Vacation

We left yesterday after church and we've already done a bunch of hiking on trails at Starved Rock, did the Root Beer stand in Oglesby and the hotel pool, and today did the Railway Museum in Union. Great time with my wife and the boys. Both excellent opportunities to spend time with them and enjoy their company. Will return after a break with some pics and stories. But vacation is vacation, no blogging.

Boy, Bike, Branch, Boo-Boo

With gas prices every climbing, and summer temps allowing for outdoor exercise again, I have started to ride my bicycle to work whenever possible this summer. Last week I managed to ride a couple of the days and that led to the following true story:

The bicycle ride to wok that morning had been a breeze, quite literally a refreshing quick ride which got me to work in just 9 minutes (a new record), and that boosted my swagger enough to make the decision to ride home for lunch and back again rather than just find lunch close to work. I should have anticipated that the breeze the ride had been to work was not going to repeat itself right up front as it was quite difficult just getting across traffic on the very first street I needed to cross leaving campus. I started down the road then towards home. Very early on there is a park and many of its huge old trees have branches that hang out low over the side of the road and I had in the past successfully ducked them, but this ride turned out to be an exception. As I sat tall in my saddle (and yes, with helmet on) I approached the low branches ahead and a plotted a course that would avoid the worst of them and allow me to duck the others. What I didn't notice this time though was that behind the branches I could see was one more I couldn't. As I cleared what I thought was the last bit of branches, I raised up my head only to be immediately whacked across the side of my face with a vicious blow from a twig (that certainly felt like a log) that knocked my glasses down to my chin and forced me to stop and readjust my helmet, my face, and my pride (as I'm sure the many passing cars got a bit of a laugh watching it all unfold). I was tough though. No branch would wipe me out and so I continued on home and ate lunch, noticing that the branch had messed up the side of my face with a nice long scratch, and then helmeted up and rode back to work, this time successfully navigating the branch. There would be no retribution, no early AM trip to the spot with clippers in the cover of night to exact a revenge under the guise of making it safe for other riders. No, it will simply be left as the story of a boy on his bike, bitten by a branch, boohoo'ing his booboo, and bravely barreling back by, barely batting an eye.

Paved Under

OK. It is finally finished. The pavers are complete. Just need to finish trimming around the area with some top soil and then I'll post some pics. My hands are pretty beat up. But vacation begins on Sunday so they'll get a break!

Gearing Up for a Get-Together

My congregation is gearing up toward a gathering in July. We currently have five different services at two separate locations each weekend. As a "body of Christ" we are often guilty of being a left hand that is unawares what the right hand is up to. July will bring a big voters meeting to discuss and vote on a long range plan and with it, a rare opportunity to all join together in a massive single worship service. It requires a lot of preps to bring such a body together at once and I pray that God will give us the strength to get 'er done!

Teaming with Energy

Much of last evening was spent prepping the ground for our new pavers to go in. This will create a new patio surface for our grill and gives us a paved pathway to the hose spigot, and in general make the back entrance to our backyard look a lot better than it has.
Problem #1 is that much of the area we want to put the pavers in used to be gravel. That means there is a lot of embedded stones that are covered in years of neglected earth (read stuck in the dirt!) and in order to create a level surface for the pavers, we are in the process of derocking the soil. This involves rakes, hoes, forks to loosen and the combing the soil to remove the stones and then collecting those to put into a new raised stone area around the central air unit. In other words, we spent the evening in the dirt picking stones out of dirt piles.
Enter the boys who want to help. Great! (Neither my wife nor I find this particularly enjoyable) Each was armed with a bucket and they despite their young age, picking stones out of loose dirt is right in line with their skill level. Unfortunately, skill level and attention span are two different things so after a bucket load of stones was dumped that was about it for an hour or so till it seemed exciting again. The younger one also realized that it was easier just to go to the stone garden area to get stones than just picking them out of the dirt so he began reversing the process on us before we caught him.
All in all, my older son summed it all up..."this is our family project" he said as he knelt next to me picking up stones. I agree and thanks for the help boys...mommy and I GREATLY appreciate it

