Everybody's got a Story

The more blogs I read and the more people I talk with I see this prevailing truth in it all. Everybody's God A Story! This is something that I've come to really work on in my personal walk. That is to learn about others and the stories of their lives that they are willing to share. People are amazing and if we'll just listen to their words, we'll hear their heart. It's become an active part of my thinking now when talking with someone. I'm actually "interested" in what they're sharing because I see the value of what they're telling me. I know you've never done this, "While listening to someone share something about themselves, you're mind is on picking your dry-cleaning up." Right? I know you're not guilty of such things as I am. :-)

There is so much hurt in peoples lives that when they do open up and disclose some personal information to us, we should be very attentive and interested in what they are sharing. After all, they wouldn't be sharing such things with you if they didn't feel a connection of some sort with you. It's easy to think our story trumps and thereby minimize the story of others. To them, their story is just as important as yours...and guess what, it is! Everyday we have the opportunity to listen to some one's story. At least whatever part of the story they're offering us.

I received a call last week from a gentlemen that just needed someone to talk with. I arrived at his house and we sat in his kitchen and just talked. He began to share some personal things with me about his life and how he was struggling at this particular time in his life. I didn't offer to share with him my story, because he didn't need to hear "my story". He simply needed someone to hear his. That's all. Nothing more and nothing less. Just sit down and listen to where I am at in this place of my life. I'm struggling and I'm hurting. I just need someone that will listen to me. By the time I left, he said, "Thank you for coming out and talking to me, I feel much better now." The truth is, I said very little but that was just enough. I drove 30 min one way to listen to a gentlemen share his story. It was the best use of my time that day!

There will be many opportunities to share our story, but let's be aware of the fact that everybody has a story and they're all worth hearing! I will leave you with this challenge. Find someone who is willing to share their story and just listen!

The Immutable Law of Sowing and Reaping

Which is harder, Sowing or Reaping? Neither! The hardest part of this combination is the space that exists between the sowing and reaping. I believe this is why Paul told the Galatians, "Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up." After the sowing comes cultivating and caring for the soil in which the seed has been planted. If proper care isn't administered through this time, the seed may not germinate and if it doesn't, their most definitely won't be a harvest.

"I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth."
ICorinthians 3:6 ESV

Paul sows the seed and Apollos waters (cares) for the seed and in the right season, God gives the necessary growth. Our jobs are to sow and water, not manufacture an increase on our work. The "big thought" of this post is this. In the process of sowing and reaping it's easy to succumb to the pressures of "making" something happen. Many times we rush the process of sowing and reaping because we fear that if it takes too long, we've done an inadequate job somewhere down the line. "Don't become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up!"

I see this impatience as the greatest threat to a healthy harvest. We grow impatient in the process and in frustration we either give up or become tempted to create a counterfeit harvest. We try to make something happen and in our futile attempts we damage the seed we were supposed to nurture to a harvest.

I see this in Ministry all too often. We think in terms of pre-defined time lines. We give this person "X" amount of days, weeks or months to show signs of real change and growth. If after this pre-defined time they aren't showing the outward signs we seek, we give up on them because the seed must have fallen on "bad" soil. We'll give this new ministry model, idea or new way of doing it 2 months....if after the 2 months there isn't noticeable growth, we'll cut it. These are all short-circuiting the "germination" process. We circumvent the process that is , to us, clearly failing and manufacture our way of doing it...only to find out that our way doesn't work.

One of the many things I've learned in my 9 years of pastoring...don't give up before the harvest is ripe! This, being my first attempt at pastoring, I could have given up many times. But, I wouldn't have seen the great harvest that God has brought about thus far! I'm learning everyday the importance of simply caring for the soil in which the seeds are being planted and waiting on God to bring about growth....when He thinks it's time. I don't want to be guilty of attempting to reap prematurely.

Whatever season of life God has you in right now, take confidence in the Immutable Law of Sowing and Reaping. Don't rush yourself or anyone else into a premature harvest or no harvest at all!

26 Days left

I don't know why but the fact that this year is winding down and after tomorrow, Monday the 4th, there will only be 26 days left in this year to make 2006 an unforgettable year has engrossed my mind. Generally speaking, this is the time of year when many people are actually breathing a collective sigh of relief. We're almost ready to "close" the books on 06 and go head first into 07. I'm not sure what 06 has meant for you but for me it has been many things.

To name a few:

• Personal Spiritual Awakening has taken place in my life this year and it all started with a trip to Mexico to do missions work. I came back with a new outlook on "Christianity" and how we are to relate the greatest story ever told to everyone we meet.
• My Church has experienced wonderful growth in our congregation. Not just numerically but in every way. 2006 has definitely stood out as the greatest year in the history of Living Springs. I feel like our Church is really beginning to fire on all cylinders and 2007 will not know what hit it! I can honestly say I have never looked more forward to a brand new year as I do right now.
  
• 2006 has brought about a season of personal healing in my life as well. For the first time, my Dad met my wife and his Grandchildren. We stopped to visit with him this past July. My kids still ask about him. We'll definitely be going back to visit with Dad.
• 2006 has seen the emergence of a side of me that I'm beginning to become very comfortable with. The side of me that is willing to look foolish for God, risk what I would never have considered before, dare to believe what I would have never believed before, and willing to go where I might have never thought to go before. Late in this year I visited one of our local bars and sort of "hung out" with some of the guys there. I look forward to visiting more often in the coming year. Not being a drinker, I would have NEVER gone to the bar or even thought that I should. That is, until God asked me to go.

There are so many things that 2006 has meant to me that I could go on and on.

As I started to say in this post, there are yet 26 days left. What am I going to do with them? Will I sit back and just cruise the rest of the year? I think not! I will engage everyday in search of opportunities to bring honor to God. I will spend the next 26 days hoping to add value to someone who may have had a rather messed up year. My plate is full from now to the end of the year with banquets and dinners and family gatherings but I don't want to become so inward focused that I fail to see the opportunity to help someone else. Make the last 26 days something to remember 2006 by. Let's really go out with a bang for God. Find a problem and help solve it! Find a hurt and help heal it! Find a tear and wipe it away! Find laughter and join in! Find sorrow and mend it. Find hunger and feed it. Find nakedness and clothe it! Find thirst and quench it! Find the unlovely and love them!

Community Christmas Dinner

On the 17th of this month we'll be hosting our 1st Annual Community Christmas Dinner. This dinner is another way that we are extending ourselves to the community in which we live. There will be no charge and we won't be "preaching" to them, we'll just eat, laugh and get to know them and they'll get to know us. I'm praying for a great turn out and that we'll be able to show the community that we really do care about them and their families. Also on this night we'll be doing our Angel Tree Outreach. Every year we contact the Elementary Schools in our area and gather names of families that may be interested in participating in this event. We'll take the children's information and families in our church will "adopt" these children for Christmas. We purchase them gifts and give those to them on this night. It's really a great opportunity to bring the church and real people in our community together! It's a great time to not only say we love them but to show them in a tangible way.

