Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!

I am convinced that God has a sense of humor. How else can you go from 50 degrees one day to 0 degrees the next? Seriously, I went from jeans and a t-shirt to wondering if I would freeze solid just by stepping outside. You know God was having a good laugh at that. Why do we live here again?
As I'm sure most of you are aware Christmas is rapidly approaching. If you don't have your Christmas shopping done for me yet I can always accept cash and/or gift cards to restaurants! I don't skip many meals. Isaac asks me almost every day on our way to the bus if it is Christmas yet. He has one of those chocolate calendars that you open a window and pull the chocolate out that helps him count down the days. His excitement is contagious and I find myself anticipating the morning they see what Santa has brought them. Of course we can't put any presents under the tree until that night because Alex has figured out what you do with wrapped boxes and he'd be into them in a flash. Speaking of anticipation do we joyfully anticipate the celebration of the birth of our Savior?
There was an email going around about a song that talks about a little boy who is in a mall and asks his mom why all these people are standing in line. She explains to him they are waiting to see Santa. The little boy then asks where's the line to see Jesus? Good question. I know we hear from time to time to remember the reason for the season, and we may honestly try our best to keep the Christ in Christmas...whoa cliche alert....but it is hard and the noise and hustle and bustle of the season easily drown out any notion of religion. What would happen to Christmas if we waited as eagerly for Jesus as we do Santa?
Now I'm not a scrooge. I enjoy the presents and I have no problem with my kids believing in Santa, but I'm always a little conflicted this time of year. It seems that we want Jesus to be part of our lives, but we don't want to put the effort forth to make this happen. We either treat Jesus like a Gennie in a bottle granting our wishes, or we only listen to the comforting words of Jesus. It seems that when Jesus starts pointing out areas of our lives that are lagging, or we find we are challenged either with time, talent or money to give more we tend to let Jesus fall by the wayside. We tend to pick and choose. I know it doesn't work that way. I also know I've been guilty of this selective listening too. What I know is if you want Jesus alive in your heart then you need all of him. You need the comfort and the pain he sometimes brings. The pain in being shown where you fall short and then the comfort and strength to work out the rough spots. But, Jesus can't fully work in your life if you just pick and choose when you want him to be in your life. If you're wondering why you can't feel his presence as powerfully as you'd like, then examine your relationship with Jesus. Are you a picky consumer, or do you allow him into all aspects of your life?

Another post already!

Can anyone else believe it is almost Christmas?! I was having coffee today at the cafe and someone mentioned it's less than 3 weeks till Christmas. Didn't I just get done stuffing myself with turkey and mashed potatoes! Time moves along so fast one has to consciously slow down to take it all in.

Around our house that past couple of days it has been decorating time. Thankfully this year we've decided not to go all out on the exterior of the house. I convinced Tracy that it is too cold and I can't risk frostbite on my fingers or getting a serious case of pneumonia! How would I work? So we've decided to just put some pretty Christmas trees outside our window and put the indoor tree right in front of our big picture window. I'm sure we'll put some lights around the outside, but Tracy and Isaac have volunteered for that. The real show is in Isaac's room! He as lights hanging from the ceiling!

We finally broke down and bought a nice, pre-lit, fake Christmas tree this year. The real trees are nice, but man are they messy. Plus, with Alex touching everything I'm not sure there would be needles on the bottom 3 feet of the tree! I miss the fresh scent of pine, but the tree does look nice. Yesterday, Tracy and Isaac were busy putting the decorations on the tree. Every two minutes we'd remind Isaac to spread the decorations out, but non-the-less there is about a three foot square section of tree loaded with ornaments! I was laughing as Tracy was trying to get him to spread them out, and then I was a little saddened because in a blink of an eye I bet we are wishing we had this problem to deal with. Soon enough the boys will be "too old" to help decorate the tree or be moved out of the house. I have a strict policy that at 18 you can visit, but you no longer call mom and dad's house your permanent residence!

As Tracy and Isaac finished decorating, or more truthfully Tracy finished because Isaac watched a movie with me, I consciously took the afternoon's festivities in. We are very blessed to be able to decorate a nice warm home, and we are doubly blessed to have presents under the tree and our health. Time moves so fast, and we take so much for granted, that it is imperative that we remember how lucky we are. If you are so blessed, give your family a little extra hug this Christmas season. Find a way to reach out and bless someone less fortunate. This Christmas season, as we do every Christmas, our church has "adopted" a family. This year we need your help in getting the kids some presents and the family some much needed necessities. Will you please prayerfully consider helping them out?

