Looking Ahead

Even though we've just started our iLife series, we're already looking ahead and getting things ready for our next series. I think one of the most talked about series we've done so far is when we did Family Feud and talked about our family relationships. I still remember the main point from Ephesians 5:21 - "It's not who you're submitting 2 it's who you're submitting 4" and we used a 2x4 to help people remember it. I had so much fun inviting people up on stage to play Family Feud and I think the people really enjoyed it too (considering they've been asking for another game show series for more than a year now). Remember this....?

The Parents

The Kids

The Set

So, just to let you know, when the end of February rolls around, we will be doing another game show and asking people to "Come on down...." and compete for prizes as part of a series we're going to be doing on Money: how to walk away a winner. Should be lots of fun. Start thinking now about what games we might be playing from the show.

Second Saturday Service

Yep, time for Second Saturday Service again at Discovery Church. I love these S3 projects. We do everything from $1 car washes where we give people $1 and wash their car to picking up trash along the highway or raking leaves in neighborhoods. We were going to be handing out free hot cocoa, but it's not exactly winter weather so we've changed plans. We did this project before and it was weird for some people at first, but it's easy to get into and the people we bless love it. So if you want to take part, make sure you're up at the Boys and Girls Club by 9:30AM this Saturday.

Here's a hint...

I Got Flowers

Look who stopped by to give me flowers....Randy! He's Ella's dad and his wife Laci was over at my house watching my kids when he dropped these pretty little things off. Now before you start thinking there's something funny going on and go spreading some nasty rumors, Randy gave the flowers to me, but they weren't FOR me. They were a nice little surprise for his wife - some "Just Because" flowers. Way to go Randy, major deposit in the marriage account.

Don't Know What It Is

Is anybody else like me? Do you sometimes find yourself feeling "off" but you don't really know what it is? It's not like I'm mad at anyone, frustrated about anything, stressed over stuff - my marriage is strong, kids are healthy, church is still growing (a bit slow for me, but still growing). So what is it? Why am I just "not feeling it"? Ever been there before? Any ideas? Suggestions?

Planned Absences

One of the things we're doing with the staff this year is planning to when we're going to be gone. Over the past couple of years while trying to get Discovery Church going I think we've actually spent too much time at church and on church and not enough time on God and getting away to just be with Him. So when we meet for our staff meeting tomorrow, we'll nail down all the times each of us will be getting away - not to plan, not to work, but to listen. I'm convinced that God wants to do more than I've allowed Him to do here and it's because I haven't slowed down enough to really listen.

If you're feeling stressed out, overworked and overburdened, it might seem counter-intuitive, but schedule some time away where you don't regroup, reprioritize or even recharge so you can come back and do whatever it is you do even harder. Just get away, and relax. Unplug, unwind and sit still and listen.

And if you hang around Discovery, don't be surprised if you don't see me, Claude or Davey as much this year.

Mouse In The House

New Year's Eve was fun. Had about 30 or so people over and we played games, ate snacks and then prayed in the new year together. Most people had left by 1AM, but Davey and Janelle stayed and we talked until almost 3AM. As they were leaving, Janelle noticed something moving and said, "Do you want me to help you catch your mouse?" Apparently she thought we had a pet mouse to go with our ferret, ball python and bearded dragon. Only one problem - we don't!

So at 2:48AM on New Year's Day (technically) we set out to catch a mouse. It was under the piano and we couldn't get to it so I woke up Tyler and asked him to grab his snake figuring snakes eat mice right? So we haul out Samson the mouse killing snake and put him down at the last known address of the mouse invader. Small problem (or should I say big) - Samson is no longer a little snake. He's kinda fat and can't fit under the piano anymore. Ok, move the piano.