Church done right...

The past week or so, I've seen a great deal on where the Church has messed up. No one can deny that there are issues with today's church that needs to be addressed and fixed. It's important to remember the church is only as effect as the people she is comprised of. If we want to fix the issues with the church, then is stands to reason, we MUST look at ourselves. Where are WE failing people? Where can we do better? Where can we be more sensitive? What is it in our own life that is lacking? What are we doing to make the Church a place non-believers would like to come?

The church is a wonderful thing. If done right, it gives healing, wholeness, encouragement, acceptance, strength and so much more to those who are willing to engage her. So, instead of what we view as lacking in today's Churches, what are some of those things we find good about it?

I will give a few and leave room for others...surely, even if you've been hurt from someone in the "Church" you had great experiences too.

Why I love the church (God's People)

1. I love the Church because when done right, it is the most powerful force on the planet! People's lives are genuinely changed when they come into contact with God's Church. Their lives are better as a result.
2. I love the Church because the time spent with God's people is the best time in the world. To have a community of believers gather in one place all for the same reason, there is nothing like it!
3. I love the Church because Jesus gave himself for her!

Why do you love the Church?

Inward Focus Stifles Outward Focus

A few days ago I alluded to the idea that Church should be more OUTWARD FOCUSED rather than INWARD FOCUSED. Over the course of the last few days some pretty interesting topics have surfaced. Andrew at Moved Mountains and Jaime at MoreThanStone have both contributed great posts on the topic, "Church-The New Exodus?". I don't pretend to have all the answers but the more I think about this, the more I get extremely frustrated about it. There is a reason that millions have the left the church in recent years. Probably more reasons than we'll ever know but I think those of us willing to be honest about "Church", could name a few of those reasons. Let me say first of all, I love the Church. I love what she represents and I believe she is a wonderful work of God's Kingdom established on this earth. I do however become extremely disheartened with the way "Church" is done most of the time. My heart aches when the greatest message on the planet is rejected because "Church" has screwed something up for so many people.

I believe in organizational structure but I believe more in being led by the Spirit of God. Agendas, programs, models and the like are mostly tools to help give more to those who have been "getting" from the Church for years and years. The most oppressed of souls seem to be overlooked for what is best for the frequent attenders of the Church. There are entrance requirements and membership has its privileges. There those who are “in” and those who are “out” and the distinctions are made clear by the “ins”. There are secret passwords and dress codes. (Service times, music styles, acceptable dress). The focus is on member services. (Most of the focus is on improving member services so we can attract more people like us.) This is due to the church being INWARD FOCUSED. When we continually strategize how we can make our "services" better for the member, we've lost touch with the heart of Jesus. We've become Pharisaical to the worst degree. We have allowed the consumer mentality to infiltrate our ranks and poison the true mission of the Church Jesus said he would build. We've sought conformity and in seeking it we've achieved it. We've conformed rather than having been transformed. The elitist mindset that many Christians have is so very opposite of what Jesus demonstrated. [end rant]

So, how do we become Outward Focused...Missional in our thinking? God knows we need it. I have some thoughts on it...

1. Study Jesus! WWJD isn't just a catchy acronym. We must learn what Jesus would really do in today's culture. It is a must. The Bible is very clear about how Jesus went about doing ministry. If we don't love, accept, teach, care for, listen to, etc...we can forget ever being what God has called us to be in our world.
2. Throw away the hoops! There came a time in Jesus' ministry where He could no longer enter a town openly but stayed outside in lonely places. Yet the people still came to him from everywhere. Why? Because word spread around that Jesus would accept anyone who came to Him. He did not have a list of hoops that they had to jump through first. Membership requires pre-qualification. If you do this or meet this standard, you can belong. If not, forget it.
   
3. Become Missional in our Methods! I love the concept of Missional. It's active and it's at work doing those things Jesus would really do. It's like living, on purpose. It's about realizing that the best "church" happens far from the proximity of a building. Why? Because the building isn't the church!
   
4. Seeing God in everyone and everything! Ok, I may loose some here...I believe God exists in everything and everyone. I believe even the worst of people have God's goodness deep inside somewhere. Somewhere hidden deep within is a beautiful creation that God knows is in there! Many times we compare ourselves to non-believers and highlight their bad and our "good". We never consider the fact that we're more alike than we are different. We're both loved unconditionally by God. And as hard as it is for some to believe, God doesn't love you more.
5. Admit we're not perfect! One of the greatest threats to Christianity is people who think they're perfect when in reality they are as screwed up as the neighbor they don't like.
6. Seek Connectivity! We must connect with the non-believer. It's not likely to happen in our buildings so we must take it to them. Jesus took ministry to the people. He didn't have a come and get it attitude.
7. Non-believer's matter most! Money we spend, expansions we make, ministry we do should be first and foremost geared to the non-believer or un-churched. This cuts across the grain for the consumer minded person. They thought all along it was about them! No it is not!
   
8. Let People work through their problems! There is a great deal of hurt in peoples lives and most of the time it isn't resolved quickly. People need time and room to wrestle with issues and figure out who they are in God. It's our responsibility to just be there when they need us.
   
9. No Perfect People Allowed! If you think you're perfect, you won't fit in here. If you think you're perfect, you won't like us.
10. Accommodate the imperfect! Go out of your way to welcome and develop relationship with messy people. A messy church is the greatest church!

These are just a few of the ways I think any church can become more outward focused than inward focused. Perhaps if the church were more outward focused, we wouldn't be even discussing the issue of "Church-The New Exodus?"

I would also like to add that Living Springs is a Church committed to being a Church that God is glorified in and where the lost are valued, cared for and sought after. We are really working on being a greater church in our area. We have been able to accomplish great things with God's direction and we're excited about what He has in store...I'm honored to be the Lead Pastor of such a Church.

Where would I be without her?

As Lead Pastor, I know that there are so many people that contribute to the success of the Ministry. Usually the Pastor gets all of the recognition for things done right. The downside to that is the Pastor gets the blame for things done wrong. But most of the time it's the praise for things done right :) My point is, there are a lot of people that make the success of the church happen. Not just the pastor. In this post, I want to give praise to my wife. She is absolutely amazing. We've been pastoring Living Springs for 9 years and I don't think I could have done it without her. She doesn't know it all of the time but I look to her when I'm not sure what to do. I tell her about something and she'll give me her insight and I'm able to see things more clearly. She is the Supreme Administration Executive. It doesn't matter what it is, she's there. If she's not heading it up, she's in the mix in a big way. She's really the go-to person in the ministry. Every announcement made is followed by something like this...."If you need any additional information, see Tiff." Tiff has a wonderful singing voice and she leads the worship in our church. I think if one of us had to go, the church would keep her and let me go. :-) She's invaluable. I only hope I let her know that and that I tell her often enough how much I appreciate her dedication to me our family and our ministry. In many ways she is what keeps me going. I am in no way disillusioned in thinking that any success I've had is singular to me. We are a team and she is in many ways, the captain!

