatives, 94% believe there is such a thing as sin. This is also true among 89% of moderates. But only 77% of political liberals believe in the concept of sin."

If you check out the report, scroll down to the bottom and you can see the info listed in chart form if you don't want to read through everything else.

What do you think? Is this study surprising to you or does it coincide with what you already felt to be true about our country?

What does this study say about the role that the church is playing in our society?

O-B-E-D-I-E-N-C-E

2008-03-30T23:48:00.002-06:00

My oldest is in a "Christian Preschool" in our community and has really enjoyed it, I think more so than any other educational facility she's been a part of thus far in her short life time.

One of the things that this school emphasizes is their Bible story time and music. This is the first time that our oldest has come home and told us about what she learned and what the Bible story was about that day.

I'm thankful for this place and thankful that my daughter enjoys it. I have one hang up though, and I'm probably the only dad that has this issue.

One of the songs they are learning (and the ONE that has really caught my daughter's attention because she sings it all the time) goes like this:

O-B-E-D-I-E-N-C-E
Obedience is the very best way
To show that you believe

My middle girl has joined in on the musical fun and her version goes a little like this:

O-B-E-D-I-E-N-C-Eat...

I enjoy hearing their excitement and love listening to them sing, but I am not all that thrilled with the lyrics here. I know, most parents are usually concerned b/c their kids are listening to rap or something with lyrics they don't even understand (and that may happen in our house as well). But, for now our issue is with this song.

I would love for my girls to live a life of complete abandon to the things of this world and complete surrender and dependence on Christ in every moment. I would love for their lives to be obedient to the Father because I know they were created to operate out of their relationship with Him. However, this song just throws all focus onto the obedience.

I really don't think that was ever the point of Jesus' teaching. I think obedience is a natural by-product of what He was really about, which was and is about us being restored into an intimate relationship with the Father through Jesus, who lives in us at and after salvation.

Well, I'm glad I got that off my chest now. I've been thinking about it for a few weeks. Now I can move on. :)

Big Brother Theologians

2008-03-17T15:23:00.002-06:00

This was a pretty interesting clip from Big Brother 9. What do you think?

I like this part: "The Bible's a good thing to know. There's a lot of references made about it: David and Goliath..." "Easta."

I'm "Watership Down"

2008-03-15T12:53:00.002-06:00

I just took this quiz that I found thanks to this guy. I've never read this book (big surprise) but I think the description it gives as to why this book describes me is a bit funny.

You're Watership Down!

by Richard Adams

Though many think of you as a bit young, even childish, you're
actually incredibly deep and complex. You show people the need to rethink their
assumptions, and confront them on everything from how they think to where they
build their houses. You might be one of the greatest people of all time. You'd
be recognized as such if you weren't always talking about talking rabbits.

Take the Book Quiz
at the Blue Pyramid.

So, what book are you?

Can't Wait til April!

2008-03-11T12:00:00.001-06:00

I think I've had some Office withdrawals. Here's a quick fix until April.

I Can't Believe I Have Three Girls...

2008-03-11T11:19:00.003-06:00

This study was just released about teenage girls and STD's. As if it weren't bad enough thinking about when my little girls grow up.

This is the culture they are growing up in! I find it intriguing that our society continues to treat sex like it's perfectly normal for people to experiment and have more than one partner, as long as "you're in love."

What are your thoughts?

It's Always Interesting...

2008-02-25T16:59:00.002-06:00

Things are never really dull at our house. With three little girls and a dog, we seem to always have some chaotic adventure going on. We're in the middle of one right now...

Last night, we were all outside with our neighbors (minus our dog) talking a bit before dinner. As our kids were playing with the other kids on our street and one of our neighbor's dog, Ania started crying. Dani was closest and bent down to see blood.

She called me over and we thought the dog had bit her figure because we could see a bunch of blood covering it. She was hysterical and shocked over the incident.

It wasn't until we got home and under the light that we could see two little teeth marks on her upper lip. Apparently, the little dog bit her on the lip when she bent over and my oldest fell down, scraping her finger on the street.

Well, once blood is drawn, there really isn't much you can do to just work things out between neighbors...at least that's what we've come to find out. We contacted our doctor and found out that we had to report the incident to Animal Control. They came out this afternoon and checked on everything and told us they didn't really care how it affected neighborly relations, they were required by law, both state and county, to take the dog and quarentene it for 10 days to make sure it didn't have rabies.

