the corners of my mind

Saturday, April 19

life, as i know it...

...is wonderful. i have a beautiful, loving wife, not one, but TWO babies on the way, a new house, a career that i honestly enjoy, a wonderful family, great friends, and promises from God.

which all lead me to believe that i'm richly blessed. truly. and that i don't take for granted- i remind myself all the time of how He has blessed us. sometimes when i stop to think about it, i'm honestly blown away by His provision and love for our lives.

two babies! a double portion. a double blessing. double to love. double to care for. double to teach the things of the Lord. double to instill joy in. and yes, double to teach how to wear plaid, argyle, and stripes just right. :)

blessed. that's what i am.

Monday, January 8

the rain

The rain spatters down outside my window, bouncing from little pools on the ground. Why does it have to rain? "Perspective-- there is a reason for the rain." Is the rain more an echo of my thoughts rather than my physical state of being?

Decisions. They never stop, they just keep on coming! Why is it that some seem so difficult? Life changing decisions that will turn the course of my life in one way or another. In some ways, I just want to say "alright- last one. After this I'm taking a break from any mental stress." But that's not my portion. Just when I think I've prayed and heard God on one issue, another one arises.

The rain falling seems to echo the issues that have arisen recently. Thoughts capture my mind; trying to sort it all out and impart wisdom where I'm able. Walking out my life in a Godly manner is what I'm called to do, and that I want to impart to others. Leaders are pace-setters-- not following at the back of the crowd, but plowing their way through the brush and muck to get to the other side where truth lies.

I want to be that pace-setter, whether or not the rain keeps coming. I'll keep treading through the muck and mire to get to the other side with an army with me. The decisions we face in this life are worth facing- what Christ did on the cross is reason enough for me to push myself through any challenges life throws at me. Christ is worthy of my life, and for that I'm thankful. I have a Redeemer!!

What the rain doesn't wash away it will only grow stronger.

"Perspective-- there is a reason for the rain."

Tuesday, November 21

for this reason

For This Reason, He has me here, doing this. For This Reason. So what is it? Just when all the questions in my mind are answered, new ones appear. Will they ever be gone? I think not. But I'm learning not to hate the unknown, but to embrace it with a Kingdom perspective. God has everything in control, and in that I know I can rest. Though if I'm being honest, I often wish I could look into the future and see where He'll have me 10-20-30 years from now, and what I need to do to get there. It would make things so much easier as far as my mind's concerned. But that's not His plan. One step at a time, one day at a time. That's the way it was designed.

Still the stressful moments fill many time slots throughout my day. And sometimes I just want a break. That's why I'm looking forward to Thanksgiving this year. Time with the family, playing games, eating turkey, and laughing alot. Doing nothing in particular, but experiencing all the joy the holidays have to offer. May this Thanksgiving remind me of what we truly do have to be thankful for-- the blessings that He has poured out on us. I never want to forget.

My mind and fingers want to go in different direction. My mind would say to blurt out all the random thoughts/questions/insanity that's shuffling through my head right now. My fingers say to go to bed and try to catch up on some of that sleep that I've been deprived of in the last 7 days.

I shall do a little of both. For those of you who want an update on the Montreal trip, I hope to be able to give it to you in the shape of a video this Sunday at church. For those of you who want to know when we can do something, probably after this week things will (might) slow down for a bit. For those of you who are flying up from NC to see us, I can't wait to see you. For those of you who are wondering why I'm still typing, you're wondering is now over. I'm going to bed.

Night.

Saturday, September 2

self sacrifice

Why is it that we in America are so self serving? We have a culture that's built into us that wants to think solely for ourselves. Not only our culture, but just we as humans in general. I was pondering this when i heard some talk that was going on about someone i work with and their spouse. They were supposed to attend an event, and it would be a blessing to someone else if they went; but after they went, the whole time they didn't enjoy themselves and grumbled and complained. All to often we have the tendency to think of what we want, or what will benefit us, or what makes us happy. We should be thinking about how we can further the Kingdom, what we can do to bless others, and how we can make an impact through self-sacrifice.

A great example of this is my parents. Time and time again, they lay down their desires so they can bless others and their kids. We've reaped the benefits of this over and over again, and it's through this example that I can now teach my children what it means to not be selfish, but to sometimes do things we don't want to do to bless others. I'm still learning, but in time I hope to get closer than i am now.