We move the piano and the mouse runs, jumps over Janelle's foot and makes a lap around my living room and realizes all the doors are closed, so it hides under the couch. I get Janelle a basket and Tyler a cooking lid to trap the mouse under (didn't want to squash it on the carpet so figured we'd catch it). We move the couch and it takes off again, squeaking out "can't catch me" as he runs around my living room. It runs onto the hardwood floor which is exactly when Tyler decides to try and capture it. He slams his tin lid down so hard it sounded like a cymbal crash and he woke up our house guests. Good morning everyone, it's 3AM.
Janelle finally corners and captures it under her bucket, I slide something under it and carry it into the boys room to drop the little menace into the snake cage and let it reap it's reward for taunting us. I sneak in, trying not to wake the other two boys. As I attempt to dump the mouse into Samson's lair, I watch him do a spinning, one-armed back flip off the edge of the bucket and land outside the cage! Now the mouse is loose in their room. Good thing we closed the door. Now me, Tyler, Davey and Janelle, grab the flashlights and start looking under and around stuff. When we can't see it, we finally turn on the light and start tearing the room apart, taking drawers out, unloading the closet, moving dressers. We see it move in the closet so focus our attention there. I know right where it is, but when I move the last bit of cover it has, it leaps something like 13 feet up and runs around the room behind another dresser.

Tanner is now up but we think we've got it cornered so everyone takes their places with some kind of containment device like a garbage can, bucket or lid. It's been 40 minutes and I'm ready to give this rodent as a treat to Samson. Heck at this point if we could catch it, I'd cover the stupid thing in chocolate if Samson wanted me too. We scare it out and Janelle's lightning fast reflexes put her bucket into motion and she traps the midnight scavenger. Victory is ours and to the victor go the spoils so we grab Samson and let him visit with our prisoner of war and then we let him eat the vanquished foe. Satisfaction and victory is mine.

The next morning, Chandler wakes up, knocks on my door and asks me - "Daddy, what happened to my room last night? It's messy" He slept through the whole thing.

Random Thoughts

Just needed to get a bunch of random thoughts out of my head and into yours!

• The holidays aren't over yet! Even though my in-laws just left this morning, I've got to pick up a friend at the airport in a little over an hour, some other friends from Florida just arrived last night, and more friends from Knoxville will be here later today. 'Tis the season
• Jerry Coyle brought his karaoke stuff over on New Years Eve and left it here. I'm having a little bit too much fun with it.
• My in-laws bought the kids (family) a Wii for Christmas. I'm having a little bit too much fun with that too.
• Dang it's cold out this morning. Ice on all the water I saw and the wind makes it worse.
• My desk is a mess (but that's normal I guess).
• It's 2008! This year is going to be incredible.
• I love having 5 kids. Never a dull moment.
• About 3AM on New Years night (or day I guess) Davey and Janelle were still here and helped me catch a stinkin' mouse in my house! I'll post about that later (with pictures!)
• Lora wasn't happy that we were tearing the house up hunting for a mouse at 3AM.
• Chandler slept through it - and we were in his room!!!
• I don't really play video games, but I've already made it through ever level in one of the shooter games. Wiiiiiiiiiiiii
• Revised giving numbers for 12/30 were almost double what we normally receive.
• I'm stoked about our next series - iLife starting
• Got some noise-cancelling headphones for Christmas. I'm gonna be loving that with my iPod
• Lora's birthday was yesterday. I goofed. I guess when she said she didn't want to celebrate her birthday Jan 1st it DIDN'T mean not celebrate, it just meant no gifts. Oooh, that darned miscommunication.
• Hurting people are coming to Discovery and looking for and finding help. That's cool.
• It's been a really weird schedule the past couple weeks - lots of odd hours for getting stuff done.
• It was really cool to look over the whole past year at Discovery on Sunday. It seems like some of our teaching really did stick since people remembered some of it months later.
• I don't like reheated pizza rolls, but I'll eat 'em if I'm hungry
• I haven't blogged much the past two weeks
• My house is doing pretty well for all the people that have been in it and through it over the holidays
• I'm chilled and that's not good. It takes me a while to warm up when I get chilled. Wish I didn't have to go outside again.