Is The Bible Central To All Life's Problems....continued

Jamie Swann has picked this conversation up on her blog.

She really put the question to the test when she said, "I think perhaps that the question we should be asking is “Is God Central To All Life’s Problems?" I love that!

Here's how I would respond to that.

Being a pastor, I am called on to counsel with individuals, families, friends, etc...quite frequently. Without fail, before every meeting I ask myself what can I share with them about their situation/problem that will really make a lasting impact in their lives? The fact is, only one thing will make a lasting change in our lives, God. I always point people to God's word for clarity and direction on their issue. The Bible speaks if we'll choose to listen. But it isn't just the text of the Bible that we should be steering them toward. Greater than the text is the author of the text. The connection with God's word is necessary but connection with God is more necessary. Though I essentially hold that the God and His word are inseparable, I agree fully with Jamie's question...I believe God Is Central To All Life's Problems!

Missional or Traditional??

I've been wrestling with traditional "Church" for quite sometime now. I don't have a traditional mindset but sometimes I feel trapped in traditional thinking. I'm more missional in my mind but I'm not sure how to escape some of the tradition of "church". I feel like my church has got to begin a missional journey that will connect us to what really needs connecting to. The people outside our walls. We have to realize that Christ has to be taken and shared with people in our community. We send missionaries all over the world to take the gospel message to the lost but in our home communities it would seem that we feel they should come to us in our "church" building. I mean, after all, we're there every week. The lights are on, the doors are unlocked and the breakfast tacos are in the kitchen. But, they're not coming! We have our core group and frequent guests but we're missing something. I'm convinced that which we're missing is waiting to be discovered outside the doors and walls of our building.

I consider Jesus and how he did ministry. I don't see him holed up in a synagogue to just graciously receive all who would enter. Rather the majority of his ministry was outside where the people lived. The church was wherever he went, wherever he was. I told my church tonight that we have to realize the church is not a building; it's an individual, unit or body of Christ-Followers. Where we are, the Church is! I so deeply feel that we must merge into our community to make the kind of impact that God deserves from our lives. We must make a greater impact!

More on this later...

ITF Getting Geared Up!

Tonight I established my 2007 ITF team. ITF stands for Invent The Future. I feel like I've selected 3 very creative minds to help me in strategizing how we will do ministry in 2007. With this year closing fast, it's time to begin gearing up for the new. I want to hit the new year running wide open. I truly believe this year is going to be a hallmark year for Living Springs Church.

The task of my ITF team is to invent means of ministry. I no longer want to just wait for things to come our way, we're going to make things happen. We'll be considering where we are as a church and inventing ways to bring our church and our community together like never before. I am so excited about what this team is going to be able to accomplish for God!

My Christmas Wish List...

Every year my kids will write out a Christmas Wish List. Because Chase is only 4 and hasn't learned to write yet, Grace will write down whatever he tells her to. Inevitably, Grace will have a list of about 20 or so things while Chase will have a list of about 2 things. I'm not quite sure how that works yet.

I haven't made a Christmas Wish List since I was just a boy but this year I think I'll slip into child mode and wish. Who knows, it may just come true!


~Shannon's 2006 Christmas Wish List~

1. That the birth of Jesus be remembered and celebrated in my heart and family!
2. That I can share this wonderful gift with someone else.
3. That the idea of getting would be dismissed from my mind and the desire to give would fill my heart.
4. That I would cherish every moment of enthusiastic surprise when my children open their gifts!
5. That our Community Christmas Dinner and Angel Tree Outreach would change the way some in my community view church and Christians.
6. That when the "Season" is past, I'll continue to celebrate!
   

Is The Bible Central To All Life's Problems?

• Is there a place that exists in our world, communities, or lives where the Bible has little or no effect?

• Is there such a problem in existence that the Bible does not have the answer for?

• Do Christians put too much or too little emphasis and reliability on God's written word?

There is an interesting article by Rusty Benson that I ran across today at Christian.com

I for one have always held that the Bible is the ultimate answer for the ultimate problem. Throughout the ancient text we can find every problem that has ever been known to man.

Relational
Emotional
Physical
Spiritual

Wrapped in these 4 one can easily conjure up a host of dilemmas that we all have dealt with at some point in our existence. I know many Pastors who have sought out Professional Counseling to help them deal with personal issues. As a matter of fact, they openly encourage other Pastors to do the same. I haven't, yet. :) I don't think it's wrong to seek such help, I just don't understand it I guess. I think the Bible has answers to life's problems and if sought for, we will find the answer. I know I have had my fair share of problematic issues in life. However, I have always been able to go to God's word and get the strength, encouragement, desire, understanding, etc...that I needed.

"A lot of Christians seem to think that the Gospel is good for all the normal troubles of life, but when you get to the real complicated stuff, you need a more precise science." ~Tim Lane (CCEF)

What say you?

How close is too close?

Jesus was very often accused of associating with sinners and even being their friends! What a tragedy! Right? I mean to be called the friend of sinners is a horrible description of the "Son of God". Or is it? I feel that many Christians today forget the fact that Jesus is our supreme example for life and living. I believe what He did, we should do. If Jesus was hanging around sinners, shouldn't we have a friends list that includes many of the forbidden types? You know, those that DON'T come to church. When is the last time you went out to eat with family that isn't following Christ? When is the last time you held a conversation with someone that doesn't appear to be interested in God? Have you engaged in any way a non-believer in the last month? Have I?

I've always believed that relationships leads to conversions. It's next to impossible to lead someone to Christ that you haven't developed some level of trust and confidence with. Loving the Unlovely isn't just a good title for a Sunday morning sermon, it must become a way of life for all Christ Followers! Love those that we would naturally not want anything to do with. Showing interest in the lives of non-believers is what Jesus did so well. He noticed them and they noticed it!

So, how close is too close? We've all been told that a little leaven ruins the whole lump, cast not your pearls before the swine and others like evil communications corrupt good manners. All of these are true but I also believe there is more to be said of these than what's easily pulled off the top.

I believe the Church has got to be outward focused. I fear that many times church is too inward focused to be of any outward good. We have to remember it's not about us....anymore. Jesus said that he didn't come to call the righteous but the sinner.

