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Fun was had by all

// March 27th, 2008 // No Comments » // Uncategorized

Fun was had by all

Originally uploaded by Abba’s Girl

I can’t believe you just did that. I laughed so hard when we were getting ready to head out the other day and Super mom turned to me with a smile and said, “GOOD!”

It wasn’t the fact that she said good, it was how she said it. Manny, our little one, always turns to us with a big smile and a huge thumbs up, in which his hand and thumb bob up and down in the air like a bobber on a fishing line, while exclaiming; “GOOOOOD.” I have often wondered where this little cute quirk came from and that day, I found out.

Supermom was excited about something and I looked at her and caught her saying “good,” while she gave me the bobbing thumbs up. Like I said before, they must always be watching. What are we teaching them when we aren’t speaking?

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Postmodernism- Part 2

// March 11th, 2008 // 1 Comment » // Children, Christianity, Fathering, Life, Parenting, Uncategorized, Youth Ministry

Postmodernism infiltrates our culture everywhere.  From the virtual reality of the SIMS to the streets of GTA(Grand theft Auto.)

    This kind of thinking is dangerous because it says that nothing is real until I “FEEL” it.  That’s one of the reasons 17 teens in one U.K town have taken their lives within a couple of months. (see story HERE) What you feel is not and should not be THE determining factor in understanding truth.   Two movies that come to mind related to this subject are Pinnochio and The Truman Show.  In the Truman show, we see Truman struggle with finding out that truth was bigger than his present reality.   In Pinnochio we see Jiminy Cricket giving advice to a toy.  What’s his advice?  “Let your conscience be your guide!”

    Why is that a dangerous notion?  Because your conscience is part of your sinful nature and it is easily corrupted.  The Apostle Paul addresses this in the book of Romans, chapter 7, when he says, “For I have the desire to do what is good but I cannot carry it out…. I find this law at work: When I want to do good, evil is right there with me.”

    I am not saying that feeling will not be an influential factor in understanding your world but when we use our feelings to solely define truth, there is cause for concern.  Just because I am sad that my dog died, doesn’t mean all dogs that die make me sad.  There must be other factors that hold truth firmly stable when my emotions are constantly shifting.

What do you think?

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Growth…

// March 10th, 2008 // No Comments » // Christianity, Fathering, Life, Manhood

Sometimes when I drive home I take a road that is less traveled.  It winds the countryside passing little farms and some houses that sit on 5-10 acres of land.  It is a beautiful drive, especially on a sunny afternoon such as this.  On the route there is a tiny church just off the road and they update their sign out front with sayings and information about the happenings of the church.  Today the sign read, “When Growth stops, decay begins.”

I couldn’t help but think about that statement on the rest of my drive.  Then I remember what I learned about the birch tree in the north woods of Wisconsin. See my poem about the birch tree here.

I also began to think about what happens when we stop learning.  When you take into consideration that the average millionaire reads 1 good non fiction book a month, helps you understand that success is intentional.

When I stop learning or exploring God’s word, my fathering will be hindered, my marriage may suffer, my mind will stop growing, therefore “decay will begin.”

What are you doing to help keep growing, what are you learning now that will be beneficial to you in 5, 10, 20 years?  Maybe you lost a job, I don’t know, what are you going to do about it?  What are you going to learn so you avoid decay?  Did you know that the best thing to hinder the onset of diseases like Alzeihmers is to constantly challenge your mind and your body; through regular challenges, crosswords, sudoku, knitting, crocheting, walking, reading, and writing. When you stop learning or growing, you decay!

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Paul Revere in a keystroke

// March 7th, 2008 // No Comments » // Life

The urgent messages of the past are now delivered with more urgency and speed than they ever were before.

I remember the old form of communication.  One that seems so very long ago.  One that involved more of your time, different metacarple muscle movement and sometimes lots more paper.  Anybody remember what happened to the .25 cent stamp?  Wow that seems so long ago.  Stamps costing .41 cents now and the internet costing $45-$60 per month.  Oh the ‘simple’ life.  Oh how I don’t miss it.

I have a new life, captured by the memories in my hard disk drive camcorder, coaching my sons soccer games, praying over a country torn by a war so very far away from our peaceful bubble, buffered by 2 large oceans.  Short of being the Jetsons, I think our world is in super drive mode.   The car has replaced the horse, and the phone, TV, and internet have replaced Paul Revere.  What will our grandkids history books say about us?

