I got an email that made me ask "so what?" about insignificant things like my pool. It was about a woman I've never met or even talked to before. Her name's Valerie.
The Story
I found out that Valerie was a woman in her thirties who really believed in Discovery Church and what we're doing here in Greenville, NC. She worked at a hair cutting place and decided to donate her time and all the money she made on Thursdays from 3-8 to Discovery Church. I thought that was extremely nice, but when I found out she had cancer (again) I was more than impressed. We had only recenty started doing pre-launch services at the theater and so I had my kids make some homemade cards and we asked people to sign them and write notes of encouragement to her. We sent one or two every week.
The Rest of The Story
We sent the last note we had on Monday this week. We found on on Wednesday that Valerie had died. As I write this, they just finished up holding a celebration service to remember her life. She leaves a husband and son as well as family and friends. But what totally had me crying was this email I referred to. It came from someone at the church Valerie attended and they mentioned that Valerie had requested that instead of flowers, people make donations to Discovery Church! We'd never met and here she was continuing to bless us even in death. I can only pray that she will meet in Heaven, some of the people we reach because of her prayers, sacrifice and servant's attitude.
Thank you Valerie for modeling the self-less love of Christ. I'll see you when I get there.
Saturday, May 27, 2006
Friday, May 26, 2006
Start The Day
So last night, my daughter woke me up around 2AM because she was fussing/crying. So I get out of bed and go stand outside of her door to listen, but I don't hear anything else. I figure it was just a bad dream or something and go back to bed. When she gets up this morning, I find out why she was fussing (for a whole 20 seconds) - she had thrown up on her sheets, pillow, blankets, PJ's and bed. The good news is she was and is feeling just fine. The bad news (for me) is tha I had to clean it up. Not the way you want to start your day.
Pool
So on to better things. I try to take Wed as my day off and since we had someone give us a pool, I've been excited about getting this thing in the ground and set up so that I can build a deck around it and then have a place to relax. My dad came and helped on Wed and we got it pretty close to ready for water. Here's a few pictures.
I'm not the quickest with a tractor and front end loader...in fact it "only" took me about 6 hours to level out a 24 foot circle. Then we had to hand set the footings for the pool before we could put up the walls.
That trench in the middle is the drain which I realized afterwards hooks up to the pump (so I put the drain about 8 feet too far to the right) Oh well, at least I can make the PVC reach and shouldn't have a problem. Amateurs.
I did find out before hand though that you needed sand and needed to spread it out and level it before you put the liner on so I'm glad we didn't need to throw the sand in from the outside. I'm sure I'll know a lot more too if I ever have to do this again.
Then we hung and stretched the liner. This is the part that scares me. If there's a hole or problem with this, well, let's just say I won't be a happy swimmer.
So that's my day off, and how my morning started today. At least I know that things can only get better.
Pool
So on to better things. I try to take Wed as my day off and since we had someone give us a pool, I've been excited about getting this thing in the ground and set up so that I can build a deck around it and then have a place to relax. My dad came and helped on Wed and we got it pretty close to ready for water. Here's a few pictures.
I'm not the quickest with a tractor and front end loader...in fact it "only" took me about 6 hours to level out a 24 foot circle. Then we had to hand set the footings for the pool before we could put up the walls.
That trench in the middle is the drain which I realized afterwards hooks up to the pump (so I put the drain about 8 feet too far to the right) Oh well, at least I can make the PVC reach and shouldn't have a problem. Amateurs.
I did find out before hand though that you needed sand and needed to spread it out and level it before you put the liner on so I'm glad we didn't need to throw the sand in from the outside. I'm sure I'll know a lot more too if I ever have to do this again.
Then we hung and stretched the liner. This is the part that scares me. If there's a hole or problem with this, well, let's just say I won't be a happy swimmer.
So that's my day off, and how my morning started today. At least I know that things can only get better.