It's kinda like welcome to the neighborhood. :) On the one hand, we feel bad for our neighbors and really didn't to make a big deal out of it. I'm just glad that our girls got to learn the incredibly important lesson that you can't play with other dogs because you just don't know what they will do from a little dog, so the damage is minimal.

On the other hand, this is the course that must be taken. Dogs that snap at people must be under complete control by their owners. I'm still not completely sure why we have dogs in our neighborhood that are allowed to run around without a leash every day. To me, that's just asking for trouble.

Anyway, we are continuing to keep things interesting...

Article about TV and Kids

2008-02-25T16:52:00.002-06:00

For the parents who read my blog, I thought you might like to read this article about how watching TV affects children's sleeping habits.

I guess I'm going to have to stop letting my girls watch The Unit, Criminal Minds, and Big Brother-Til Death Do Us Part before bedtime now. :)

Florida Church-30 Day Sex Challenge

2008-02-20T12:07:00.003-06:00

I bet this church is going to see an increase in membership!

What do you think about the challenge?

Wanna Get Away?

2008-02-15T14:29:00.002-06:00

Where's Southwest Airlines when you need them?

This has to be a REALLY bad day for this guy.

So, what's the worst fall you've ever taken?

Emerging From The Pit

2008-02-15T09:37:00.003-06:00

My wife and I celebrated Valentine's Day early this year. My mother-in-law was in town for a few days and wanted to take care of our girls while we went on a date...so we went!

We had a blast. We were given a dinner for two to the nicest steak house in town so we went there. I had a great salad, amazing Merlot Tenderloin and baked potato, followed by an incredible 8 layer chocolate malt cake. The margarita was pretty good too. :)

Anyway, we enjoyed getting to eat in some peace and just talk without much interruption. When we got home, I got our youngest and helped her get to sleep and then went to bed.

I woke up at 5:00 am with a terrible stomach ache, that stayed with me for just over 24 hours. I was in the bathroom all day and was given the privilege of tasting the dinner again, and again. It wasn't nearly as good after the first time around.

After three days, I feel like I'm able to manage through the day without feeling sick. I'm sure you probably didn't want to read about all of these details of my past few days but I just felt like sharing my adventures with you.

Happy Valentine's Day!

If You're My Friend...I Most Likely Wouldn't Eat You

2008-02-06T10:36:00.000-06:00

31%

I was checking out YSMARKO's blog this morning and he displayed the results of the cannibalism test. So, of course I had to see what it said about me.

What about you? Take the test and let me know!

This Makes Me Sick

2008-01-24T15:12:00.000-06:00

I am a little hesitant to even bring up this article because the actions taken by this "church" are ridiculous and incredibly sad. The group from Westboro Baptist have such a distortioned view of the Gospel and of God.

You can read about their thoughts concerning Heath Ledger's death here.

Apparently, they have missed the reality that God is love and passionately loves His creation. I'm also a bit tired of hearing about all of their protests. Sad stuff...

Steve Harvey

2008-01-18T12:58:00.000-06:00

This video was sent to me several months ago by my friend, Kara. It's quite the introduction.

Out of the Mouths of Babes

2008-01-17T13:04:00.000-06:00

The other day I walked into my bedroom where my wife and 4 year old daughter were sitting on the bed chatting with Oprah on in the background. My daughter was interested in what was going on in the show and wanted us to tell what was going on. We started to explain that Oprah was talking with someone and she cut in with, "That's not Oprah!" She was right, at the time she looked at the screen, the camera was on someone else. Now I'm wondering how she knows what Oprah looks like because we don't usually watch tv while our girls are awake.

Later that day, I was taking our middle daughter (2 year old) out on a "date." The girls were going to see a friend that was moving and wanted to give them a gift and I was trying to move away from a date always involving ice cream so I figured we could go to Target and hang out together and she could pick out the toys for her friends at the same time.

Well, when we returned home, my 4 year old wanted to know what we did on our date and we told her we went to Target. My oldest responded with, "That's not a date!" Apparently I need dating lessons.

Survey

2008-01-15T14:09:00.000-06:00

Ok, so I added a survey on the left-hand side of my blog page. Apparently, either no one really checks my blog or there is an incredible lack of opinion when it comes to which holiday we most enjoy (thank you to the 1 who voted...besides me). :)

Time is running out on this survey and then I'll try another question. Maybe I will ask something more people really care to answer (that is if there are actually people reading this blog).

And yes, I'm shamelessly plugging for feedback...

Good-Bye 2007

2007-12-31T21:55:00.001-06:00

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

I'd love to hear some resolutions if anybody is doing that this year...I haven't really given any thought to it and probably won't.