I just realized that my last entry was about a month ago...I suppose if I'm going to advertise that I have a blog then I should at least update it. Life at Minden UCC has truly picked up. It seems like we are going from event to event these next couple of months. We had our VBS program and Ice Cream Social in August, in September we are providing the food for the Minden Heritage Days, in October we are hosting the Minden Park Renew Crew's Halloween blow out, and then in November we have our Annual church auction! Busy, busy, busy. I didn't even mention the beginning of Sunday school, the 3:16 youth group, and Stewardship month. The Spirit is alive and well here in SW Iowa!

It truly is great to have all of these activities going here. I know these activities require time and energy, but the alternative isn't too pretty. So far we have been blessed with people who have stepped up to help plan and run these events, and I pray we continue to be so blessed. As these events continue to happen I pray that our folks answer the call of the Spirit and find ways to help out. God wants to work through us, God wants to bless us, God wants the Spirit to flow through us and the church, but none of that is going to happen without the Body of Christ...and do you know who the hands and feet and eyes and ears and mouth of the Body are...? Thats right Rita...we are. Please, look around, pray, listen, and volunteer to help. Nothing is worse then having the energy from these events get wasted because the same people are doing the work over and over. If we all pitch in and help then the work is light and the rewards are awesome. No amount of time or energy is wasted, and no matter your age, education level, hair color, or shoe size you can help, because God can work through you.

You see the Spirit moving...do you have the courage and faith to answer the call and be the Body of Christ moving in the world? I hope so...the world needs more of the Spirit.

Vacation Bible School Week!!

Well, it is finally here...in about 6 hours the church is going to be filled with over 100 kids ready to go "Backstage With the Bible." I think everything is in place and all the leaders are ready. I say I think because my wife Tracy is the one who's in charge of this. She and a few other ladies have planned this week of VBS and I've done my best to stay out of it. Heck, the number of kids has grown each year so why mess up a good thing?
This year is especially exciting because two other churches from Neola have joined us. The energy they've brought, and more kids, has really given us a wonderful opportunity to have a great VBS program. I have also been very impressed with the support we've received from our congregation. The people have been wonderful in helping us by donating supplies and making the snacks. Our congregation has supplied the t-shirts and snacks for all the kids. I do not take for granted how lucky we are to have that great support both with donations and with helpers. Just the other day I was talking to someone who said they knew of a church where VBS was cancelled...not because there weren't enough kids, but because they couldn't get enough help. What a message to send to the kids...! We are blessed with the Spirit here at Minden UCC.
It will be an awesome week seeing all the kids run around and learn and have a good time. It will be a tiring week too, but it will be that good kind of tired where you know you've done something special. Please pray for the kids and the leaders this week.

Family Vacartion

We just got back from spending a few days in Kansas City. We went to the zoo and Union Station, and spent some time swimming at the hotel pool. This vacation was the first one we went on with just the 4 of us, and it was a lot of fun. The 110 degree heat index at the zoo on Monday was a little crazy, and my TomTom taking us to two Walmarts that were closed was a little silly, but overall we had a good time and we'll even do it again next year!
I've been doing some reflecting on the whole experience, and I've been anticipating the upcoming school year when Isaac starts school, and I am thankful for the milestones we get to experience together. I also saw this morning a special on the Today Show about a family trying to balance sports and family life. This balance is one thing that scares me as our kids grow. How do we find time for family, friends, sports, church, and just being kids? I have no delusions that either of my kids are going pro in any sports, but it seems if I want them to be competent and be able to play even in high school they need to devote their entire lives to sports. Practice, season and out of season games...it seems endless. Now I like sports as much as the next person, but even I see the need for balance. I guess I just worry about striking that delicate balance. Church is important, family time is important, sports participation is important, school work is important...I guess what I'm saying is I'm going to miss the simple life of the biggest worries being the sniffles and which book we're reading before bed time.
I suppose we are not the first parents that struggle with this balance. And I imagine that there is some wisdom to be found about striking a balance in our Christian faith. Jesus doesn't say that we need to cut certain things out of our lives all together, he stresses that we constantly take inventory of the priorities in our lives. It is when those priorities get out of whack we get in trouble. It is when the priorities get out of order we begin to feel like life gets to be too much. When we push our faith life to the rear for an extended period of time we get lost in the rat race and we lose touch with our anchor. The one thing that helps me face these increasingly busy times is the knowledge that my family will be anchored by our faith. We will participate in other activities, but the balance will be maintained. I'm not too naive, I know that there will be times when the scale won't be perfectly balanced, but in the grand scheme of things it will weigh out more evenly. I think if we keep that in mind...that our faith life is our highest priority, then we can run the race without getting lost. I guess we'll see!

