The Power of the Gospel

Michele's dad has a neighbor who is dying and we know someone in the family also is facing death.

There was a bit of crying by Michele this morning with the wave of sadness, but we both took time to write a letter as a source of hope for the neighbor. We met him briefly and have been praying for them this past summer.

This is an excerpt of our letter we asked to be read to him:
(For privacy, I've excluded any personal notes)

When someone is facing death, it's difficult to find words of comfort, but I'm glad Michele and I can quickly turn to share the message of life beyond the grave with people. A world without God facing death is a world very uncomfortable sharing comfort. I think that's the firmest reason why I know I was compelled at an early age to rest my faith, life and future in a Nazarene dying on the cross: the hope beyond the grave. There is VICTORY, and HOPE beyond death.

Thank you God!


"It was told, a young, successful man was vacationing in a remote exotic location and decided to hire a tour guide. Villagers recommended this mild-mannered and humble old man as a guide.

During the course of the tour, the two men got into a conversation about life, and the young man arrogantly asked the older man about his education. The old man replied, he had none.

The young man, “Mister, if you didn’t get educated, you’re already missing out some of life.”

The old man smiled and replied, “Maybe.”

The young man pressed the issue, “Education is important. I’m afraid you’ll miss out already on 25% of your life. What about money? You have any investments?”

The old man smiled, “No. Just a simple hut, and what I have.”

The young man laughed, “No education? No investments! We’re talking about you missing 50% of life!”

The conversation pressed further with the young man asking, “Well, you surely must be famous or have some prestige here?”

The old man again replied with a warm smile, “No, I’m pretty much as you would say, ‘What you see is what you get’ “.

The young man began to seeth, “I have an Ivy education, I have money and investments that can buy you a fleet of boats and I’m known in the corporate world. Mister, you better get moving because you are missing close to 75% of your life!”

It was just then the conversation distracted the river route for the old man, and then the old man stared in horror of what was ahead: a waterfall.

The old man yelled, “Jump and swim to shore! We’re going over a waterfall!”

The young man stood in the boat frozen, “I can’t swim!”

The old man jumped into the river..swimming for shore, “Young man, you’re going to miss out on 100% of your life now!”

**

There is a point to this story. Life has so many layers, and in this world we are told what life is about.

It wasn’t until I was about in junior high when twice I was close to death that I gave serious consideration to what life is about.

I spent a lot of time reaching for the many things, but the one thing I am fortunate to have is the only thing that matters: Jesus.

The Bible says God knows our hearts. He knows we were meant for ONE THING. It’s not money, power, or fame. It’s for God.

Scripture says in Jeremiah, “I have loved thee with an everlasting love…”

King David in the Psalms said, “ONE THING (ONE THING) I desire is dwell in the house of the Lord.”

The ONE thing that we all must have, and ask for is Jesus. We might miss out on a lot of things in life but we must not miss out on is Jesus.

Jesus said, “I am the WAY, the TRUTH, and the LIFE.”

Why Jesus?

Jesus didn’t come for anything but one THING: to bring us back to God. Jesus opened a way back to God because He died for our sins. His sacrifice alone opened the door back to God because He took our place at the cross.

It was at the cross – our guilt, our sins, our shame, and our sorrows was washed away in the precious blood of Christ. That blood makes everything new again.

Just ask as in Romans 10:8 says: …The word is near you…in your mouth, and in your heart.” All you have to do is ask Jesus to come into your heart. He’s just a prayer away and it doesn’t have to be special – it’s like talking to a friend. Just be yourself when you talk to God. Be honest and open, God will not turn away a sincere heart.

If you have Jesus you have everything – it’s the one thing that doesn’t change through time.

Romans 8:31 What shall we say to these things, if God be for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son, but delivered Him for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things.”

I remembered when I sat back and asked myself during a great trial and asked what do I have in Jesus? I found out I have everything in Him!"

24 - Why I am Addicted

When I hear that countdown timer sound.... - deet deet det deeet deeet .....

