Tops of 2007

As 2007 comes to a close, I have been reflecting on the year past, collecting the good times we had...

We had some neat trips...we went to Asheville, NC over Spring Break...discovered the Mellow Mushroom (if you've not had that...it's good pizza with a really funky cool atmosphere). In the summer we went to Disney and our little one got to meet Mickey and friends for the first time. Over Labor Day weekend, we traveled back home and I performed my first interfaith wedding of one of my former youth group members. It was both an honor and a privilege to be a part of her big day. It's hard for me to think of her as a woman now...wow has time passed. This fall I got to attend the Youth Specialties conference in Atlanta. That was a good trip too. I got to meet new people...meet some fellow bloggers and learn about the new and exciting things going on in youth ministry.

This past year was full of firsts for our little one...he had his first step...his first words....his first haircut...his first birthday. Our oldest lost his first tooth and started first grade.

It's been an exciting year...we've served over 5,000 people dinner at our Thursday night service...and each week new people join us.

I hope this next year is as exciting and fun. I look forward to seeing what God has for us.

Happy New Year everyone!

When Santa Came To Visit

Santa came to our house like he usually does on Christmas Eve. Our little one was not real thrilled to see him.

Even though he didn't like seeing Santa, our young one was excited Christmas Day to see the packages from Santa to him.

Maybe next year he'll like Saint Nick better.

Merry Christmas!!

Merry Christmas and happy holidays to everyone. We had a good day today...opening presents, eating breakfast casserole, visiting with family in person and on the phone, J cooked dinner tonight and it was very good...we played and sang and just chilled for a while. It was good to be in each other's presence.

One of my favorite presents this year was a wonderful joy and surprise...the boys adopted a Compassion International child for me. They decided I needed a little girl to take care of too. She is so very cute...only three years old.

What a great gift. Thanks guys!

Merry Christmas Eve!!

Merry Christmas Eve! Our tree is finally up...our stockings are hung...and we're finally kinda ready.

We are here having fun, getting ready to start cooking and preparing for the evening church service, tracking Santa's trek over Europe. We're hoping Santa will stop by maybe before the evening service and definitely sometime during the night.

Trying once again this year to figure out how everything's going to get done by tomorrow. Oh well, it'll all work out...it always does!

May you and yours have a very, Merry Christmas!!

Silently Watching

Today I woke up with a voice similar to Mickey Mouse...not exactly what I had planned for today. Our choir was doing selections from Handel's Messiah plus one of my favorite Christmas hymns. I love singing this time of year because I can harmonize better since I already know the songs, their words and their tunes. Because I couldn't sing without coughing or the fear of sounding like some kind of cartoon character, I stood silently listening to the congregation and choir sing. It was WONDERFUL! I loved listening to the sounds of the voices joined together.

I imagined in my mind what it would've been like to be a shepherd hearing the angels sing of the arrival of Jesus.

Although I was disappointed I couldn't join in song, it was nice to have the music wash over me.

Could It Be?

Could it be? Could Rick Rodriguez really be thinking about leaving WVU for Michigan?! How interesting and almost strange. First Beilien now Rodriguez? That might be good.

I hope whoever goes to U of M will do better against the Buckeyes than in recent years.

I guess he wouldn't have to change the color of his duds too much. Although I am a little scared about the yellow uniforms...I really don't want to see the Big Blue running up and down the field in Maize. I like the color, but not that much.

We'll have to wait to see.

Liked the Movie, Didn't Want to Live It

Today was the first day I've gotten to take away from work. After I dropped off the little one I decided to go uptown in the continuing search to find pretty much the only thing our oldest has asked Santa for...a Wii. I don't know if you have been following the hype, but they're pretty much the most sought for commodity this season. They're being sold on Ebay for in the upward of $500 - $900 depending on what you get with it.

So today started my personal hunt. I went to our downtown store...found only 5 people in front of me and the clerk said the truck would soon be arriving. We waited. I hoped. We found out there are only 3 consoles per box. OK, I thought, we need 2 boxes. The guy only delivered one. ARGH!!!

OK...I don't take defeat that easily...I began to call other stores...found one that had just one left....I was on my way...going fast enough I thought but not too fast. I get there...sold 6 minutes before ARGGHHHH!!!!