My Apologies

I'd like to give a shout out to my favorite aunt in Martin county! What's up Rita?! My mother informed me that you have missed reading my blog terribly so I thought I had better enrich your life and start writing again! It has been a long time since I posted here. I'd like to say it's because I have been so incredibly busy that I just couldn't find time, but no one is that busy.

Life has been busy...apparently I am a sucker and I decided to coach T-Ball this year. I didn't know what I had gotten myself into, and I was a little nervous about coaching a dozen 4 and 5 year olds. I was pleasantly surprised though. I have enjoyed the experience more than I thought I would, and even though after the first couple of practices I swore I'd never do it again thoughts of a repeat performance have crept into my mind. Even Isaac and I have coexisted on the same team without coming to blows! Ha, actually I have been very proud of Isaac. He has matured a lot playing T-ball. He still gets a little pouty when he can't field all the balls, but he doesn't demonstrate his displeasure by throwing his glove and having a little tantrum any more. Now if I could just keep his mother calm on the sideline!

I share this experience because I have learned some lessons, and I think those lessons speak to all of us. Lesson #1 is don't stand to close to a 4 or 5 year old with a bat. It is amazing how much power they can generate with a swing, and they always like to practice their swing! Lesson #2 is to not be afraid to try new things and step up to help out. I certainly didn't know a thing about coaching T-Ball. I had never done it before, and if you're close enough family you know I do not always have the most patience. But, the town was desperate and I decided to give it a try. You'd have to ask the parents if I'm an adequate T-Ball coach, but the lesson isn't about that. I learned that sometimes you just need to step up and volunteer. God wants to help us and use us, but how many times have we said no to something because w don't think we're qualified, or we think someone else will do it, or we believe we're just too busy. We miss so many opportunities to let God work through us and bless and us a others around us because we don't just step up. There are numerous opportunities for you to help in your community and your church. Remember with God anything is possible. We just need to be willing to take a chance and say we're willing to help. 80% of the work in the church, and most volunteer organizations frankly, is done by 20% of the people. Which side of the percentage are you on and why?

I Wish You Enough

I don't usually do this, but I wanted to share one of those dreaded "forwards" I received in my inbox. I'm sharing this one because I really enjoyed it, and I think it speaks to us now. It speaks to us because we always want more and we always ask how much is enough. It speaks to us because it reminds us what is truly important.

At an airport, I overheard a father & his daughter in their last moments together. They had announced her plane's departure & standing near the door she said, "Daddy, our life together has been more than enough. Your love is all I ever needed. I wish you enough too, Daddy." They kissed goodbye & she left. He waked over towards the window where I was seated. Standing there I could see he wanted & needed to cry. I tried not to intrude on his privacy, but he welcomed me in by asking, "Did you ever say goodbye to someone knowing it would be forever?" "Yes, I have," I replied. Saying that brought back memories I had of expressing my love & appreciation for all my dad had done for me. Recognizing that his days were limited, I took the time to tell him face to face how much he meant to me. So I knew what this man was experiencing. "Forgive me for asking, buy why is this a forever goodbye?" I asked. "I am old and she lives much too far away. I have challenges ahead and the reality is, her next trip back will be for my funeral," he said. "When you were saying goodbye I heard you say, 'I with you enough,' may I ask what that means?" He began to smile. "That's a wish that has been handed down from other generations. My parents used to say it to everyone." He paused for a moment and looking up as if trying to remember it in detail, he smiled even more. "When we said, 'I wish you enough,' we were wanting the other person to have a life filled with enough good things to sustain them." He continued & then, turning toward me, he shared the following as if he were reciting it from memory: I wish you enough sun to keep your attitude bright. I wish you enough rain to appreciate the sun more. I wish you enough happiness to keep your spirit alive. I wish you enough pain so that the smallest joys in life appear much bigger. I wish you enough gain to satisfy your wanting. I wish you enough loss to appreciate all that you possess. I wish you enough "hellos" to get you through the final "Goodbye." He then began to sob and walked away.

We need enough to get us by. Too often we think we deserve too much. Too often we dwell on the negative and miss an opportunity. If we focus on having just enough, and looking for life's blessings, then we will stop complaining (as much) about what we don't have and begin to appreciate life more.