Ah, yes. My guilty pleasure is Fox's wildly successful, white-knuckle, heart-attack series '24' starring K. Sutherland.
My friend Corey and I would watch it after several shows are stored up on his TIVO, but now I have a bunch of people coming over to join my 'drug habit' of 24.

I had to think about a top 10 list of why I loved the show so much.

#1: Jack is a stud. You don't mess with him and he does WHATEVER IT TAKES. Bite ya and do the Hannibal gig, or shoot a colleague to keep the mission going. Yet under all this machismo, there is a nobility about him that questions his own morality and understand the need of sacrifice.

#2 Interesting characters. You have characters on the show that touches every emotion. Hatred, love, exasperation, admiration. There's one episode when my friend and I went, "That crazy dog of a woman died! FINALLY!"

#3 Every hour is No-Doz dropped into a can of mountain dew. One friend described it as, "I can't go to bed after the show." Intense.

#4 Nothing is untouchable - except Jack (but we know that because his contract is renewed. Presidents have been killed, nice couples blown up, even Frodo's best friend Sam died in a gas cloud. Yes, there's no Bobby Ewing dreams here - you're dead. No contract renewals. No explanation. You're gone. Buh-bye!

#5 The show reflects society's desire for moral clarity and a deep need for heroes.

#6 Great original formula. Finally, a bunch of writers who wrote a soap opera for men. Each episode links to the next and you watch two episodes it's like a Lays potato chip: you can't eat one!

#7 It's a boy's dream: guns, explosions, bullets and flat-out WWF fighting to the max.

#8 Jack Bauer (again - hello! That's why they renewed his contract!!!) I've replayed Jack on TIVO JUST TO SEE AGAIN when he just marches into a hostage situation and then just does exactly what he said he would do: he's going to take down the bad guys. Few James Bond moves and determined gun fire; the baddies are gone. There's not a guy on earth who doesn't like a guy who 'GETS THE JOB DONE'

#9 Justice. Every turncoat, Benedict Arnold, or weasel get his just rewards.

#10 Great lines. There's enough one-liners to write a book. We men speak simple and brief.

Wedding Plans - dum da da dum!

Holy Smokes! 80 days before our wedding! NOW the RANDOM THOUGHTS ABOUND!

I was agonizing about it in 2006, but right now I'm nervous. There are still some things to do - small things, but the majority of things are almost done.

I have mellowed, and am pretty hard to get phased. I have been in the pressure cooker and have managed to learn from life that being cooler than the other side of the pillow is awesome, but I am also reminded of my engagement - I was sick to my stomach.

It's very difficult to not fall under Michele's spell. I look into her eyes and I'm like spellbound. Her kiss, and her touch is very sweet and fragrant like flowers.

Can't wait to see my SLO buds and get together for our bachelor party: no strippers here, we got a network war game. I cannot wait to send an army against some of my buds and frag 'em. Nothing like friends who don't mind when you just obliterate their buildings and still call you friend.

God's so smart. Abstinence for the Christian makes a marriage something to look forward to. I cannot tell you the running joke among Christian couples who saved themselves: "Please God, if you do send your son for a rapture - let it be AFTER my honeymoon." The world laughs at it, but really the world misses out. Intimacy is a gift.

I hope everything flows well. Michele and I really want our wedding to be a Hollywood movie feel - good times and wonderful memories.

Still wondering what our dance song will be.

I hope no one does anything embarassing at the wedding. We do not have alot of booze, so that cuts the odds down.

What I am thankful for!

Attitude makes a difference - and gratefulness is a key.

You tell yourself life sucks and you will approach your day that way.
Negative thoughts and emotions will suck you dry. Look at the most successful people, they don't complain alot. They are too busy succeeding to spend time complaining!

What I am THANKFUL FOR.