So, the hunt continues. I couldn't help but think of Arnold Swarchenegger and Sinbad in Jingle All the Way. I always kinda liked the movie...thought it a little far fetched...but now I understand. No underground workshops for me, though. If we can't find it I think Santa's going to have to write a letter of apology to our oldest...and we'll look at that for a birthday gift.

Continuing now to do prep work for Christmas...have lots of energy and I need to expend it somewhere.

ONE BOX???!!!!!!! SIX MINUTES????!!!!!! ARGH!!!!!!!

What Did She Think?

Today one of the movies my oldest and I watched was The Nativity Story. I had wanted to see it when it came out but with our youngest being so small, we didn't see many movies last year. We watched parts of it in youth last Sunday and I really wanted to see the whole movie. It was really good! Very well done.

J asked me questions throughout and that was pretty cool...teaching him the deeper story of Jesus' birth not just that he was born in a manger and people came. We talked about Herod and how mean he was...we talked about the scholars...the wise men who traveled a long way to see Jesus. We talked about the long distance of 100 miles, a two hour trip by car, but how Mary and Joseph did it by foot/donkey...wow.

Having 2 boys of my own, I just wonder what was going through Mary's mind during all of this. It seems as though each year around this time I have these same wonderings. She took a big risk saying yes...she could've been stoned to death. There was the long trip that would have been very difficult at 8-9 months along. The birth in the stable would've been not under the best circumstances especially without a midwife type of person.

I wonder what she thought when Simeon told her her heart would be pierced. Did she look at him as he grew and see unlimited possibilities...the kind I see when I look at my boys? Did she know the heartache that was in store for her son...for herself? It's this time of the year I wonder what she pondered in her heart.

How did she feel? What did she think?

Snow Day!!

Our oldest had a snow day today. It was nice to be able to work at home on my sermon for Sunday...and spend time with the guys. I kept the little one at home today too since the roads were slick and the road to his school is not real fun when it's slick.

A lot of times when we've had snow days I don't get a lot done but today was a wonderful surprise. Sermon first draft is done...which is pretty early for me, but I have a big meeting on Saturday (Conference committee on nominations of which I am chair meets for the first time to begin our work ugh!) so it's good to be pretty well done. Just a few more things to do to prepare for worship this week and I'll be set.

We didn't make any snow angels or snowmen or really venture that much out of the house but it was a good day. Sleeping in a little...playing off and on...and watching some pretty good movies...it's been a good day.

Afraid of Emergence?

I was reading Marko's post about a youth worker whose church seems to be leery of the Emergent church. It reminded me of a post I was going to write last week after watching the NBC news I think it was on Friday.

The story was supposed to be how the emergent congregations were getting to be less conservative...I think...but it took an interesting twist at least in my mind. There was this 20-something preacher who had come out of Jerry Falwell's church and created this emerging congregation in South Carolina.

All of this I thought was cool. But then there was this comment made about how the mega churches are very concerned about the emergent congregations. The megas are seeing their congregations beginning to age and I guess they don't like that the emergent churches are reaching out to gen-xers, milleniums and others. So, what will those mega churches be when these aging persons get too old to come out? Well, the comment made by the new reporter was that they were somehow trying to discourage people from being involved in emergent churches because they wanted them for themselves.

Can't we all work together to share God's love and grace with others? Why is it that some are so competitive for members? I don't get it.

Favorite All Time Christmas Specials

I am so glad that the Family Channel has the 25 days of Christmas...tonight we watched Rudolph's Shiny New Year and we are planning to watch the Year Without a Santa Claus...one of my all time favorites. At the same time we're taping the Charlie Brown Christmas...another good one.

I love sharing these stories with the guys...it helps me to feel young again and makes me happy to see the kids watching them, dancing to the music and liking the shows.

So, what are your favorite holiday shows?

Tin Man...Not Sure What to Think

I watched the first segment of the Sci-Fi miniseries Tin Man...a different take on Frank Baum's Wizard of Oz. I'm not sure exactly what I think about it so far. Parts of it are interesting and make sense...other parts are a little bizarre and confusing.

Perhaps when it gets further in it'll all make sense. It's interesting...in the original movie I love the scarecrow...in this take on the story I like Glitch...the man/person/being who has "lost his marbles".

In this tale we've added an evil sister...robotic parents who raised the Dorothy character instead of her own mother.

Part two is tomorrow...we'll see what happens then.