Back at it again

Well - what was vacation like - fun. But what will this week be like - even better.

Here's a quick recap of what I have going on this week, and also why I am so excited to be working at NewPointe:

1. Aqua is tonight, for singles aged college thru 30's. I love Aqua. Although I am not communicating, I love being there - it is an amazing environment.
2. Student Ministries kicks off this Wed - with our back to school kick-off party. We'll be hanging out - getting back into the groove, and I'll share a bit about potential, hidden and realized - it should be a great start to our ministry year.
3. Sunday is coming, and I am speaking in the auditorium to the adults - that is going to be exciting - my first time. I have something special and personal to share - don't miss it!

So those are the big three - and I also have an amazing family that I get to live with every day - that is reason enough for living!

Update from vacation

SO the weather hasn't been that great at all. It has rained the last 2.5 days, and today there are finally signs of it letting up! But the rain did not stop us from having fun.

I was at a crosswalk waiting for the light to turn (yesterday) and a lady and I were discussing vacation and the weather. And here is the jist of the conversation - "You can't control the weather, but you can control your attitude."

And this has been our theme for the week. So, are you curious about what we did that was so fun.

Here are a few of them:

• We went to the public zoo, while it was raining pretty good. It was fun to walk around, and get wet - when we weren't worried about what we looked like. It was all about seeing those animals. And if they were wet - so were we. It was fun - and Nico loved it. Of all the animals - he liked the pig! Forget the giraffes, lion, tiger, bears and leopards. Pigs it is.
• Last night we caught some free entertainment at the Cape May Convention Center (not a convention center built in the last 40 years). They had music for kids to dance to - live. And we went and danced to the fun songs. It was a throwback to the 60's. Well, Nico danced for about 40 minutes straight. He was pretty tired. But, as I sat and watched - everyone in the room was smiling. How many places can boast about that? By the way - my son has rhythm. He is gonna play an instrument or be a figure skater.
• We went to the Wildwood boardwalk and walked around and in the beach stores. Brooke and her funnel cake got attacked (literally) by seagulls. That alone was worth the price of parking!
• We went to a local restaurant - not the tourist type - and had the best shrimp we've ever eaten. I also had a great chicken wrap. But as I ate it, I was really wondering why I didn't order fish while at the beach.

so that is my update. Today is gonna be a beach day - even if it is raining.

Cleansing

So, everyone here is in bed - and it is my time to surf the net. As I surf, I watch SportsCenter - now that is a vacation to me!

As I am watching, I hear a phrase - "they cross the Ironman finish line with a smile on their face." And it stopped me from my laptop activity. They went on to talk about how the rush of such a grueling race is cleansing for many that participate.

And so I am starting to ask myself - what do I do to cleanse myself?

Curious about what I mean - I'm talking about the things I do that remind me of my values, of what I hold precious, of what I am living for. Here is a quick list (vacation makes me think).

1. prayer - I'm talking about the non-routine (God is great, let us thank Him for our food) prayer that really is from the gut. I've been praying that way lately - and it makes me realize how Big God is. I never want to forget, nor ignore it.
2. time with my son and wife. We had pizza tonight in the rain, outside. I'll never forget that moment. I carried him back to our car while we got wet from the rain. We enjoyed every step. I believe in the family like Dwight believes in the local church. I think it is a big part of what's wrong with our society.
3. Eating pizza. Ok - so I am an amateur Pizza Professional Taster. It feel obligated to order pizza any time it is on the menu. And in the sillyness of this one - it is simply a small hobby that I have. I can remember the top 5 pizzas that I have had in my life. In my life. Wanna know them? Read my blog this week and I'll post.
4. Hearing a story of redemption. This one is vague but it comes in many forms. I love to hear or watch a story of someone who encounters a truth so daring that it smacks them in the face and changes their life. That is a picture of Jesus to me. Sound like a stretch? It isn't. I think of movies like Good Will Hunting or Almost Famous - and I love them because it mimics this story line. I love hearing about people who come to NewPointe and meet God and it messes up their life and their plans. Redemption stories rock, and they click with me deep down.
5. Making my wife laugh. It is the ultimate challenge for me. I know, I am number 4 on my all time funniest list. But I live with this audience member, and my material is not always new to her. So when I get her to belly - laugh, I feel great, like I made a difference. See, she is a stay at home mom, and I think that this could be the hardest job on the planet. Seriously. And making her stop and smell the roses (via my humor) makes me feel like I am helping out a bit. I also take out the trash (when asked!)

that is my 5 - how about you? What is cleansing for you? And if you don't answer or can't - why haven't you explored this thought?

On Vacation

So we made it here - Cape May, NJ. It is really a beautiful area - very quaint and homey. On the way out here, we went to the East Coast's largest mall - King of Prussia. And what are my reactions - it was just a mall.

I mean, I love to shop, but it was just a mall. Yes it had every store imaginable inside - but how many Prada purses, Imacs or Ralph Lauren ties can one buy? The Internet really humbled the idea of large scale malls in my opinion. Don't get me wrong - it was fun, and the mall was cool, but after the first hour, I was ready to go.

