The Life Of My Wife

Anybody who thinks a stay-at-home-mom's life is easy is just an idiot. There's really no nice way to say that so I didn't try. Seriously, my wife is the epitome of a Proverbs 31 woman. You know how the Army used to have a recruiting commercial saying "we get more done before 8AM than most people do all day" or something like that? Well I guess that makes my wife more effective than the US Army! In fact, if I didn't need her here, I'm sure I could send her over to Iraq and Afghanistan and the issues would be solved in a matter of days. But alas, her family needs her more right now (selfish I know, but true)

Anyhow, while I've been working on transferring media files and getting ready to go all Mac, working on the next series and 2008 stuff, my wife has been doing the following (just this morning mind you).

First, she teaches school - yep, that's the classroom.

Then she starts the laundry... which the kids can finish folding when they're done with school.

After that, she heads to the kitchen and cooks a bunch of stuff - some for now, some for later (gotta be prepared right)

And then she'll get to make sure the house is picked up before the kids nap, have quiet time and she.....passes out? NO! Before she starts another project I'm sure.

She tells me all the time that it would be easier to go to work than to stay home. I don't argue. I don't fuss. I just agree, fall on my knees and ask her why she chose me! So if your wife stays home with the kids, don't be an idiot...don't ask her "what she does all day?"...don't make stupid comments. Thank her and shut up.

Any Mac Users Out There?

Alright, about 3 weeks ago, we started making the switch to Mac. Let's just say it hasn't been a seemless one, but I'm still optimistic. So here's what I'd like. If you use a Mac for personal or church work, would you share one or two of your favorite tips? I'd be especially interested in tips from people who've moved their church presentation software from Media Shout to Pro Presenter. I can say I'm really digging the whole "spaces" thing with Leopard.

So what can you share?

Too Fast

Ever feel like things are moving too fast? Like it was yesterday when your kid couldn't even walk and now they're beating you in a race? Or you thought 2008 was a ways a way and now it's only 4 weeks out? I'm feeling like that right now.

Most of the time I love the tension that the speed of things brings....I like having to make decisions quick and figure stuff out on the fly, which is good when you do church in a portable space and have to set up each week. But for some reason, today it seems like things are going too fast. I made breakfast with my kids this morning and dang...they're getting old. I'm working on church stuff for 2008 and dang....it's only a month away. We've got another PARTnership class coming up and dang...it's in 4 days.

I'm reminded of this verse and realize that I'm not in control. There, I feel better already.

Just wanted to share this too. Tadd is a church planter about 2.5 hours from here and somehow got hooked up with NBC nightly news and Tom Brokaw. Amazing story and free publicity for a 12 week old church. You can read about it HERE.

Still Stuffed

So now that the pre-Christmas holiday of Thanksgiving is over, I'm ready for Christmas!

Probably noticed that I took the last few days off for Thanksgiving. My brother and his family were here and so were my parents. Had a great time with them all and really enjoyed eating...way too much and a little too often. Oh well, finished up the leftovers last night so no more turkey, stuffing and mashed potatoes for a while.

Do want to mention a few things and people that I'm thankful for (even though it's after Thanksgiving, it's never too late to say thanks!)

• Jesus - he loves me and encourages me when I feel like a failure (and have)
• My wife - I definitely married up....again, thank you Jesus
• My kids - how bored would I be if I didn't have 5 great kids?
• My family - when I look around at all the dysfunction, I realize how blessed I was to grow up with two parents, married to each other, and a brother to fight with over stupid things like who has to haul wood or mow the lawn this week
• Discovery Church - I never knew planting a church could be this good
• Claude and Sheila - don't know if Lora and I would have survived the first year without them
• Davey and Randy - I love the worship atmosphere they create each week
• Todd Wallace and his family - this dude works until 4AM and still comes to church AND stays after with his family EVERY WEEK to help tear down.
• KABC - this is the church I came from and they supported me leaving to start Discovery
• bloglines - I'm constantly challenged by reading blogs about how other pastors are reaching their communities
• Christmas - I look forward to this time more than any other
• A million other little and big things (like more work to do)

Over The River And Through The Woods...

