Thursday, June 5, 2008
Oh How I Live This...
Growing more uneasy with every question asked
It seems you're jealous of my interests
And the graven things I've cast
Waking resolutions of twenty years or more
That I would disallow golden cows my favor anymore
Your wishes set in stone, I broke the first of ten
I've cleared this temple out come take your place again
There is only You
There is only You
Tiptoe from an awkward scene
Not fooling anyone
Am I dumb enough to kneel with my accusers
Or brave enough to run
Petty daggers bounce weakly off my back
I'm leaving breathless gods and secrets in my tracks
Your wishes set in stone, I broke the first of ten
I've cleared this temple out come take Your place again
There is only You
There is only You, believe me
There is only You
There is only You
To a thousand generations
Of the faithful man
You will show Your favor Lord
There is only You (Love earth can't replace)
There is only You, believe me (Heaven can't erase)
There is only You (Find me on my penitent face)
There is only You
Saturday, May 31, 2008
No More Tears
Michigan, my home state, I love you.
But...
If I were in charge, you'd get no delegates seated, instead of the half you got. You broke the rules.
Deal with it.
But...
If I were in charge, you'd get no delegates seated, instead of the half you got. You broke the rules.
Deal with it.
Thursday, May 22, 2008
New Year's Day
I don’t like New Year’s resolutions, mostly because I make them, break them, and then never do anything with them. The last time I made New Year’s resolutions, here’s what I resolved to do:
1. Learn to play the guitar. Now this one I really, really tried to do. I paid $200 for 3 months worth of lessons. I actually started to get ok at it, but then I realized I didn’t want to play the guitar, I wanted to be a rock star. I can’t sing (and I didn’t have the money to pay for another 3 months of lessons), so there went that resolution.
2. Lose 25 lbs. The doctor told me that if I did that, I could probably quit using my C-PAP machine and sleep without the mask. Have you seen me lately? I’ve ballooned up quite nicely.
3. I have no clue what the third one was. I know I made three, I know I broke all three, so who cares about the details.
I think the reason that I don’t like the resolutions is that I don’t pick them back up again. I think trying to be healthier will be better for me in the long run, and learning to play the guitar, well, I’ve just always wanted to do that. It sucked when I realized that God hadn’t wired me to play music, but he did give me a love for it. But I think the reason people make those resolutions is because they want to change. They want to be better people in one way or another. I can admire that.
But, what if, we resolved that every day was New Years Day? We’d have the chance to start all over every time we woke up in the morning. If you screwed up on Monday, Tuesday was an opportunity to make it right. Most people I know don’t live like that. They screw up Monday and they walk around the rest of the week worried about what happened. They don’t realize that every day is chance to start all over. One more chance to get back on the track that will lead us to who God created us to be.
Thank you Jesus for second chances.
I believe it's possible
I believe in new beginnings
'Cause I believe in Christmas Day
And Easter morning too
And I'm convinced it's doable
'Cause I believe in second chances
Just the way that I believe in You
- ‘New Year’s Day’, Carolyn Arends.
1. Learn to play the guitar. Now this one I really, really tried to do. I paid $200 for 3 months worth of lessons. I actually started to get ok at it, but then I realized I didn’t want to play the guitar, I wanted to be a rock star. I can’t sing (and I didn’t have the money to pay for another 3 months of lessons), so there went that resolution.
2. Lose 25 lbs. The doctor told me that if I did that, I could probably quit using my C-PAP machine and sleep without the mask. Have you seen me lately? I’ve ballooned up quite nicely.
3. I have no clue what the third one was. I know I made three, I know I broke all three, so who cares about the details.
I think the reason that I don’t like the resolutions is that I don’t pick them back up again. I think trying to be healthier will be better for me in the long run, and learning to play the guitar, well, I’ve just always wanted to do that. It sucked when I realized that God hadn’t wired me to play music, but he did give me a love for it. But I think the reason people make those resolutions is because they want to change. They want to be better people in one way or another. I can admire that.