Now at the beach - we are settled into our condo. Nico loved the beach, got knocked down by his first wave in the first 2 minutes in the water, and then got right back in.

I loved it. I first thought he would be done for the week - but not a chance - he wanted to go out even deeper than his ankles. Fortunately for him, mommy and daddy know better.

Ok - that's it for now. I'm glad to have Internet access here - so I can stay connected.

Later - more updates coming.

Lyrics

So I heard a lyric that touched a chord deep inside of me - "so close you can almost taste it."

That really caused me to think about what happened in my life that was an "almost" experience - so "almost" that I could taste it.

And since I like lists - here is my top "so close I could almost taste it list"

1. I was inches from a huge firework display (home version) that was knocked over and shooting at me. I felt pure fear in that moment.
2. The first night my son cried a lot - and I mean for hours - I could taste defeat - but we pushed through and he finally fell asleep - I can still remember that feeling of helplessness.
3. In college, I pulled a friend out of the path of a speeding car - I thought she was a gonner. I was so close that I felt the breeze of that car.
4. I went to a UNC basketball game at the Dean Dome, and Michael Jordan came out onto the floor at half time - I will always remember that feeling - I felt like I was so close to UNC history - I could taste it.
5. I once hit a 3 pointer at the buzzer to send a crucial basketball game into overtime - we won the game, and kept our playoff hopes alive. We then lost our next two games. We were so close to the playoffs that I could taste it- I'll never forget it.
6. I once got so into an argument that I could feel my ears getting red. It was about a general misunderstanding that people have about Amish culture. I wanted so badly to expose this other person's hypocrisy that I could literally taste it (or feel it in my case)
7. I once wanted to fight one of my high school friend so badly that I had to get held back by my other two friends. I know that I yelled alot - and that is the most mad that I have ever been in my life. I say mad because I was crazy - mad is worse than angry - you can feel yourself losing control.
8. At my rehearsal for our wedding, I cried before we even started the whole deal at the church. I was surrounded by my closest friends, my future wife and my family. It was like the love and support in that moment was tangible.

So that is my list - how about you?

Some thoughts of late

Busy week these past 5 days. Lots of things to do. Here is an update:

• getting ready to go on vacation is not fun - you have to cram that week's worth of work into the preceeding 2 weeks.
• Student ministry is lots of fun. full of challenges, but lots of fun - I get to interact with some great volunteers, and some cool students - lucky me!
• Rick Ankiel made a fantastic return to MLB - much better story than Barry Bonds - I remember when Rick couldn't throw a strike - he hit a homerun last night - now that is inspiring determination to find a place
• August in ministry is busy - back to school means lots of things going on all at once
• Nooma videos inspire me.
• I've been reading about Jesus - he was fabuous at communicating in a relationship. NO matter the other person, he always spoke truth in a loving way - that is phenomenal
• I talked to John Bunn while he was building those sandcastles he blogged about - I like to be famous.
• My pepper plants are outstanding. They put out about 12-18 peppers, nicely sized, per week.
• Wait till my zucchini comes in!

Ok - that is how I blog after not blogging for a few days - its a blog burp.

Why silence?

I recently blogged about being back from my brief hiatus. And then, I go a few more days without blogging.

Well, this time I have a solid set of reasons.

I did not want to break one of my fundamental rules of blogging. And to help with the curiosity that the idea of personal blogging rules brings - don't hold your breath.

Here are my rules for blogging:

• Never blog to hurt someone - this is my capturing of my story - I don't need to aim anything at people specifically - besides, blogging is personal and it is also public.
• Be real when you blog - this doesn't mean full disclosure of my life - that would be naive. But when I blog - I don't pull punches.
• Blogging does not replace journaling.
• Blogging about frustrations always comes after I've addressed the issue.
• I represent more than myself when I blog - so if I do something ignorant, it reflects on everyone within my sphere of life.
• People matter - preserve anonymity
• Link as much as possible

So those are a few of the rules that I follow. I hope they help you as you decide what to post or not. But I get asked lots of questions about blogging, so these rules have been floating around for a bit.

Which rule - I can't replace talking to God first with blogging. So if I ever feel that happening - you will hear my silence.

Realization

Yesterday, I was sitting in our family room at home, and something strong really hit me.

I was starting to feel a strong complaining attitude come up and over me. The room felt cluttered with my son's toys scattered throughout the area - literally everywhere. And this is not my favorite thing. I like my home to be neat and peaceful - a retreat from the chaos of life.

And as I was about to allow my frustration to boil over, my son came running into the room. And everything changed. My complaining turned into a thankfulness.

I am thankful for my son and all the joy he brings to my life. Are there frustrating things that go with parenting - yep! But is it all worth the reward? Yep!

I can live with clutter for a few years if it means: hearing my son giggle, seing him run around with a ginormous smile on his face or watching him learn how things work. Absolutely astounding.

I guess what is clutter to me - may be a playground to another.

So that probably means that my playgrounds are clutter to some.

What goes around comes around.