I want to solicit some feedback on this so here's the question I offer to you.

What does an outward focused church look like to you?

OOPS...

I forgot about my board meeting tonight!! 0_O
All day I had plans of watching the movie "Cars" with my kids so I totally spaced my meeting that was scheduled for tonight. I have never done that before. I felt so bad because when I got my phone, they had tried to contact me several times. On a funny note, all of us fell asleep during the movie :) So I'll have to watch it again. I won't watch it on a board meeting night though :)

I'm HOME!!

I'll blog about my last two weeks on the road soon! All I can say right now is, I love home! I had a great time and great visits but Dorothy was right, there's no place like home... :)

On the road again...

Ok, I had a great couple of days with my brother in Lexington, Ky! I arrived on Saturday night. We went to church on Sunday at his church. Incredible church at Southland Christian. On Monday, I helped him on his remodel. He's currently remodeling his entire TaeKwonDo Academy. It's quite an undertaking. Monday night we went to a UK Basketball game. UK basketball is HUGE in Kentucky. It was a great time! Today I left and am now in Evansville, Indiana with another brother of mine, Shane. I'll be here for a couple of days. I'm going to enjoy my time here wrestling with my nephew and kissing on my niece :) and visiting with Shane and Christa. I'll be leaving here on Thursday morning on my way to Rockford where I was raised. On my way through Chicago I'm going to go to El Faro...they are said to have the BEST Burritos in the WORLD!! I can't wait :) I'll check back in later! BTW, I reserved a Chevrolet Malibu for my road trip from Lexington and they were out. They had a Cadillac CTS...can you say Luxury and Style!!??!! I love it. This car is amazing. I loved them when they came out and I'm loving it now for sure! I'll post a pic of it later. I may have to get rid of my Ford F-150 Super Crew for one of these bad boys :)

Ready, Set, Go!

Well it's almost midnight and I'm all packed and ready to fly out tomorrow. I'll be gone for two weeks and I'm already missing my family, incredibly. I was in Alaska for 10 days last summer and I thought it was going to kill me :) I have an itinerary full of things to do while I'm away. It seems to change from day to day though. I guess once I get to Lexington tomorrow I can focus more and get some things in concrete. Being I have no "pressing" engagements to fulfill, the 2 weeks is really going to be off-the-cuff. Part of me likes that and the other part craves structure. I guess I'll have to find my way the next two weeks. I'll definitely be asking God to guide me. Especially when I get to Wisconsin and Rockford, Ill.

I'll be visiting my brothers in Kentucky and Indiana before heading on to Wisconsin and Illinois. I'm looking forward to seeing them both and my two nieces and nephew.

I have to leave for the airport tomorrow at 2:00p.m. so I'll be spending some quality time with my kids before I go. My wife won't be here though. Our church is hosting the San Antonio Women's Ministries Event for our Section tomorrow and being the "Pastor's" wife, she's in charge. I'll swing in and get a kiss and a hug before I leave. =)

Did I mention I'm going to miss my family?

STUPID FAITH

A conversation I had last week reminded me of something. I was sharing our church story with a gentleman I had just met. In short, we purchased land to build a new church on 4 years ago. A year later, now three years ago we began building our new church facilities. Though we're near complete, we're still working. We've done all of it ourselves to save money and reduce the cost of construction. I have many pros and cons to this approach having been through it now. If you're considering it, ask me! I'll tell you no lies :) Anyway, I was sharing a story with him how that one day I was out on the church property and we had just finished our site work. A gentleman, who is a dear man, asked me this question. "How large is this building going to be?" I responded, "17,000 sq.ft. Upon hearing that he asked me, "Well, how many people do you have in your church?" I said, "25". This is where he looked at me with an amazing face of confusion. He looked at me as said, "I don't know if that's FAITH or STUPIDITY".

I didn't hesitate to answer, "Faith!" This is a faith effort. We're not building 17,000 square feet because we need it today, we're building it because we're going to need it tomorrow! Faith always sees past today into the future. To simply live for the here and now doesn't take any real degree of faith. What does require real faith is to engage in something that doesn't make sense. To do something illogical and plain stupid. So here's what I've come to believe and this is now a core conviction of mine. "Stupid Faith" To live in stupid faith. The vast majority of the time when you tell someone what God has asked you to do and you're doing it, it appears stupid in the natural. It's always illogical and almost NEVER makes any sense. I've come to believe that if it makes sense to me, it's not God and I should look real hard at what it is I'm doing. Since January of 1998, my wife and I have been living STUPID FAITH. Believing God to do amazing things through a small community church with God-sized vision and faith! We're no longer at 25 people....we're 80+ on our way to 500 or more! For a town with a population of only 950 something, it's sounds pretty stupid to think Living Springs can become a 500+ member church.

I'll take stupid faith over logic any day!

Whatever it is God is asking you to do, step out in stupid faith. It makes much more sense than you could ever imagine!

Feel like Blogging?

If you're like me, you might be seeking new ways to express your thoughts, feelings, ideas, etc... If so, blogging is a great way to do that! I began blogging in August and absolutely love it! I only wish I hadn't waited so long to enter the blogosphere.

If you're seriously considering creating a blog, I want to introduce you to someone who has helped me and many others out with great advice. His name is John Smulo. John is unique and he isn't so caught up with himself and his "blog" that he won't help you with yours. I had a lot of questions and John was gracious enough to point me in the right direction. He even went so far as to create a post on his own sight addressing many of the questions I asked and his subsequent advice. It's a great read for beginning bloggers! I dare say a must read :)

Check it out here

Don't forget to read the many comments on John's post, "Advice For New Bloggers" as well! You will find many additional tips on blogging.

Joust Challenge= $300.00

At our Hallelujah Festival on Halloween night, the event was almost concluded when a gentleman in my church challenged me to a jousting match. You know those inflatable jousting thingys...anyway, I couldn't refuse a challenge, could I? Especially when he stated that for every time I knocked him off his stand, he would give the church $100.00. When he said this, I was ready to rumble!!

It was best out of five. He knocked me down the first time and I thought, oh no, I just lost 100.00 for my church!! The next time he went down. I think he "fell" down cuz I didn't even touch him :). The next two falls would be all his as I knocked him down for a total of three times. I'm not convinced that he didn't let me win the matches but either way it was a lot of fun and I really enjoyed it! Not to mention, the church got $300.00 for it. The best $300.00 the church ever received!

He is quite a guy and I enjoyed the challenge!

Anyone wanna joust?

Special Places

If you're anything like me, you have those special places where you love to get alone. You know, those places of quiet contemplation. I love those times of just me, my thoughts and God. No distractions, no rush.

I thought I'd share a few of mine with you.