But, what if, we resolved that every day was New Years Day? We’d have the chance to start all over every time we woke up in the morning. If you screwed up on Monday, Tuesday was an opportunity to make it right. Most people I know don’t live like that. They screw up Monday and they walk around the rest of the week worried about what happened. They don’t realize that every day is chance to start all over. One more chance to get back on the track that will lead us to who God created us to be.
Thank you Jesus for second chances.
I believe it's possible
I believe in new beginnings
'Cause I believe in Christmas Day
And Easter morning too
And I'm convinced it's doable
'Cause I believe in second chances
Just the way that I believe in You
- ‘New Year’s Day’, Carolyn Arends.
How's This for Random?
Ok, I have my iPod on shuffle.
Whatever song comes on next, I will blog about something in my life that has to do with the song that comes on.
And the winner is....
Whatever song comes on next, I will blog about something in my life that has to do with the song that comes on.
And the winner is....
Saturday, May 3, 2008
Friday was the first of our 'Fasting Fridays' at our church. We're spending Fridays specifically praying for our campuses and encouraging people to fast on that day. I decided to fast after dinner on Thursday night until dinner on Friday night.
It's been interesting so far. This is the first time I have ever intentionally given up something in order to focus on God. And so far, it's been pretty easy. That is, until I got hungry.
Thursday night for dinner we had Fazzoli's for the first time, and it was pretty good for drive through Italian food. Samuel and Avery both loved it. I had the Rigatone with Sausage..yummy. And the breadsticks were pretty good, too. So after we got Samuel and Avery down for bed, I went to the pantry as I usually do for a snack before I headed downstairs to watch whatever sport was on and I remembered I was skipping that. Ok, no big deal. There were only minor tummy grumblings, so I ignored them.
Friday morning I got up and got Samuel and Avery breakfast before I headed to the hospital to pray with someone before they went into surgery. I have been getting into the habit of eating breakfast with my kids, so it was a little odd for me to skip breakfast. The kids didn't notice I didn't eat with them, so that made it a little easier to do.
The ride to the hospital was a little different. I had a lot on my mind that morning as I pulled out of the driveway, so I decided to keep the radio off and pray as I drove. I was expecting bells and whistles from God because I hadn't eaten in a couple hours, but nothing. I kept praying anyway. I talked to God about our campuses, my family, my own walk with Jesus. I never heard anything directly from God, but I honestly felt like I was heard, like God was listening. As I got to the hospital, I made my way to where Doug and his family were waiting. We all talked and then they started talking about food and the great places to eat in our area. Great. At this point I'm starting to get a little hungry. And they kept talking and talking about food. And I'm starting to hear my stomach growl. Nice. I bought an orange juice, but that didn't help.
So I get home and it's time for the kids to have lunch. This one is a lot harder, because I have had lunch with my kids almost everyday since we've been here. I had to fight the urge to pick a chip out of the bag or off their plate when they were done. So after that I went downstairs to pray from 12:15 to 12:35 along with the rest of the church...praying is really hard when your stomach won't shut up. It was really, really hard to focus, but I got through it.
Dinner was..shameful. We went to Texas Roadhouse, one of our favorite places to eat (the best one is in Kentucky) and I ate like a pig. Cactus blossom for two? Check! Ribs and steak? Check! Huge baked potato with lots of butter and sour cream? Check!
Somehow I don't think I really fasted.
It's been interesting so far. This is the first time I have ever intentionally given up something in order to focus on God. And so far, it's been pretty easy. That is, until I got hungry.
Thursday night for dinner we had Fazzoli's for the first time, and it was pretty good for drive through Italian food. Samuel and Avery both loved it. I had the Rigatone with Sausage..yummy. And the breadsticks were pretty good, too. So after we got Samuel and Avery down for bed, I went to the pantry as I usually do for a snack before I headed downstairs to watch whatever sport was on and I remembered I was skipping that. Ok, no big deal. There were only minor tummy grumblings, so I ignored them.