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Postmodernism-Part 1

// March 6th, 2008 // No Comments » // Children, Christianity, Life, Youth Ministry

I read this in a recent edition of a newsletter I get related to ministry.  Feel free to visit the source if you would like to read the entire article at this website, Men Passing the Batton. Post modernism is not something new to anyone who has studied history or philosophical thought.  Post modernism is not in itself evil or bad but the thought process and beliefs assimilated through post modernism can be dangerous.

Whether you want to admit it or not, we live in a world filled with this kind of thought.   You, your friends, and your friends children all process this world different than our fathers, grandfathers and great grandfathers.

“Whether you do or do not believe post-modern thinking today is the social and academic ocean you are swimming in, is beside the point. The chickens are coming home to roost! What we have been sowing in our classrooms and academic elites for decades is blossoming today. Kids think as post-modern umpires, instinctively. They have to be lead into objective truth, if we believe in truth outside ourselves. Truth is up for grabs!” -Jim Mearadith (MEN Newsletter)

Who is going to teach our kids about truth?  The media, grandparents, babysitters, the T.V, movies, the Wii?  In the case of the umpires, they are all right.  Or are they?  Why or why not?

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The Marathon

// March 5th, 2008 // No Comments » // Budgeting

    Goal setting is not one of my strong suits.  But one goal I have become more and more passionate about is "CHANGING MY FAMILY TREE."  Not in the literal sense but……….. in the literal sense.

    Supermom and I were blessed with wisdom from her parents before we were married 7 years ago.  The agreement was that they would pay for the rest of her college if we waited to get married until she graduated.  Looking back on that now, I am amazed at the sacrifice they made for US, and the burden they removed from our young lives. THANK YOU.  THANK YOU Mom and Dad.

    With that wedding gift they also, subtly but confidently, (hey, how did you get us to do that and make it seem like it was our idea) got us to start a BUDGET.  We have operated on a budget since and are working towards being DEBT FREE by the end of 2010.    Thanks to the diligence of living on a budget and working our plan we can see light at the end of the tunnel.  Leaving our kids an inheritance is our goal and blessing our future grandbabbies with a debt free financial future will allow them to GIVE like no one else. 

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Fathering

// March 3rd, 2008 // No Comments » // Fathering, Manhood

Some of my most painful memories from youth came flooding back to me about 5 years ago.  I was not involved in therapy or anything like that.  By nature I am very melancholic, so it must have been one very lowly day.

My parents divorced when I was 12 and I became disconnected from my father.   I wrote down something that to this day rocks me.  Something that I swore I would never do to my son,  should God bless me with one.  That statement was, “No matter how hard I tried, I could not lead myself into manhood.” I promised that my son would never have to experience that feeling.

During college; at the height of my physical prowess, I hiked up Mt. Washington, in New Hampshire, the highest summit this side of the rockies.  It was a sobering test of patience and stamina.  Three quarters of the way up, we encountered a sign that would humble the most seasoned hiker and avid adventure traveler.  The sign said, “DANGER! TURN BACK NOW IF THE WEATHER IS BAD.  Many have died here from exposure, even in the summer!”

Now I stand at the foot of that mountain, fathering 2 son(s) to manhood.  Will I fear the DANGER sign toward the end of the journey?  Will I be confident with the trail I have chosen?  Will the summit be as glorious as I imagine?  Will I be able to let them go down into the valley?  How will I protect, guide, and teach them about the ‘birds and the bees’ and all the beautiful sycamore trees on the way up?  Will we encounter any lost fathers on the way?  What will I do when any of us want to give up on the journey?

Despite my lack of a guide, I think I got there.  I think I reached manhood, a little hurt, bruised, calloused, and weaker than my more fortunate counterparts.  BUT, I have had 7 years of solid marriage and ministry experience to help patch up the bruises and strengthen the weary bones.  So, YES, I will take my boys up that mountain, I will be their guide to manhood.  Lord willing I will see them guide as well.

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…Sometimes…

// March 3rd, 2008 // 1 Comment » // Children

…We laugh at our kids.

…We discipline our kids.

…We cry with our kids.

…We sacrifice for our kids.

…We have it all figured out.

…We have nothing figured out.

…We pull our hair out so we don’t pull theirs out.

…We breakdown and cry.

…We get stressed.

…We wish we had a ‘happy place.’

…We rock in the rocking chair.

…We build, play or wrestle together.

…We tickle each other.

What are some other …sometimes… for you?

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Awana Grand Prix

// March 2nd, 2008 // 1 Comment » // Uncategorized

The first video is of our kids races and how they did during the event.  The bottom video is some of the best finishes and closest races from the day.  Be sure to check out the last photo finish.  Let us know who you think won.  You can pause it right at the end to stare at how close it was.  Overall, we had a great experience at our first Awana Grand Prix.

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