1. I am thankful for my relationship with God
2. I am thankful for a wonderful woman I am engaged to
3. I am thankful for family, friends and the company I work for.
4. I am thankful for my email / SLO buddies !!!
5. I am thankful for my in-laws. They are great - Craig and Louise!!
6. I am thankful for children - Ella and Grant reminded me of their place in the world.
7. I am thankful for a great country to live in.
8. I am thankful I am employed by a wonderful company staffed with great people.
9. I am thankful the snow / winter is ending.
10. I am thankful for my upcoming wedding.
11. I am thankful for good friends in Ray, Tim, Corey, Jack, Mark
12. I am thankful for my old pastor, Tim T and Grace Church (and all the people)
13. I am thankful for good books to read!
14. I am thankful to exercise, walk, and live life.
15. I am thankful for opportunities in this country.
16. I am thankful for people who care: Oprah, the missionary, the counselor, U2 Bono, the boy scout, the helping neighbor.
17. I am thankful for sincere people I know.
18. I am thankful I have a Mac (hee hee).

So type a Thankful List!

Energy Secrets of Mine

I woke up today tired.

After twenty minutes at my six by two home gym, I was jazzed up reving to go. I highly recommend this machine at only $99 - the cost of a three month gym membership.

http://www.amazon.com/Weider-Total-Body-Works-5000/dp/B0000BW6DD/sr=8-2/qid=1171995964/ref=pd_bbs_sr_2/104-0369869-5675115?ie=UTF8&s=sporting-goods

I've been an exercise and dietary junkie for quite some time for good reason. You only have one body, it cannot be replaced until the rapture. So you better take care of it, and it does associate with QUALITY of life.

Getting married in my late thirties made me thankful I took care of myself - so my kids won't school their old man on the court. I want to be strong, and healthy for God, my family and friends.

For those of you have any excuse to not exercise - I don't buy it. At one point in my life I was doing 40hrs of working and 20-30 hrs of ministry and I still kept up on my exercise.

Recently, our church decided to help out the local school district by buying BIGGER desks because the kids were too fat to fit. I thought it was a odd thing...shouldn't the kids be educated about diet and exercise?? Satistically 40% of kids today are overweight and of those 80% will develop type-2 diabetes. ALL preventable with exercise and careful diets.

If there's one thing you can invest in that will return dividends: God, people and your health.

There's also the dividend of smirking to yourself knowing you just schooled someone on the court.

Adventure in babysitting - a sneak peek

Michele and I had an opportunity to go over to her brother's for the weekend and babysit a four year old boy and eleven month girl.

We came back tired and realized having kids at those close of age is extremely demanding, but at the same time for all the hard work there is a joy to parenting.

The challenges: alot of work, not alot of sleep, and the constant demands of younger children. Kids wants to play, bond, learn, explore, and parents constantly have to adjust to this. I think without a doubt that the first three four years are one of the most important foundations emotionally, and relationally for a child.

The rewards: instantly, Michele's niece, Ella melted my heart. There's something wondrous, magical of having a child cradle in your arms and falling asleep. I was sitting in the rocking chair holding this precious cargo and singing her to sleep.

The next morning, I woke up to find her in her cradle giggling, smiling, kicking joyfully at me me.

Children in their innocent pure manner validates us in our souls. They TRUST you. They trust you implicitly 100% and it inspires nobility in us to become unselfish in providing a healthy, moral, loving, and happy environment for them.

Yet upon all this reflection - Michele and I want kids, but we're waiting a year. Building a marriage and getting to know each other is important too. We made a great team, we were tag-teaming watching, playing the kids and swapping to cook meals. I winked at Michele near the end of the weekend, and wrapped my arms around her, "We DO MAKE A GREAT TEAM."

American Idol this

She's only 11.

At that age I just realized I had a brain.

The ONLY two reason why she didn't make it on American Idol?

1) The season would be over before it started: she would win.
2) She's too young at eleven!

Love of wife and furniture

Michele's friends, family and in regards to the both of us; we've been accused of being 'cheap'. Hardly, we're more practical. Both my wife-to-be and I have never bought any new furniture. We scrounged and scraped by modestly being single, but now with our marriage on the horizon we decided to spend on furniture to last. When we buy, we buy things for the best price at the best quality we can afford.

I fell in love with a table that reminded me of woodshop. The table echoed old classic carpentry with this dark walnut color - we found it at Target (yeh of all places). It was handcrafted, and you could see no veneer, this thing was 100% Lord planted grown trees. I wanted the table because I could see it being passed to my grandchildren, but both Michele and I didn't like the chairs that came with it. So, we spent the next few weekends looking at HIGH end, to everything in-between stores.