Tuesday, May 23, 2006
I'm Not Good At This
In case you couldn't tell, I haven't figured out how to really be consistent in my blogging. I've got a lot I think about and a lot I'd like to write, but sometimes I'm just not near a computer when it happens. I guess I'll just have to set aside a little time for this each day, because it does sometimes help me clarify thoughts.
And another thing
Here's another thing I'm not good at...driving a front-end loader. I'm trying to get this pool I was given actually in the ground and functional and I had to move dirt. Pretty simple right? Well did I mention that I need to leave the dirt I don't move level? I got the circle all cleaned out and pretty level (I thought) and then it rained, and rained and rained. Let's just say I found out where the low spots were (the big 'puddles' of water). The best part is that when I tried to 'fix' it with the man-toy (tractor for you women), I made a bigger mess and almost got stuck in the mud. I hope this thing works out.
One more
I'm not good at getting to bed on time either. I love to sleep - it feels good to be rested. I think I'm one of those guys that requires more than the standard 8 hours though. So when I need to get up around 6 AM and I only went to sleep around 11PM - I'm still a little tired. Now I know some people who can do 2-4 hours of sleep and be just fine, I'm just not them. And here I am typing at 12:30 in the middle of the night when I should be sleeping. So what have I learned? That it's time to say 'good night'.
Good night.
And another thing
Here's another thing I'm not good at...driving a front-end loader. I'm trying to get this pool I was given actually in the ground and functional and I had to move dirt. Pretty simple right? Well did I mention that I need to leave the dirt I don't move level? I got the circle all cleaned out and pretty level (I thought) and then it rained, and rained and rained. Let's just say I found out where the low spots were (the big 'puddles' of water). The best part is that when I tried to 'fix' it with the man-toy (tractor for you women), I made a bigger mess and almost got stuck in the mud. I hope this thing works out.
One more
I'm not good at getting to bed on time either. I love to sleep - it feels good to be rested. I think I'm one of those guys that requires more than the standard 8 hours though. So when I need to get up around 6 AM and I only went to sleep around 11PM - I'm still a little tired. Now I know some people who can do 2-4 hours of sleep and be just fine, I'm just not them. And here I am typing at 12:30 in the middle of the night when I should be sleeping. So what have I learned? That it's time to say 'good night'.
Good night.
Monday, May 15, 2006
One Of Those Days
I Hate It When That Happens
Today, Lora was helping out one of our friends and church members. She had a tough draw - go to Raleigh as a 'model' so this girl could take her state skin care exam. That meant my wife got a free facial and I got the kids. Now normally, I have a great time with my kids, but today was another story. I think half of it was me and the other half them, but either way, we annoyed each other....A LOT. Let's just leave it at that before I get annoyed again. She finally got home and I was in such a sourpuss mood that I practically begged her to take the kids and go to the grocery store. She took two and left me with the other two. They look so different when they're sleeping...so harmless....so perfect.
Sunday Morning
It was already after 10AM yesterday and I was beginning to think that we'd hit a new low for attendance because it was raining, no pouring rain, outside. We were down a few regulars in the band and so I was playing this week and I was pleasantly suprised to look out and notice that we had a pretty good crowd. In fact, we had just under 110 yesterday and they all came out in thepouring rain. We met them at their cars of course with umbrellas, but what a gross day to get up to. The reward was sweet though....a beautiful sunny afternoon.
We got the boys all dressed up and had Sarah and Lora get pretty and then drove to New Bern to take some pictures. We got there and I realized I'd exchanged my camera for my phone so we didn't have the camera. Kinda hard to take pictures without it. Good thing we were at my parents though, so I borrowed their camera and took some nice photos of my wife and all the kids down by the water. We made dinner and dessert for my wife (and mom) and had a nice time fishing too. All in all it was a good Mother's Day
Today, Lora was helping out one of our friends and church members. She had a tough draw - go to Raleigh as a 'model' so this girl could take her state skin care exam. That meant my wife got a free facial and I got the kids. Now normally, I have a great time with my kids, but today was another story. I think half of it was me and the other half them, but either way, we annoyed each other....A LOT. Let's just leave it at that before I get annoyed again. She finally got home and I was in such a sourpuss mood that I practically begged her to take the kids and go to the grocery store. She took two and left me with the other two. They look so different when they're sleeping...so harmless....so perfect.