Friday morning I got up and got Samuel and Avery breakfast before I headed to the hospital to pray with someone before they went into surgery. I have been getting into the habit of eating breakfast with my kids, so it was a little odd for me to skip breakfast. The kids didn't notice I didn't eat with them, so that made it a little easier to do.
The ride to the hospital was a little different. I had a lot on my mind that morning as I pulled out of the driveway, so I decided to keep the radio off and pray as I drove. I was expecting bells and whistles from God because I hadn't eaten in a couple hours, but nothing. I kept praying anyway. I talked to God about our campuses, my family, my own walk with Jesus. I never heard anything directly from God, but I honestly felt like I was heard, like God was listening. As I got to the hospital, I made my way to where Doug and his family were waiting. We all talked and then they started talking about food and the great places to eat in our area. Great. At this point I'm starting to get a little hungry. And they kept talking and talking about food. And I'm starting to hear my stomach growl. Nice. I bought an orange juice, but that didn't help.
So I get home and it's time for the kids to have lunch. This one is a lot harder, because I have had lunch with my kids almost everyday since we've been here. I had to fight the urge to pick a chip out of the bag or off their plate when they were done. So after that I went downstairs to pray from 12:15 to 12:35 along with the rest of the church...praying is really hard when your stomach won't shut up. It was really, really hard to focus, but I got through it.
Dinner was..shameful. We went to Texas Roadhouse, one of our favorite places to eat (the best one is in Kentucky) and I ate like a pig. Cactus blossom for two? Check! Ribs and steak? Check! Huge baked potato with lots of butter and sour cream? Check!
Somehow I don't think I really fasted.
Thursday, May 1, 2008
Has anybody seen April?
No, not my wife..the month.
Just when I get in a decent blog rythm, I seem to get distracted by something else and lose track of it.
That seems to be the theme of this season of my life - distractions. Everything and everyone seems to be clamoring for my attention. This is really the first time where I am learning to pick and choosing where I put my time and focus. What really sucks is when I think one thing needs to be the focus and it turns out something else needed to be.
I still can't believe that I am a pastor. Pastors listen to church music and southern gospel. I listen to Daughtry and hate southern gospel. With a passion. Real pastors aren't supposed to like Batman, Sci-Fi or anything else that I really like. So how did I get here?
Just when I get in a decent blog rythm, I seem to get distracted by something else and lose track of it.
That seems to be the theme of this season of my life - distractions. Everything and everyone seems to be clamoring for my attention. This is really the first time where I am learning to pick and choosing where I put my time and focus. What really sucks is when I think one thing needs to be the focus and it turns out something else needed to be.
I still can't believe that I am a pastor. Pastors listen to church music and southern gospel. I listen to Daughtry and hate southern gospel. With a passion. Real pastors aren't supposed to like Batman, Sci-Fi or anything else that I really like. So how did I get here?
Friday, March 28, 2008
Friday, March 21, 2008
Thank You
Stay with me awhile.
Well it may seem foolish, but I'm scared
My beloveds yelling "Crucify!"
And its as if no one ever cared.
Soldiers mock me with their songs.
They laugh because I'm naked and I'm weak
Well I don't know how much longer I can go on,
When every breath I take is just to weep.
And for a moment time stood still,
To listen to the King of the hill.
And all the angels just stood still.
To listen to the King of the hill.
Well I could've had servants
And I could have ruled this world as their King.
And I could have had wealth beond measure.
I could have had anything, but it wouldn't have meant anything
Not my will but Yours be done,
I had no agenda, only Your truth.
You were so proud to call me Son,
Now Father, I commit my soul to You.
And for a moment time stood still,
To listen to the King of the hill.
And I can hear You whisper, stil;
Father, I'm the King of the hill,
Father, I'm the King of the hill
Well it may seem foolish, but I'm scared
My beloveds yelling "Crucify!"