My brother and his wife are driving down here from New Jersey and my parents are up from Florida for Thanksgiving at our house this year.  Lora's parents are still in Florida and her sister is in Ohio (her husband is in Korea) and we'll try and get together with them during Christmas.

Just curious to find out how far people travel for Thanksgiving this year.  Even though we're not going anywhere, we've got family coming from 500 and 700 miles away.  How about you?  How far are you going or how far are people traveling to come to you? 

Off My Chest

Gotta get a few things off my chest before I go to bed...

• Too focused on church today and not focused enough on Jesus
• Hurt my son's feelings by my bad attitude
• Got to play golf after church and started off with a 12 foot drive...it did get better
• Things are definitely more chaotic when Claude and Sheila are gone
• Lora's taking a neonatal resuscitation test for her job tomorrow - she hates tests
• I've got two weeks off of speaking - Dusty is finishing out this series
• Tear down today was awful...had to get to golf and left the place a mess
• Davey might just be my new hero...I think he finished packing up everything after church
• Collected about 60 boxes for Operation Christmas Child
• Our snack at our small group tonight was Dominoes Pizza!
• Had fun playing golf with my dad
• Almost fell asleep praying with Lora when she went to bed
• I'm tired
• Don't know if it was a good idea to watch UFC last night, but it was for Tyler's birthday so who cares?
• I love coming home to my house, my wife and my kids
• I'm excited about how we're kicking off 2008
• The lights in the service this morning looked great (good job Brad)
  
• Really liked going old-school with the hymns this week, next week should be fun...90's worship music
• My new water heater's working great
• It's almost Thanksgiving (and it was mid-70's today in NC)
• Looking forward to seeing my brother and his family in a few days
• I'm tired, gotta go to bed

Tyler's Birthday

Got a quick appointment with someone this morning and then it's Tyler's day all day. Can't believe he's already 11. Time's going way too fast. We'll have our traditional birthday breakfast, give him his gifts and then he wants to go fishing so we'll do that most of the day. He's got a few folks coming over later tonight then for games and a movie and then (he doesn't know this yet) but I think I'll take him to the UFC pay-per-view and we'll watch it at Claude's (he's out of town anyway so he won't mind). Man if I were a boy turning 11, that'd be close to my dream day (that and a puppy, but that's not happening so keep dreaming). Gotta jet.

Happy Birthday Tyler! Guess what? Your Daddy loves you.

Free Food

In about an hour Lora and I and Davey and Janelle are going to be treated to dinner by some folks from Discovery as their way of appreciating their pastors. It's the first time we've been able to match schedules since before Oct. Claude and Sheila were invited too, but Claude had to go to FL with his job so....more food for me!

I'm quite confident I speak for most if not all pastors...we love being asked over or out for dinner. And it's doubly cool when you plan for someone to watch and feed our kids so we can actually engage and enjoy dinner and a conversation without one of our offspring pulling on our legs or chewing on our fingers. So invite your pastor and his wife to dinner sometime. SOON.

Happy Feet

Don't know if the video from my phone can convey the cuteness of a 16 month old "dancing" (moving her feet really fast) but I'm posting it anyway. It's my little happy-footed Hannah.

It's Worth It

One of the things I love about church planting is watching people who used to be far from God, grow. It's an amazing thing to see. People who used to be self-centered are now all about things like Second Saturday Service or filling up shoe boxes for Operation Christmas Child. People who didn't own a Bible now reading it regularly and asking questions because they want to understand deeper truths. People who wouldn't be seen in church now inviting some of their very same friends who "wouldn't be seen in church." It's great.

One other thing that's cool is watching people pitch in and help without being asked. At the Lord's Supper Wednesday we had people come early to set up, even more to help break everything down and one who snapped off a few pictures and already gave them to me. It might seem like a little thing, but I don't take it for granted. I'm so thankful that I don't have to beg people to help.

Lord's Supper

You can call me Jas or you can call me Bill or you can even call me Alice, but whatever you do don't call me Late For Supper! Lord's Supper tonight at the BCM on the campus of ECU (next to Wendy's on 10th St). We seat and serve at 6:30 and are expecting a packed house. Even if you didn't RSVP, you can still come, just be sure to bring a side dish or dessert of some kind. See you there.