Sunday Morning
It was already after 10AM yesterday and I was beginning to think that we'd hit a new low for attendance because it was raining, no pouring rain, outside. We were down a few regulars in the band and so I was playing this week and I was pleasantly suprised to look out and notice that we had a pretty good crowd. In fact, we had just under 110 yesterday and they all came out in thepouring rain. We met them at their cars of course with umbrellas, but what a gross day to get up to. The reward was sweet though....a beautiful sunny afternoon.
We got the boys all dressed up and had Sarah and Lora get pretty and then drove to New Bern to take some pictures. We got there and I realized I'd exchanged my camera for my phone so we didn't have the camera. Kinda hard to take pictures without it. Good thing we were at my parents though, so I borrowed their camera and took some nice photos of my wife and all the kids down by the water. We made dinner and dessert for my wife (and mom) and had a nice time fishing too. All in all it was a good Mother's Day
Monday, May 08, 2006
7th Heaven
I know this is gonna sound goofy, but I have a confession to make. I've watched the TV show 7th Heaven forthe ten years that it's been on TV and moments ago, the final episode aired. I just had to take a second to say that I'm seriously going to miss the show. While Lora and I haven't agreed with many different things on the show, it's been a blessing to us because it initiated some dialogue between us and even our kids. Heck, we're about to have our fifth kid and who knows, maybe we'll end up with a 'lucky' final pregnancy and seven kids of our own. Anyhow, this sappy pastor is gonna miss that TV pastor and his family each Monday night.
Thursday, May 04, 2006
How Can We Serve You?
Dirty Laundry
I was just talking with a guy who's part of the church and he had a great idea that I'm excited to get implemented. He's recently married and had to use the laundromat for a while and recognized an opportunity. He figured it'd be a great place to really meet people's needs in a practical way by paying for their laundry. We figure we'll just load up a laundry card or bring tons of quarters and just show up. When people come in, we'll offer to 'do' their laundry and even help sort and fold if they want. There's plenty of time for conversation and the cost makes it something we can do on a regular basis. I like it.
Brownies
Lora and I have made it part of our mission to meet and greet new people in our neighborhood with a fresh batch of brownies. New people move in or new babies are born and that gives us a reason to drop off some fresh food - who really says no to brownies? Anyhow, I'm thinking we're going to challenge those at the church to begin doing the same thing. We're getting a bunch of boxes of "just add egg and oil" brownie mix an asking people to make brownies and then find someone they can bless in their neighborhood (or a teacher since next week is Teacher Appreciation Week)
Got Gas?
One other one I'm excited to try is a gas buy down. With gas prices so high, any break is a welcome break. Once we find a station that will allow us to do this, we'll pay them a couple hundred dollars and ask them to lower the price of their gas $0.25 a gallon. Then we'll just pump it for people until we've reached our limit. People will like it and the gas station should like the extra walk-in business and exposure, not to mention giving our folks an easy way to bless people.
Your Ideas
I'd be interested in hearing ideas that others have - particularly tried and true ones. There are hundreds of them at Steve Sjogren's site so check it out or email me other suggestions.
I was just talking with a guy who's part of the church and he had a great idea that I'm excited to get implemented. He's recently married and had to use the laundromat for a while and recognized an opportunity. He figured it'd be a great place to really meet people's needs in a practical way by paying for their laundry. We figure we'll just load up a laundry card or bring tons of quarters and just show up. When people come in, we'll offer to 'do' their laundry and even help sort and fold if they want. There's plenty of time for conversation and the cost makes it something we can do on a regular basis. I like it.
Brownies
Lora and I have made it part of our mission to meet and greet new people in our neighborhood with a fresh batch of brownies. New people move in or new babies are born and that gives us a reason to drop off some fresh food - who really says no to brownies? Anyhow, I'm thinking we're going to challenge those at the church to begin doing the same thing. We're getting a bunch of boxes of "just add egg and oil" brownie mix an asking people to make brownies and then find someone they can bless in their neighborhood (or a teacher since next week is Teacher Appreciation Week)
Got Gas?