I don't know which of these I like the best but here they are none the less.
1. My office. I can sit here for hours and do nothing but think, think, think.


2. Fool Moon Cafe. This is a new spot for me but I've quickly come to love it. I take a good book with me, order a chicken salad sandwich and just read. If you ever visit the South Texas Hill Country of Bandera, Fool Moon Cafe is a must!


3. Medina River! The Medina River makes a horseshoe bend around Bandera. The waters are calm and soft flowing. It makes for a peaceful setting to listen to God speak to my heart.


So these are my favorite spots of contemplation. I firmly believe in making an exit out of the normal routine of everyday and finding a place where you can get alone with your thoughts. Some of the greatest words God has ever spoken to my spirit are in these quite places.

If you don't already, find a place where you don't have to worry about anyone asking questions, interrupting or demanding your time. You owe it to yourself!

Showers are great thinking places...Part 2

Ok so I was in the shower and "reverse living" sort of pops into my head. What does it look like to live in reverse? Something like this...When leaving your house, you exit via the back door and when coming home, you enter via the back door. When getting into your car to leave, you don't use the traditional method of entry, you enter the car through the passenger side, climb over the center console and buckle up in the driver's seat. When going through McDonald's drive through, you do so backwards (I've done this before and it makes for a real good laugh :O), rather than keeping credit cards, cash, business cards, drivers license in your wallet, you just fill your front pocket with these items...We could on and on. All of these things have one thing in common, they would all be incredibly inconvenient to do.

I've lived in my house for 8 years this month and I don't ever recall leaving or entering my home from the back door. Unless you count the time I had to break my back door glass to get in :). I never get in my truck via the passenger door. I've never entertained the idea of carrying all of my "wallet" items in my front pocket! Though I have gone through McDonald's drive through backwards, I don't do it all the time, just when I'm with the right group of people. You should try it sometime it's a huge laugh and nothing illegal about it :)

Here's my point....As a pastor, having been pastor of the same church now for nearly 9 years, we can easily descend into a methodology. We do it this way because that's the way we've always done it. When my wife and I became the pastors of Living Springs, we were just 25 years old and had never pastored before. The church was very small...8 people to be exact. It was basically a new church plant as we saw it. At the very least an extreme revitalization effort. The church had 8 core people and 102.00 in the bank. We had our work cut out for us! Through God's grace and years of perseverance, we're seeing the blessing of God on our church as never before in the history of Living Springs! Within our first year of ministry, the church now had $20k in the bank and was in the process of bargaining for land to build a new church on. The new church is built and ministry is expanding very nicely in our small corner of the world.

As of February of this year, God has totally shifted my way of thinking about "Church and Ministry". I realized that after 8 years of pastoring, I was stuck! Stuck in a mindset of ministry. This is the way we do it. This is the way we've done it for 8 years! But I couldn't give a reason of why. Why do I do it like this? Why does it have to be done this way? Why can't there be room for change? Thank God I'm now living in reverse in many areas of my life. As a church, we have reversed ministry in many areas. If a ministry isn't working, we cut it or find a new way of doing it. No need for dead limbs.

Sometimes leaving the house from the back door changes our perspective and many times a change of perspective is all we need to better see what God is trying to do in us and through our ministry!

Live in reverse once in a while! You'll love it!

Showers are great thinking places...

So I'm in the shower getting cleaned up to head to the church for tonight's event outreach. I begin thinking what if we lived in reverse.?.?.......I'll finish my thoughts later. Tiff is going to kill me if I don't get a move on!!

Reverse Living...hmmm.

Quick thought

Sunday I preached, "Becoming a Messy Church". I was reading Mark Batterson's blog and he was writing about a the A2 Conference he had been at and he said, " It seems like one of the subplots of A2 was a simple reminder that church is messy!" Man that just jumped out of cyberspace and got in my spirit. That's what I've been trying to say for months now...I finally got it when I read it. Church is messy! Jesus' associations in this life were messy! The issues of those who came to Him were messy! It's a natural inclination of everyone to "avoid" messes. We don't like them and we're taught and trained from our childhood that messes are ugly and need to be avoided. Wow, Jesus never learnt this lesson! As I said Sunday, "Jesus welcomed the mess". He didn't avoid or ignore it, he welcomed and invited it. Why did he do this? Because the mess represents people. People are messy and their issues aren't always fun to work with. But then again, neither are mine.

So the thought that dominates my mind is this, "If Jesus were the Lead Pastor of LSC, what would it look like? What would the theme of this church be? What kind of people would fill the auditorium every week that maybe aren't right now?" These are all questions that are stretching my mind and pulling on my spirit.

Here's the thing, you don't have to create a mess, just look around. Talk to anyone long enough and you'll see the signs of a mess. Messy people are everywhere, the work of clean up is unlimited. I told my church Sunday to find a mess and help clean it up!

I want LSC to be a messy church! Bandera needs a messy church!

Hallelujah Festival, Tonight!!

Tonight is the night of our Hallelujah Festival at our church. I'm looking forward to it. It should be a lot of fun. Every year we have a great turn-out I don't think this year will be any different. I think it's really important that the church do things like this. It takes money and the dedication of a lot of people but it's worth it! It gives us the opportunity to show who we are as a church to those who might not otherwise ever come to our church. We have a great support base of local businesses that sponsor this event every year and they came through again this year with some new ones to boot! It's nice to see business owners getting involved to promote church events. We don't charge anything for this event, as a matter of fact, we never charge anything for any event we do at LSC and I'm thankful to God for that. We'll be having a Community Christmas Dinner and Angel Tree Outreach in Mid December. Our church will be transformed into a huge restaurant...the best thing about this restaurant will be the food is all free with bags of gifts for the kids. I can't wait for this event outreach.

I know Tiff is going to have me busy preparing for tonight so I better get after it!

Shannon out!

Getting geared up....

This weekend I'm flying to Lexington, Ky. I have a brother who lives there and he called me a couple of weeks ago and asked if I would be willing to come up for a few days. He said he would cover the airfare so I become interested rather quickly :) He has begun attending a church that he is highly excited about. Southland Christian Church to be exact. He knows what we're doing here at LSC so he thought I could get some great ideas by coming up there and going to church with him. It's a good thing I'm all for getting good ideas. I love to see what other ministries are doing and being effective at. LSC is a relatively young church in Bandera with a huge amount of potential. So I'll be flying out this weekend and be gone for 2 weeks.