And its as if no one ever cared.
Soldiers mock me with their songs.
They laugh because I'm naked and I'm weak
Well I don't know how much longer I can go on,
When every breath I take is just to weep.
And for a moment time stood still,
To listen to the King of the hill.
And all the angels just stood still.
To listen to the King of the hill.
Well I could've had servants
And I could have ruled this world as their King.
And I could have had wealth beond measure.
I could have had anything, but it wouldn't have meant anything
Not my will but Yours be done,
I had no agenda, only Your truth.
You were so proud to call me Son,
Now Father, I commit my soul to You.
And for a moment time stood still,
To listen to the King of the hill.
And I can hear You whisper, stil;
Father, I'm the King of the hill,
Father, I'm the King of the hill
Saturday, March 15, 2008
My 4
4 jobs I have had in my life:
1. Pastor
2. Youth Pastor
3. Fish and Wild game smoker
4. Telemarketer (I am convinced all telemarketers are liars)
Four movies I would watch over and over (or have watched over and over):
I would like to file a formal protest against whoever only let me pick 4!
1. Napoleon Dynamite (You're ruining everyone's lives and eating all our steak!)
2. Donnie Darko (I seriously doubt your commitment to SparkleMotion)
3. Dumb and Dumber (We landed on the moon!)
4. A Walk To Remember (God couldn't find me a new sweater because he was too busy looking for your brain)
Four places I have lived:
1. Kalamazoo, MI
2. Middleville, MI
3. Hastings, MI
4. Ravenna, MI
Four TV shows that I watch:
1. Heroes (curse that writer's strike!)
2. Survivor
3. Big Brother (I WILL be on that show!)
4. Free Radio (Jell-o pudding' pop!)
Four places I have been:
1. Monterrey, Mexico
2. Nashville, Tennesee
3. Orlando, Florida
4. The Minneapolis airport!
Four people who email (or call) me regularly (in no particular order):
1. Tom (my new boss)
2. My mom (gotta keep her in the loop)
3. Discover (they want their money back)
4. Joe (gotta keep up with my big/little bro)
Four of my favorite foods:
1. My mother in law's chili
2. My mother in law's pinto beans (good thing she's visiting this week!)
3. MY lasagna...expensive but the best you'll ever have
4. 'Jamaican Me Crazy' coffee
Four places I would like to be right now:
1. Tennesee
2. North Carolina
3. Kentucky
4. Bed
Four things I am looking forward to this year:
1. The Dark Knight
2. Iron Man
3. The Incredible Hulk
4. Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
Four people who should post four things about them:
1. Ryan
2.
3.
4. Jenny (she'll need something to post here in about 6 months)
1. Pastor
2. Youth Pastor
3. Fish and Wild game smoker
4. Telemarketer (I am convinced all telemarketers are liars)
Four movies I would watch over and over (or have watched over and over):
I would like to file a formal protest against whoever only let me pick 4!
1. Napoleon Dynamite (You're ruining everyone's lives and eating all our steak!)
2. Donnie Darko (I seriously doubt your commitment to SparkleMotion)
3. Dumb and Dumber (We landed on the moon!)
4. A Walk To Remember (God couldn't find me a new sweater because he was too busy looking for your brain)
Four places I have lived:
1. Kalamazoo, MI
2. Middleville, MI
3. Hastings, MI
4. Ravenna, MI
Four TV shows that I watch:
1. Heroes (curse that writer's strike!)
2. Survivor
3. Big Brother (I WILL be on that show!)
4. Free Radio (Jell-o pudding' pop!)
Four places I have been:
1. Monterrey, Mexico
2. Nashville, Tennesee
3. Orlando, Florida
4. The Minneapolis airport!
Four people who email (or call) me regularly (in no particular order):
1. Tom (my new boss)
2. My mom (gotta keep her in the loop)
3. Discover (they want their money back)
4. Joe (gotta keep up with my big/little bro)
Four of my favorite foods:
1. My mother in law's chili
2. My mother in law's pinto beans (good thing she's visiting this week!)
3. MY lasagna...expensive but the best you'll ever have
4. 'Jamaican Me Crazy' coffee
Four places I would like to be right now:
1. Tennesee
2. North Carolina
3. Kentucky
4. Bed
Four things I am looking forward to this year:
1. The Dark Knight
2. Iron Man
3. The Incredible Hulk
4. Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
Four people who should post four things about them:
1. Ryan
2.