One Reason We Homeschool

I've been asked many times why we choose to homeschool our 5 kids. The long and short of it is we just like our kids and want to spend as much time with them before they're gone as possible. Sure there are other reasons, but for us that's honestly the main one right now. We just don't want to miss out on stuff and want to be there when they need correction (not somebody else who may not see things the same way)

Case in point. Found this on an actual homework assignment (although Lora already filed away the assignment so I had to have Tanner recreate it). Since Lora is still orientating to the hospital, she's been working at least 2 days a week and I'm not prepared or good enough to get my stuff done and teach 4 out of five kids. That's why we have a couple different people help out on the days Lora works. There's a sweet 20 year old neighbor girl who was homeschooled her whole life who helps out...that's the "alien" my little buddy is referring to on his homework.

If I sent my kids to school, I'd miss out on opportunities like this where I get to laugh and correct but ultimately connect with what is going on in my kid's brain. It's just one more reason we choose to homeschool. (btw - he was just amusing himself and forgot he put it where everyone could see it. He wasn't trying to be mean since he actually likes her)

Before I Forget

As I was reading my Bible this morning, I was reminded of a dream I had right before I woke up so I just finished reading (I'll journal in a little bit) and wanted to share it before I forgot.  Now before I say what it is, I want to say I find it interesting, but I don't necessarily find it prophetic.

I dreamt that I was walking through Discovery Church's new building!  It was pretty vivid actually, but since a picture (or dream) is worth 1,000s of words, I'll never do it justice.  It seemed like it was in a business area with a lot of foot traffic.  There was a huge welcoming all glass front where you could see inside the entire lobby area - seemed like that alone was 5,000 square feet with 30 foot ceilings, stairs leading to another level, lots of color and images of people and different ministry areas.

I was actually giving someone a tour of the place as it was being renovated/built and explaining how we were going to use the space.  The only mini-bummer was that Lora woke me before she left for work and I never got to any of the rooms or the worship area so I don't know what it looked like!  But still, when I remembered what I was dreaming about a bit ago, I was encouraged to say the least.

Who knows if it will come to anything, but I don't really care about that.  What encourages me more than anything is 1.) I remembered a dream (that rarely happens for me) and 2.) I dreamt about us, what God might do through us, Discovery Church.  And when I read in Ezekiel 39:27 that God plans to show himself holy through his people, people he's brought back from their enemies, that's what made me smile.

Keep praying Discovery.  Keep loving people.  Keep making friends and inviting them.  We can't do much more than that, but God will show himself holy through his people!

Water Heater Update

I called a few places this morning asking about recommendation for a tankless system, did a little more internet research, called Greenville Utilities to see if they had any "special offers (never know), and then couldn't take it so went to Home Depot, Lowes and Sears to look at regular old water heaters. Guess what? There is only 1 water heater available to me (for LP gas). Yep, one.

Nothings gonna get fixed until Monday now (that's what it looks like) and I found out that this is one of those things that's gonna cost $250 - $350 just for install. And I'm not messing with gas by myself so I guess I need to pay the going rate. Merry Christmas to me.

Not What I Needed

Our family of 7 used to have an extra freezer. It allowed my amazing wife to cook in bulk and store stuff for later (quicker) use and had us always prepared for the ever-present additional guests. Well, months ago it pooped out and we hadn't done anything to replace it. Until now.

My parents graciously offered to front us a little Christmas gift so we could get a freezer before Thanksgiving (since we're hosting my parents, my bro and his family, and who knows who else). Anyhow, freezer came yesterday and when I open up our nice little storage room on the side of the house to move it in, I notice there is water all over the floor. Odd, except for the fact that our water heater is in there.

Long story short, I discovered I have a 16 year old leaking water heater and need to replace it ASAP. So I have a choice to make. Do we spend more and install a on-demand tankless water heater or just go with the conventional tank (but spend more in energy in the long run having to keep the tank heated)? Arrgghhh, this is not what I needed today.

And somethings up with Lora and me and I don't like that either. Haven't gotten to the bottom of it, but I'm guessing I've probably messed up somewhere and don't even realize it. Don't need that right now either. I hate it when we have an argument (thank God it doesn't happen often or last long)

I could use your prayers (and for those living around here, if I don't get this water stuff solved soon, I may need to use your shower!)