Great Christmas Present

2007-12-27T23:38:00.003-06:00

I got an iPhone for Christmas!!! Officially the coolest thing I've ever had. I'm actually posting this from my iPhone. I'm pretty excited! :)

A Growing Epidemic

2007-12-14T15:53:00.000-06:00

Watch this video and educate yourself on what kids are facing today.

Props to my friend, Kyle, for making me aware of this!

Great Wedding First Dance

2007-12-01T12:18:00.000-06:00

This should happen more often...

Thanksgiving Travels

2007-11-23T09:39:00.000-06:00

We loaded up the car Thursday morning to go down to Bryan for our family's Thanksgiving Day meals and get-together but didn't realize what we were really embarking on.

This is a trip I've made most of my life. I know how to get to Bryan/College Station. However, on this day, I forgot. We took off for this short hour and a half trip, and three hours later ended up at our destination. :)

I had a few memory lapses that were aided by some poorly marked roads and we ended up in Austin (not really a part of our trip). The good news is that our girls got a nap in during the last half of the drive and it made the drive back home go by pretty quickly.

At least we made it...and at least we got to watch the Cowboys win! Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Wasting Time for a Good Cause

2007-11-20T11:25:00.001-06:00

For those of you who enjoy playing games, there is a great word-game online that will donate rice through the UN for every word you get right.

Play it here.

Have fun, increase your vocabulary, and help hungry people...sounds like a great combo to me!

Props to my little bro, Logan, for making me aware of this.

Welcome to the Neighborhood

2007-11-19T11:06:00.000-06:00

My in-laws have left and we're back to getting unpacked on our own. Dani's parents did SO much. It's incredible how fast and hard they work. I'm pretty sure we would still be staring at boxes up to our ceilings for the next few months had they not come. Now we actually have a few rooms completely organized and set-up as well as a garage that has everything put away and space for our car!

Before I left for Arkansas, we were outside in our driveway and, within a matter of 10 minutes, there were 8 little kids all playing together in the cul-de-sac. It's fun having so many kids around for our girls to play with (it's also a bit tiring). :)

There have been two new families that have just moved in since we did and they have what seems to be 10 kids, all older elementary-aged. They play a little louder and little rougher than the 8 little kids who were out a few weeks ago. :) It appears that our street will not lack in life and entertainment!

We have enjoyed going to a church called "The Vista Community". It's a new church and very relaxed. Fun stuff...

We've Moved

2007-11-06T01:33:00.000-06:00

And I'm tired! I hope we don't have to move again for a LONG time. I'm definitely glad to be in our new place though.

We're Moving

2007-10-28T20:47:00.000-06:00

After 6 months, we're finally moving! We are excited, nervous, and a bit scared to jump into this new path on our journey.

I'm painting the next few days so I'll be offline. I'll try to blog later this week though. I can't believe it's actually here.

On a related note, we're learning more about dependence and trust on Christ than we've ever been stretched to know before. It's thrilling to be on this adventure with Dani.

No matter what has happened, Christ has been with us and taken care of us and proven faithful, trustworthy, and our provider. We are learning in a very real way that He is all we need. He IS enough! It's a hard truth at times because we have loved so many other things for most of our lives. It's hard but good at the same time.

Have a good week and I'll post again soon.

Grace&Peace.

Education in California

2007-10-16T13:00:00.001-06:00

Here's another article, this one is about a bill just passed by Gov. Arnold Swarchenegger, who is a republican.

So, what would you do if you lived in California and had children in the school system?

Talkin' About a Bad Day

2007-10-16T12:47:00.000-06:00

I saw this title, "Woman Overheard Yelling Obscenities at Toilet Could Face Jail Time", and thought that this person must be in the middle of a really bad day.

You can read the rest of the article here.

Crazy Days

2007-10-15T19:37:00.001-06:00

This weekend was a lot of fun for Dani and me. We had our first parenting conference and learned a lot, had a blast, and are looking forward to more. Then I got to preach on Sunday at Brazos Meadows (which is a great place for us because we went there during college and Billy is still a very close friend to me).

Sunday night, we packed up and went to sleep for a few hours to wake up at 5:20 am Monday morning to drive all the way to Longview for one stop, then back over to Dallas for another stop and to stay with our good friends, the Summers.

Tomorrow (Tuesday), we're heading around a few places in Dallas and then getting back home. It's a lot of driving but it's a lot of fun being with family and friends so much.