Part of why I'll be gone for 2 weeks is because I'm going back to my birthplace and where I was raised. I was born in Janesville, Wisconsin and moved to Rockford, Illinois when I was two. My family was in Rockford until I was 13 and we moved to Alabama where much of my family still lives, including my parents. I feel a spiritual call to go back to Janesville and Rockford. In large part for reasons I can't go into in this blog post but I will soon. Suffice it to say, I'm going to go and bury some things for good and visit some places of monumental significance in my life. It was in Rockford at the age of 12 that I began following Jesus. I want to go back to the church and say thank you to Tommy and others who helped me start this wonderful journey! I don't even know if I'll be able to find them but I'm sure going to try. This trip back is going to be, I'm sure, an emotional and spiritual experience for me. I'm so looking forward to it. A pilgrimage of sorts I guess you could say.

I'm going to visit some places where I spent so much time as a kid. I'll probably get in the creek and catch a few crawfish again, I'll park my car and walk the same path from home to school and back to our old home again. I'll visit the same creeks my brothers and I had so much fun fishing in. I'll visit the places where I remember so vividly times of struggle as a family. God has been so faithful and so good to my family that words fail to describe it appropriately.

I'm going to visit El Faro Mexican Restaurant in Chicago...not because I've been there but I've heard others talk about how good the burritos are and there is no distance too far to travel for a good burrito, right?

On the way back to KY, I hope to be able to stop by Granger Community Church for service on Sunday! Wouldn't that be totally sweet?!!? GCC is an amazing church doing amazing things for God!

Well, I'm just getting geared up and can't wait to go back. In going back, I'm going forward!

Monday is my FAVORITE day of the week

I take Mondays off! I love them, they love me and I do as little as possible on Monday. I'm achieving this worthy goal of "nothingness" today!



Excuse me while I continue doing NOTHING!

Clergy Appreciation Month

October is Clergy Appreciation Month so my church took time last night to honor all the Pastoral Staff. I happen to think that I'm the Lead Pastor of the best church in America. I know some pastors that wouldn't "attend" the church they pastor if they weren't the pastor. I can honestly say, I would! It's a great church with a great vision.

In addition to food and other desserts last night, one of the men in the church, Thomas, baked a very special cake in recognition of the Pastoral Team.


This cake not only looks good, it was delicious. I'm not sure where Thomas learned to bake like this but with no exaggeration, it was the best cake I had ever eaten! It was tops! It was a split chocolate cake with an icing layer in center and oh so moist. I've got a couple of pieces in my fridge....I think they're calling my name :)

Thanks Thomas, you da man!

Goldfish and Pajamas

I love what my kids say so I blog it to document it :)

So we went to the Alkek Elementary School Festival yesterday and I'm slowly recouping from it. One of the games yesterday was a "net toss" and the prize was a goldfish. We are now the proud owners of 5 goldfish.


So, last night I'm lying in bed and my 4 year old son, Chase, comes into my room and asks, "Daddy, do fish sleep?" I said, Yes they do. I realize it's more like entering into a state of rest for fish but I wasn't about to get into this with a 4 year old at 11:45p.m.! You know what I mean? :) I think I've satisfied his childlike curiosity but I was wrong. The next question for me really made me laugh. So the next question was, "Daddy, how do them put pajamas on?
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Now, you may be wondering about how I responded. Well, I did as any loving parent seeking to nurture the creative genius in their child. "They just slip them on son." It was the best I could do on such short notice :)

I love the fact kids aren't creatively handicapped like many adults choose to be. Stay a child and think like a child. It's good for you!

Oh yeah, FISH FRY at my house next weekend!!!

Annual Alkek Elementary Carnival...

I'm tired! We just finished with my daughters School Carnival. It was a great time but at the end of the day, you're exhausted. Our team was the first to arrive and the last to leave. Some how it always seems that way. Anyone else know what I'm talking about? Anyway, each booth is judged and placed. We were certain of getting first place again this year. My wife usually heads Gracie's class booth up every year and we take first place every year. Not so this time. The theme this year was "Disney" so we went with "Space Mountain", the ride at Disney World. We came in second place. Pirates of the Caribbean came in first. They really did a great job! Here are some pictures.

Just look at this mess!

I love the fact that everywhere you look, you can discover creativity. Creative thinking, creative living, creative planning, creative everything. The cool thing about creativity, is it isn't limited to just what I come up with. Creativity abounds everywhere..literally. One of my favorite things to do is look for creative ideas or creative thoughts. I love to permit my mind to think creatively on something that catches my attention.

I was reading another pastor's blog today and he was talking about messy churches. Think about that. It goes against so much of what we think we are supposed to do as pastors. Isn't our highest aim to have a clean, well groomed church that the Lord will be pleased with? Isn't that the overarching aim? I'm not so sure. I know the Bible speaks of Christ's return for a bride without spot or wrinkle so that automatically denotes a clean and "mess free" church. I think perhaps the work of the church should be messy though....I mean after all, we're supposed to be reaching out to "messed" up people. Right? Maybe to become a clean, wrinkle free church means to become interested in the messy issues of people's lives. Maybe that's the true means of becoming spotless and without wrinkle.

I think of a church where Jesus Christ is the Lead Pastor and I wonder what kind of church that would be. I wonder what kind of people would feel comfortable there. What would the theme of that church look like? I' m not exactly sure but if the way Jesus lived His life on this earth is any indication, I bet it would be a pretty "messy" church!

Man, I want to be the Lead Pastor of a "messy" church! You know the kind of church I'm talking about? A church where people have problems and aren't afraid to be honest about those problems. A church that isn't afraid to be who they are regardless of who other people think they are. The kind of church that isn't ashamed at the mess but thankful to God for the mess that He brings us out of.

I think the aim to be a mess free church is in many ways contrary to the Church Jesus had in mind. No doubt the goal of the church is to develop mature Christ Followers but the more mess, the more potential for mature Christ Followers....right?

I think we need a fresh dose of mess in our churches! If there is no mess, there is no work. It's like a messy house....if the house is not a mess, there isn't any work to do (my wife likes that part of it). But the church should be a place where work is done constantly. Helping people clean the mess out of their lives because of the hope given through the cross of Jesus Christ.

Look for a mess to help clean up! Jesus was always helping to clean up a mess in someone elses life...

This will be the focus of the sermon this weekend!

Plans, ideas, and crazy thoughts...

My mind is going crazy with plans, ideas and thoughts of how to better promote our church and ministry in rural America. Our Church is located in a rural county in the Hill Country of South Texas just 30 minutes from San Antonio. Our entire city population is only 957 people and our County population is around 22,500 people. Brainstorming on how to reach such a spread out demographic can be quite the task. I know our church is strategically placed where we are. We're in the epicenter of growth. My sister asked if everything was "ok" with me today. She said my countenance looked heavy. I guess I look that way when my mind is going ninety to nothing. I just have so many things going on up there that I'm not sure how to process what's really viable and what's simply crazy, random thinking. Maybe it's the crazy, random thinking that deserves the most attention!