One other one I'm excited to try is a gas buy down. With gas prices so high, any break is a welcome break. Once we find a station that will allow us to do this, we'll pay them a couple hundred dollars and ask them to lower the price of their gas $0.25 a gallon. Then we'll just pump it for people until we've reached our limit. People will like it and the gas station should like the extra walk-in business and exposure, not to mention giving our folks an easy way to bless people.
Your Ideas
I'd be interested in hearing ideas that others have - particularly tried and true ones. There are hundreds of them at Steve Sjogren's site so check it out or email me other suggestions.
Tuesday, May 02, 2006
Immigration Isn't The Problem
All right, I can't hold it in any longer...all this discussion about there being an immigration problem is driving me nuts. Let me spell it out as simply as I understand it to be.
1. There are people in this country who entered and remain here illegally. They are illegal immigrants.
2. There are people in this country who entered and remain here through legal means. They are legal immigrants.
3. There is a difference between the two.
4. People who knowingly break the law should not expect special treatment because they do it en masse.
5. The problem isn't with people immigrating here. The problem is that some do it illegally and then expect to be rewarded in some way for it (federal/state assistance, funds, healthcare, education, etc)
What To Do
The right thing is often not the most popular thing to do, but obviously, if doing the right thing was popular, we wouldn't have nearly the number of problems we do in all areas of life from education to marriages, from journalism to politics. So what's the right thing to do? Uphold the law. Secure the border to keep people from so easily coming here illegally. Enforce the law for those who happen to make it past the borders and deport them. Don't let people who are here illegally live a 'peaceful, worry-free' life, find them, deport them and provide them with the information they need to enter the country legally. Will it hurt some people's feelings....yep, but that's not the basis of our laws. The pursuit of happiness is a right guaranteed to citizens of the US, not gate-crashers.
Something Positive
On a totally unrelated and positive note, I was doing something downstairs when Tanner said to me "Daddy, will you help me." I don't know why, but in that instant I suddenly realized how quickly my time with them is going by. He's seven and won't always be asking me if I'll help him. There may be times he doesn't even want me around. All I know is I called him out of where he was working and gave him a big hug and kinda lost it. I just really love my kids and am so grateful that the Lord has loaned them to me. They've increased my joy (much more often then they've increased my frustration). What an amazing love.
1. There are people in this country who entered and remain here illegally. They are illegal immigrants.
2. There are people in this country who entered and remain here through legal means. They are legal immigrants.
3. There is a difference between the two.
4. People who knowingly break the law should not expect special treatment because they do it en masse.
5. The problem isn't with people immigrating here. The problem is that some do it illegally and then expect to be rewarded in some way for it (federal/state assistance, funds, healthcare, education, etc)
What To Do
The right thing is often not the most popular thing to do, but obviously, if doing the right thing was popular, we wouldn't have nearly the number of problems we do in all areas of life from education to marriages, from journalism to politics. So what's the right thing to do? Uphold the law. Secure the border to keep people from so easily coming here illegally. Enforce the law for those who happen to make it past the borders and deport them. Don't let people who are here illegally live a 'peaceful, worry-free' life, find them, deport them and provide them with the information they need to enter the country legally. Will it hurt some people's feelings....yep, but that's not the basis of our laws. The pursuit of happiness is a right guaranteed to citizens of the US, not gate-crashers.
Something Positive
On a totally unrelated and positive note, I was doing something downstairs when Tanner said to me "Daddy, will you help me." I don't know why, but in that instant I suddenly realized how quickly my time with them is going by. He's seven and won't always be asking me if I'll help him. There may be times he doesn't even want me around. All I know is I called him out of where he was working and gave him a big hug and kinda lost it. I just really love my kids and am so grateful that the Lord has loaned them to me. They've increased my joy (much more often then they've increased my frustration). What an amazing love.
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