Finally, we stumbled into World-Market, and I saw THE chair that complimented our table. I pointed to Michele and she doubted me. I tried to convince her with my camera shots of the table THESE CHAIRS would work. She STILL wasn't convinced...and did the MISSISSIPI SHOW ME debate, and I ended up having to buy the chair, and THEN BRINGING IT TO TARGET to see if it would work. I didn't like the idea, it was too much trouble, but out of love...I did it. It was like Peter saying, "Because you said it Lord I will drop the nets down."

That started a tale Michele said, "You can tell our kids what Mom did to Daddy."

1) We purchased the chair (knowing we would have to return it) just to satisfy Michele that the chair would work with the the table. She had, had to see with the table AT TARGET. I can see me wave to the clerk, "We're not buying furniture. we've come to donate it."
2) We dropped off the chair, and Michele wheeled it in, and I parked the car.
3) The chair, worked, but I had to DRAG the chair back out and return it...because we found chairs at Target that arrived THAT DID WORK.
4) World Market decided to close early, I waited in the snow freezing wind for ten minutes banging the the door.
5) Finally returned chair and parked at the West side of Target...to find Michele paid for it all and I had to go back out and park the car on the EAST side of Target to load
6) Target shipping crammed a table, three chairs and a bench into the SUV
7) We arrive home to realize a 112lb beauty and her 'I can't believe this is happening fiancee had to move a 6 foot, 180lb dining table out the SUV in -10 degree weather at night!!!
8) After much sweat, and effort we got the table in, and set the whole thing up.
9) Man, if I couldn't tell you-it looked WAY MORE EXPENSIVE than what we paid for. This was a bargain examining the wood...you couldn't find a cheaper table or find a better quality at Ethan Allen of SOLID WOOD, no veneer dark Walnut wood.
10) Ultimately, I realized with my surrender of my will to go with my fiancee's desire to satisfy her was out of love. It's easy to love when it's easy, but when it gets to you and rubs you wrong, it's TRUE LOVE.

Hope you can drop by and have dinner with us...we'll save a setting.

There's cold, and then there's BITTERLY cold

Overall, I've not been phased by the weather in the Midwest.

Until this weekend.

And I understood why the Weather Channel described cold as
"very cold" and...are you ready for this? BITTERLY cold.

I felt very cold this weekend, but I don't even want to think of BITTERLY COLD.

When Michele and I went shopping at Trader Joe's, I turned around in the parking lot just in time to feel the blast of cold air into my face. It felt like my lungs went ice and in just twenty seconds standing out there, my body tensed up. The shock of minus 25 wind chill just made it extremely hard to breathe. The Columbia winter coat was fine, but the wind hits you like a ton of knives.

The forecast is for BITTER COLD tonight.

NOW I MISS CALIFORNIA WEATHER.

Bears turns to Cubs

Bears lose.

It was a difficult game to root for. It's not like the Patriots - I love rooting against them, or even the Lakers - a former Californian i would root for the Celtics against the Lakers.

This year: I had to root for Chi-town, but I wasn't a fan of the QB. I also rooted a bit for Manning and the Colts because of Tony Dungy, just all around classy coach. But, the Bears lost this game, and it wasn't even even Grossman's fault. The line on the Bears both defensively, and offensively got mauled. The Colts piled more running yardage than anyone would have guessed, and the Colts offensive line grinded out the clock with time of possession.

Sure there were a few take-aways, but it was on both sides. So I considered that evened out.

But the Bears inability to stop the Colts running game, put Grossman in an impossible situation: start an passing arms race with a future Hall of Famer. When the Bears fell behind by more than a TD, I knew Grossman was in trouble.

That's like asking Sri Lanka to start an arms race with the U.S.

The Bears made a good run, and Urlacher on the Bears is clearly my favorite player - but Chicago got nothing to be ashamed of. You made a run into the SuperBowl and just came up a bit short. Try again, and build on what you have because we got something good going on.