Practice what you preach!

Isn't it just like God to put what you preach to the test immediately after you've preached something? Tonight I spoke on the subject, "Circumstantial Living Leads to Circumstantial Worship". Many times we allow our circumstances to determine our level of praise we give to God rather than the simple fact He is God and He deserves it. My overarching theme was to never let our circumstances rule over our praise but to let our praise rule over our circumstances. Well, I need to practice what I preach, here's why....

We have our Annual Hallelujah Festival coming up in less than a week so I ran a $90 ad in our local paper to advertise the event. The problem is, I stopped in a service station on the way home from church to view our ad but to my surprise, the ad isn't in the paper. Now I must admit, this sudden circumstance worked on my frustration side real quick. We've put a lot of money into this event to make it a huge success and advertising it to draw as large a crowd as possible. I had a choice to make. Will my attitude be sour or sweet? I choose sweet. I'm going to take this in a matter of praise. I'm thanking God that He's greater than the paper and that He can spread the word of this outreach event better than any paper could. I'm believing for a great turnout, even greater than what may have come with the aid of a newspaper ad. God be praised!

I'm still here Daddy!

In my attempts to lose a bit of weight, I've begun walking/running at night. I do this at night as to reduce the risk of my neighbors seeing me and laughing at me :) Chase, my 4 year old is always asking me if he can go walking with me now. The first time he went with me I instructed him that I would be running and if he couldn't keep up, he would get left behind. Well, this was no problem for him he said. This is the same 4 year old that when asked if he was going to drive the golfball 250 yards responded with a confident, "yes". So we set off and we're running around the block and we get to the corner of our block and he's beginning to fall behind. I'm just jogging, but he's giving it all his little legs would give. As we turn the corner, I'm beginning to lose him. He's about 10 yards or so behind me now. I keep running and Chase keeps trying to catch up. Out of the darkness and quietness of the night as we're both running around our block, Chase says to me, "Daddy, I'm still back here, I can still see you, I'm not going to lose you, Daddy."

When he said this, my heart smiled. It was an aww, he's so cute moment. He was trying his best to keep up with me. He was working double time to make sure I wouldn't lose him in the darkness of the night streets. Where I live in the country, there are no street lights around my block...it gets real dark, real fast. But there he is, running with everything he has to keep up with his daddy....as long as he could see me, he was safe. Even if I was 30 feet in front of him. Every so often, he would remind me that he was back there and that he wasn't going to lose me, he could still see me.

So I had a thought. I'm much the same way with God, my heavenly Father. He leads me into a place that I'm not familiar with. I've never been here before. It's hard to see and things are a bit dark around me. Things are fuzzy at best. But I must keep going. I can't stop now. I'll lose sight of Him. I can't lose sight of where God is leading me because that could spell disaster for me. He knows the way, I do not. So I keep reminding him that I'm here. I'm still following and I'm not going to let you out of my sight. I know God will not leave me just as I would never leave my son. But God does lead me. I will work to keep up with God as hard as my son worked to keep up with his Daddy. I'll remind Him all the way....."Daddy, I'm still back here, I can still see you, I'm not going to lose you, Daddy."

"IN A PIT WITH A LION ON A SNOWY DAY"

This is the name of the latest book authored by Mark Batterson. I got this book about a week ago and was going to wait to begin reading it as I was trying to finish a couple of other books I had started.

Being a Pastor doesn't exempt me from days of struggle, stress and uncertainty. Well, today was one such day. I was just feeling sorta bummed out today. No specific reason really, just cumulative things I guess. Anyway, I told my wife I was heading back up to the office to just do some reading. I decided I would begin "In a Pit with a Lion on a Snowy Day". I'm sure glad I did....it really helped me get a better perspective. I cried a bit and laughed a bit but by the time I had finished the first 3 chapters, I was feeling much better. It's amazing how a good book can help to re-frame your thoughts. I thank God for Spirit-Led writers who have a true gift of re-framing!

I Just left another great Board Meeting

I know it's hard to believe that a person can actually enjoy a board meeting. But it's true. I did. We had a great board meeting. We're exploring strategies about how to make our church even more effective. I'm in the process of creating a new CONNECTIONS ministry. I believe it's incredibly important that every person that chooses to visit our church feel connected to us in some way. If a person doesn't feel a connection, they easily go somewhere else looking for connectivity. Connection Groups...as in small groups or life groups are on the sketch pad as well. What does all of this look like? Well, I'm not sure yet but I'm sure to find out....

Always changing it up....

I know some churches that totally change their stage about every 2 months or so, some with every new series to reflect the "big idea" of the series. That's not easily done for us at our church. :) But I do like to change our online presence every so often. Which is what I'm doing now. I love working on websites. My goal is to create a site that serves as a vital part of our overall ministry.


Check it out here

Keep in mind it's not finished :)

Done!

You now it's really amazing how it all comes together. I mean there is so much to say about God that once you start, it's difficult to find a place to stop. So, 11 pages of notes later, I'm finished. I hope I can get it all out tomorrow. :)

My notes for your viewing pleasure :)

I'm not finished yet!

It's late Friday night and I'm trying to get my sermon for Sunday finished. I've been sick since Monday and I can't seem to shake this thing. I went to the office today in an effort to push through and get some thoughts on paper. Well, I did, sort of. I got about a half page of notes down. I'm doing part 2 of a sermon series titled Clockwork. I got the idea of a Clockwork series from Mark Batterson. It explores several different dimensions of time management. I hope I feel better tomorrow because time is slipping away. If I have about 4 hours, I know I can do this!

Cookie Night!!

Ok, so Mom is out of the house tonight. She is at a Women's Conference in Kerrville. A couple of weeks ago we purchased some cookie dough from a girl in our neighborhood. Today it came in :) So, Gracie, Chase and myself are baking Sugar and Chocolate Chunk Cookies!! I can't wait til they're done....
BEFORE
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12 minutes later....


Gracie thinks I put them too close together....I think it matters not. I've still got this severe cold thing beating me down but it's not going to stop me from enjoying these cookies!! And, if the kids can beat me in an arm wrestling contest, I'll let them have some too....

I got the blah's

I'm feeling pretty puny today...I've got this Nose and Throat thing going on that just won't go away. Yuk! I've asked another minister in my church to preach tonight. She said she would so I'm going to drink lots of Orange Juice and try to get better. It's nice to have those in your church that are willing to step up when it's necessary. Not too long ago, we were so small, that was not the case. God has been good and now we do have those capable of taking the service. For the pastor, that's a dream come true!

Events of my day.....