Christmas Time

Last year as a new church, we were able to collect over 100 shoeboxes filled with everything from toothbrushes to toys for kids who have next to nothing. It's part of Operation Christmas Child and one of our PARTners actually got to help hand out the gifts in Africa while she was on a mission trip there. If you don't know what it is, just click the link above.

Here's what I'd love to see. I'd love to see Discovery (not even 2 years old yet) collect 200 boxes this year. I also know that is a tall order. We're late getting the word out and we don't have our Christmas Box "Champion" (Tara Dixon) here to help cheer everyone on. But still, let's do all we can to make a difference in the lives of 200 kids this year. All it takes is a little time, effort and investment. Just follow these instructions, print off this label and bring back your box by Nov 19th.

Sexual Thoughts

Still hearing a lot of comments about the message this week.  I'm always encouraged when I can stir up a bunch of discussion, especially when it's centered around what the Bible has to say about it.  That's been the case this week.

For those that don't know, this past week in our Will It Blend? series we were looking at sex, nudity, adultery, casual sex and the like.  It's not often I push the podcast here on my blog, but when I hear a dad tell his son (who missed the message because he was helping somewhere else) that it's mandatory listening for him, I get excited and think others might like it too, so check it out over at the website.

I have a confession to make.  I don't know about other speakers, but I speak from more of an outline than a manuscript, which means I don't always know what I'm going to say or how I'm going to say it, I just know what point I want to make or what story I might want to tell.  Well this week, the best illustration was just given to me AFTER I started speaking.  

Again, you'll have to listen to the message to really appreciate it, but I know it worked because I was with a family earlier and one of the kids was in "big church" and the parent got tied up for most of the service and was a bit concerned that her kid heard all about sex.  So I asked the kid to share what they heard and they nailed it...."the best place for sex is "on the playground" (in marriage) and if you play before you get to the playground, you miss out on all the good stuff and end up feeling less than satisfied (sex before marriage) and if you're on the playground and leave to play somewhere else you ruin it for everybody (adultery)"  Like I said, check out the podcast.  I'm going to bed....think I'll make a trip to the playground tomorrow!  

I don't mean to embarrass you Lora, but we have 5 kids!  People can tell we've already been to the playground quite a few times.

Pictures Are In

I said I'd post a few pictures from our PARTnership Party last week and finally got a few. Like I said, we had a great time. There are more pictures in the gallery online and if you'd like to see them you can by clicking HERE.

Forced to Be Creative

In a few hours, I'll sit down with about 8 other people to pray through and plan a lot of 2008 speaking series. I'm feeling an enormous amount of tension and pressure right now because this is happening so late this year. It's November already. And as Claude pointed out yesterday, even 2010 doesn't seem so far away anymore.

I'm a little concerned that we only have tonight and tomorrow set aside for planning, but I'm excited that we've got some new blood and faces that are going to be part of the process. I'm confident that the people coming are tuned into the community we live in and I'm sure that this whole process will be beneficial. I'm just asking you guys to pray for us and ask God to make sure we're seeking to please him and not men (especially when we have a 'time limit') Thanks.

Brain Dump

I really intended (and still do) to put a few pictures on here from the PARTnership party, but I've come to the realization that I have some other things that NEED to get done first.

First, I need to learn how to prioritize better. I admit, I still have a problem with that whole "prioritization" thing. I took Wednesday off (like I planned) and took the boys fishing (after changing a flat tire and forgetting to teach them how to do it...missed opportunity). Still, I've got a huge list of things that need to be done around the house, piles of things to go through and then there's the whole ministry part because I'm a pastor.

Some days I love the leadership part of being a pastor and other days I wish I could just be a pastor and not think about leadership stuff. It's a tough thing to balance, at least for me. Lora's working today which has me needing to be home because the sitter could only stick around until 1:30. I've got tons to do but 5 awesome kids that in about an hour will be begging for me to play with them. How do you pass that up? Seriously. My oldest is almost 11 - over half way to leaving. They're here for such a short time. I try to err on the family side whenever I can. I don't always, but man I love my kids and once they leave home I want to be sure they still love me and more importantly, they love the Lord and don't resent him for "taking their dad away."