3.
4. Jenny (she'll need something to post here in about 6 months)
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
Wednesday, March 5, 2008
I Love Dinner Time
So dinner time rolled around tonight and the family sat together as we always do and Samuel is being, well, himself. He's being funny and inquistive today (when his sister tooted today, he told her the 'Toot Police' were coming to arrest her). So since he was in a good mood, I decided to see if he could handle playing Simon Says. He didn't quite get it, but wanted a turn to be Simon. Here's how it went (mind you, he and I were the only ones playing.)
Samuel: Simon says touch your belly.
(Daddy touches his belly)
Samuel: Simon says touch your nose
(Daddy touches his nose)
Samuel: Simon says....TOOT!
(Daddy leans to one side and rips a pretty good one)
Samuel and Daddy are laughing their heads off, but Mommy is not impressed.
So no more Simon Says, so Samuel moves on to Duck Duck Goose. Around the dinner table. I get to start it off. Mommy is still not impressed I farted on command.
Daddy to Avery: Duck
Daddy to Mommy: Duck
Daddy to Samuel: GOOSE!
He chases me around the table, but I outrun him. So he decided that Mommy should be the goose and he wins. Mommy's turn. She comes right to me and says 'GOOSE' and proceeds to smack me (kinda hard) on the head. I chased her around the table, except 'Goose' took on a whole new meaning.
Samuel: Simon says touch your belly.
(Daddy touches his belly)
Samuel: Simon says touch your nose
(Daddy touches his nose)
Samuel: Simon says....TOOT!
(Daddy leans to one side and rips a pretty good one)
Samuel and Daddy are laughing their heads off, but Mommy is not impressed.
So no more Simon Says, so Samuel moves on to Duck Duck Goose. Around the dinner table. I get to start it off. Mommy is still not impressed I farted on command.
Daddy to Avery: Duck
Daddy to Mommy: Duck
Daddy to Samuel: GOOSE!
He chases me around the table, but I outrun him. So he decided that Mommy should be the goose and he wins. Mommy's turn. She comes right to me and says 'GOOSE' and proceeds to smack me (kinda hard) on the head. I chased her around the table, except 'Goose' took on a whole new meaning.
Thursday, February 21, 2008
Wave Your Hands In The Air...or not.
So we've been here for almost two weeks now and we're all adjusting pretty well. The hardest part I think has been being so far away from everything. If we need to go to Wal-mart, it's a 15-20 minute drive. I'm used to it being 5 minutes. So much for having patience.
It's also been strange getting used to a rural community as opposed to a bigger town. Don't get me wrong, the people have been wonderful so far. However, they are not very expressive in the least. There is a deep faith among the folks at my church, but they don't outwardly express it when they are worshipping. I'm used to being more expressive, but that's just me.
It's also been strange getting used to a rural community as opposed to a bigger town. Don't get me wrong, the people have been wonderful so far. However, they are not very expressive in the least. There is a deep faith among the folks at my church, but they don't outwardly express it when they are worshipping. I'm used to being more expressive, but that's just me.
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
Let's All Point and Stare!
So the bigger church that we are a part of has a dinner every Wednesday night before the mid-week program, so Tom (my new boss) asked us to stop in and have dinner, meet some of the people there and hang out for a little bit.
So we get there and walk in and almost immediately people start to point at us and whisper to each other: 'Is that the new pastor at Moorland?' 'No, his kids are a little older' 'Are you sure?'...stuff like that.