I got up at 7:00a.m. this morning. I was to go and help a man in my church roof a house. He was short on help so I offered myself. I showed up and began working but about an hour and a half into it, the sky began dumping rain on us. We waited for a bit to see if the rain was going to let up but it appeared it was here to stay. About 10:30, I decided to head to my office to begin preparing for Wednesday church service. On the way, I was feeling kind of hungry. I decided to go into a local Mexican restaurant for an early lunch. I've never gone in this early but my hunger was calling.

I'm in the restaurant and waiting on my carry-out. Burrito Jalisco! mmm....mmm...good! While I was waiting, I man I have known for several years but see very little of came in with his wife. Just a few months ago, he called me and asked if I could counsel with he and his wife. I agreed to meet with them but they never showed up. I never knew why. So I asked him how they were doing today and he responded by saying, "We're doing alot better". I was glad to hear that but not wanting a God Opp (opportunity) to pass by, I asked him if he and his wife were interested in coming to church with me this weekend. He said he wasn't "feeling" it right now. I just said ok, when you do, I'll be there. I didn't pressure him but by the end of our conversation, he told me that his children really wanted to go to church so that was another opp for a quick invite....They're supposed to be in church with me on Sunday. I sure hope so. He walked with the Lord in the past, but sometimes life seems so big and distracting, it's hard to keep up. I'm just hoping, he'll begin "feeling" it again. And start following Jesus again. His life is full of untapped potential for God!

You know, the Bible promises, "The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord..."
I didn't think alot about getting lunch that early but God did....God knew that this man would be coming in the restaurant with his wife and He planned my steps accordingly.

I truly believe that God brings about opportunities in our lives that many times go unnoticed. Opportunities to help someone, give to someone, smile at someone, touch someone or simply listen to someone. Keep your eyes peeled for these valuable opps! If you're not continuously looking for them, they'll easily pass you by.

Wouldn't that be tragic...?

The Conference was great!

We had a great time at the SOAR Leadership Confrence....at Teen Mania Ministries. What an awesome ministry! Not only did we learn a lot of interesting approaches to reaching out to teens, we had a great time acting crazy. We have a lot of video of the craziness..I'll try and get some of it loaded. I will say this..one of the funniest things we did was going through the McDonald's drive through...backwards! :) That was funny! The workers didn't know whether to laugh or act totally shocked at our level of immaturity.

A day at the Course

Mondays are my day off so I thought I would take my son and go golfing with him. Over the summer, I had bought him a set of golf clubs and have yet to take him to the course with me. It's getting a bit cooler here in South Texas so I figured today was a great day to do it. We went to the Flying L Golf Course here in Bandera. It's really a great course which I love to play. I didn't think Chase would be able to handle a full 18 holes his first time on the course so we played 9 holes. He did a terrific job! He's only 4 but he hit the ball extremely well....I'd like to think he's a chip off the old block. Of course, I'm the old block :)

Here are a few pics of our time on the course.


Chase getting ready to leave me behind as he takes off in the golf cart!


Walking to his ball on the first hole.


7th hole, Par 3....look at that form!



View of the 7th hole....my favorite hole on the course.

We both had a really good time....on the way home, Chase said, "Daddy, I had fun."
That was the goal. :)

Checking out...

Til Late Saturday....My Youth Pastor, his son, my nephew and myself are headed to Garden Valley, Texas for a Youth Leadership Conference. The conference is hosted by S.O.A.R Ministries. It sounds like we're going to enjoy this conference! The purposes of attending these kinds of conferences is to gain new perspective, valuable ideas and tools to further ministry where ever you serve. I'm going to be a sponge...a big ol' sponge!

Winter Vacation BOOKED!!

I love Winter! It's probably my favorite season of the year. I don't know if this is because I was raised much of my childhood in Southern Wisconsin and Northern Illinois. I have fond memories of the fun we had in the snowfalls that the cold, grey, winter skys gave us. I loved looking into the sky on cold cloudy days. You could always tell if a cloud was a "snow" cloud. They just had a different look to them. Like this:

However, we don't see this too much in South Texas. :( So, every year, we try and take a winter vacation. The past several years we have gone to Pagosa Springs, Colorado. We love this place. It's small, quaint and very family friendly. Plus it's absolutely gorgeous! The town is surrounded by the San Juan National Forest. We rent snow machines and ride in the mountains which I really enjoy. We also go skiing in Wolfcreek and Durango/Silverton. Shops enough to keep the most dedicated shopper busy and people that are genuine. This year we're going to be in Pagosa from January 05 - January 12....Up to this year, I've only let Gracie ski at the resort on some small hills behind the condo. This year, she'll graduate to the 1600' vertical drop Oh yeah!! I just hope she'll hold my hand on the way down. ;)

A fun game.....

This past weekend, we were in Houston for a wedding. My wife's niece got married. Whenever we go to Houston we generally stay with my wife's Grandparents. I really enjoy staying there. It's a very warm and welcoming home. While we were there, we were taught a new game. A game that I'd never heard of before. It's kind of a knock-off of horseshoes but much more fun...to me. It's a game called "Ladder Golf". You can even play it online . I decided to make a "homemade" version of this game for us to enjoy here at home. I went to the local lumber company and bought all of the 3/4" PVC pipe, 90's and T's I would need to accomplish this task. My neighbors probably think I put in some weird type of a vertical sprinkler system. Here are some pics of our new fun.....!

Remember your first.....

Wallet as a little boy or your first purse as a little girl? I do...it was a black Velcro tri-fold wallet!
I was da man! Today, Tiff and Chase went to do some shopping at Wal-Mart. The first thing he showed me when I walked in the door was his new wallet. His first ever. He was so excited about it! I love the excitement of children. It's pure. It's not hyped up or exaggerated. It's pure unadulterated excitement! I think many times we as adults loose the pure excitement that children possess. If a child gets excited about something, it's because they are genuinely excited. They don't pretend to be excited for the sake of another.....I wish I could have recorded his excitement to post here!

Nickname

Many times we create nicknames for our children....It sort of just happens. You call them cupcake, angel, bubba :) or whatever. Some of the nicknames I've dubbed my children are: Grace is, sweetie, princess and baby among others....Chase is, buddy, chaser, bududy(I don't know where or why I came up with this one :O) and champ among others. These are all terms of endearment. What's really cool though is when your child or children create nicknames for you. For the last month or so, Chase has referred to me by a name other than Daddy. Daddykuns. I'm not sure how to even spell daddykuns but that's the way it sounds :) I get a real kick out of hearing him refer to me as daddykuns. I even smile and laugh just writing it out....

It's 3:00a.m.

I can't sleep. I find that I do some of my best thinking in the solitude of night. My family is having no problems sleeping :) I guess it's a good thing I don't go to the office on Mondays. My mind is wondering....I'm chasing it....the word CREATIVITY has captured my attention. We'll see where it leads.......