It's not always easy, but it's through serving or changing our plans to benefit someone else that great blessing will come through our example. And the heart of the issue is our attitudes. Even if we do it, if our heart is not in the right place and we grumble and complain all the way through it, we haven't fulfilled our call to bless others with a cheerful heart.

summers end

For the last 2 weeks i've been fighting the reality that fall is truly right around the corner. There are many thing I enjoy with the fall season, but the thought of having to give up waterskiing until next summer is hard to accept! I was thinking about the pumpkins, the multi-colored leaves, the crisp air in the morning, the smell of cinnamon and nutmeg. What is it about this season that brings a warm sensation to any room? Is it the fact that the heat's going to be back on, or that we feel a stronger desire to light candles, or that instead of outdoor sports we're now confined to inside games as the season draws to a close?

In any case, fall is a season I enjoy; and although we won't be waterskiing before long- long walks, pumpkins, spices, fall jackets, beautiful foilage and the smells of the season are all things to look forward to.

Wanna go for a walk?

Tuesday, July 11

daily life events

waterskiing. jetskiing. over-extending knees. settlers. that's what life has held for me in the past little bit in my free time. weekends are filled with worship team, sunday morning family breakfast, and any boating time we can get in. i'm finding more and more that the summertime is hard to plan your schedule around- with the weather that comes and go's, flexibility seems to be key!

today is a good friend's birthday. happy birthday, shuster! this weekend we'll be traveling to Rome, NY to celebrate with him-- we'll actually be traveling saturday to his uncles camp in the adirondacks where we'll enjoy skiing, wakeboarding, jetskiing, tubing, canoeing, and any other misc things that could appeal to our sense of adventure.

the saab is down in syracuse for repair. as it turns out both direct ignition modules and the alternator need to be replaced. ooohhhh, the joys of owning pieces of machinery.

that's 'bout all for now...just a quick update since it's been way longer than forever since the last one. oh- and jacqs- might you try to make it up the extra 5 hours next time?!

Wednesday, June 14

pruning

pruning. not a very fun phase, and at the same time something that needs to be done to bring us higher. i'm not actually feeling like i'm in that stage of my life right now, but a good friend is. it's hard to watch this friend go through it, cause all i want to do is yell 'it'll be ok- just keep going'. and yet nothing i seem to say can portray what i'm thinking and trying to say... which is this simple fact:

although pruning is not a fun stage, it's important. and everyone goes through it at different seasons in their life. we're constantly being molded, shaped, and changed- but there are certain season where a real deep pruning takes place. then there are times of joy and feeling like your cup is filled to overflowing. the thing to remember is this: when you're in the pruning stage remember who your God is and what He wants you to look like when you come out of it. a better person because of the fine tuning. He only wants the best for us.

only the best.

so hang in there... and let me know if there's anything i can do. you know i'm always here.

Thursday, June 1

life as i know it

time is flying by. it's hard to believe it's been 30 days since my last real post. where has the time gone?

turns out it actually has been very busy. from making a 6 hour trip to cazenovia for dinner (of 1 hour) to working long days at the office, to street witnessing, to going to higley, to weekly bible study at our house, to planning a church bbq, (most of which my wife has taken care of!) to worship team, to jetskiing-- and add into that daily life....things are crazy.

and that's just the way i like them. usually. :) i love having people over. i love investing into the Kingdom. i love making surprise trips to caz for my mother-in-law's birthday. i love being able to share my faith with other people. what a privilege! i love jetskiing. i love waterskiing. i love anything on the water, really. summer is here and i love the warm weather (providing there's still a/c around when you want it...) because it means that people are out and about; doing the crazy things that summer brings.

and that's what i'm up to. all the crazy summer things. oh. and while we're on that subject i can't forget to mention that we had an absolutely awesome weekend with some of my favorite people last weekend. jeff, nick, rick, liz, kate and myself all rendevouzed in syracuse for a blast of a time- filled with games, laughter, water sports, shopping, and sunburns. the fact that there are people that love God, who are truly living for the Kingdom in every way, and we get to partner with them--- and even when they go away there's still contact that's kept and fellowship that's enjoyed. that's friendship, my friends. :)

so that's my update. nothing serious to say, nothing profound to write, just an update on me.