So my lovely wife walks over and says 'Hi, I'm April and this is my husband Jim. He's the new pastor at Moorland.'
I wish I had her nerve. Man do I love her.
So we get there and walk in and almost immediately people start to point at us and whisper to each other: 'Is that the new pastor at Moorland?' 'No, his kids are a little older' 'Are you sure?'...stuff like that.
So my lovely wife walks over and says 'Hi, I'm April and this is my husband Jim. He's the new pastor at Moorland.'
I wish I had her nerve. Man do I love her.
Friday, February 8, 2008
Jim-In-A-Box
Well, we are finally moved in. Boxes litter the landscape of our new home, much like they did the old one. I had anticipated everything being so different (and it is), but so much has stayed the same:
April still gets overwhelmed at the mess
Samuel still wants to watch The Backyardigans
Avery is still my clingy princess
I wonder how I'll stay the same - I wonder how much I'll change. Someone from our new church stopped by this evening and called me 'Pastor'. Such a huge role - I feel a little overwhelmed by it all, and nothing's happened yet.
April still gets overwhelmed at the mess
Samuel still wants to watch The Backyardigans
Avery is still my clingy princess
I wonder how I'll stay the same - I wonder how much I'll change. Someone from our new church stopped by this evening and called me 'Pastor'. Such a huge role - I feel a little overwhelmed by it all, and nothing's happened yet.
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
A cute? Or acute? Either way, it hurt.
So Sunday night I was hanging out with my students and I started getting some stomach cramps. No big deal, I thought. It's just gas and they'll go away on their own. Had the same thing a couple months ago when April and I both got the stomach flu.
So about an hour later the cramps are so bad I can't stand up and there was no way I was driving home. After one particularly bad cramp, April decided I was going to the ER. So I go to the ER and found out it was either appendicitis or kidney stones.
So yesterday morning I had my appendix out. Fun Fun. Not.
So about an hour later the cramps are so bad I can't stand up and there was no way I was driving home. After one particularly bad cramp, April decided I was going to the ER. So I go to the ER and found out it was either appendicitis or kidney stones.
So yesterday morning I had my appendix out. Fun Fun. Not.
Saturday, January 19, 2008
And Now The News..
Ok, so that last post came on December 28th, 3 days before life went crazy.
Long story short:
I got a call from a pastor I know near Muskegeon. His church is what we call a 'multi-site' church; that is, different congregations meet in different areas. His church meets in Muskegeon and they have another congregation in Ravenna, about 15-20 minutes from there in a completely different setting.
Anyway, he called to tell me that they were looking for someone to pastor the church in Ravenna, and wanted to know if I'd be interested in coming to take a look at the church and to hear about what they had going on there.
So we were there on a Tuesday, interviewed there on Saturday and got offered a job on the following Tuesday.
So I am now the Sr. Pastor of the Moorland campus of the Lakes Community Church of the Nazarene.
Here's a look at the inside of the church:
As I look back on the way God has 'broken into' my life, it's always happened quickly and in a way where I have had to be completely dependant on him.
Chalk this up to one of them.
Long story short:
I got a call from a pastor I know near Muskegeon. His church is what we call a 'multi-site' church; that is, different congregations meet in different areas. His church meets in Muskegeon and they have another congregation in Ravenna, about 15-20 minutes from there in a completely different setting.
Anyway, he called to tell me that they were looking for someone to pastor the church in Ravenna, and wanted to know if I'd be interested in coming to take a look at the church and to hear about what they had going on there.
So we were there on a Tuesday, interviewed there on Saturday and got offered a job on the following Tuesday.
So I am now the Sr. Pastor of the Moorland campus of the Lakes Community Church of the Nazarene.
Here's a look at the inside of the church:
As I look back on the way God has 'broken into' my life, it's always happened quickly and in a way where I have had to be completely dependant on him.
Chalk this up to one of them.
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