Project Partners

Another weekend and another yard project underway. My sister--my bride and I worked on clearing bricks to prepare for the new pavers we are putting in at the bottom of our deck. I also got the garden fenced off (and that and some hair clippings from my latest summer buzz which I spread around the garden perimeter will hopefully keep the rabbits at bay). The pavers arive today and this week holds some heavy duty labor for us as we look forward to a week long summer vacation which begins after church on Sunday.
My partner did her part this weekend. She worked even after dinner last night to finish getting every last brick out of the ground and we neatly stacked them in a wall to be used elsewhere in the yard later. She also helped me mow in the back so I could grill some burgers and dogs last night and we took turns dealing with my 3-year old who was in and out of the theater several times yesterday while my 5-year old didn't budge as we saw Kung Fu Panda. We also jointly resisted the temptation for Chinese food which we were both craving by the time the movie (which is loaded with noodles & dumpling scenes) was over.
This morning we got rolling early and I got the boys to daycare so she could get moving to set up her first of three summer VBS programs, this one at a local community center for children in that neighborhood staffed with volunteers from our congregation. May God bless those children and create in them a clean heart so that that may come to know Jesus the Messiah this week (or strengthen that relationship where it already exists).

Row, Row, Row...Mary, Mary, Mary

My 3-year old is learning songs and, like his older brother, will often spontaneoulsy erupt into singing out. Sunday evening he had such an eruption and it started out with the familiar:

"Row, Row, Row your boat gently down the stream"

Now we all know what comes next, (Merrily, Merrily, Merrily) but he offered this alternative:

"Mary, Mary, Mary" and then, continued on "...had a little lamb"

SING OUT my son!

Ah...Father's Day

Things good about this past Father's Day
· Bratwurst
· Sauerkraut on the Brats
· spicy brown mustard on the kraut & brats!
· spending time with my wife (she'd been gone for 8 days!)
· spending time with my boys
· getting the gardens done
· working on getting the yard in shape
· a good night's sleep
· a card and a gift (which I will wear proudly this weekend)
· the love and admiration of my boys and of course their mother (my sister--my bride)

Amen

Well, after nearly two years and over 60 meetings (I think we met 62 times) on Wednesday evenings during that time, our Crossways class has reached the end...literally crossing the Biblical finish line that is Revelation 22:21 (the verse that is the title of today's entry). We were all really sad to reach the end really. We've so thoroughly enjoyed discussing God's word together for so many Wednesday's that we didn't really relish it ending. Now granted, we were all glad the work of preparing each week for class is over. We were all glad to have completed the task of studying the Bible in a way that reveals its overall/big picture narrative, examining the sum of its parts, the forest of trees, but that being said, we all know that we still have a long way to go in our faith journeys. Collectively, I think we are all better prepared to venture on in our lives of faith into tomorrow then we were two years ago. I learned as much from the class as they learned from me and the Holy Spirit worked through the study and each of us as our hearts and minds were opened to the message of "Serve God by Serving Others" I am thankful to God to have had the opportunity to be a part of this study for two years and have been truly blessed by it. I walk on then, just as the Bible ends:

"the grace of the Lord Jesus be with God's people. Amen."

Amen in deed!

What a difference a year makes!

My oldest son used to be completely scared of the vast space under our deck. You see, there were spiders there and though, unlikely myself, he could stand under the deck without fear of hitting his head on the beams above and play in the dirt, the knowledge of it being a spider haven precluded his venturing under there...ever. In fact, if his ball rolled just inside there last year, he would even reach in to get it! What a difference a year makes!
My wife and I added some dirt under there this spring to insure any water would flow away and not towards the foundation. That included raking up the leaves and debris from last year and also very sore backs for the two of us as the area is only about 4-1/2 feet high and both of us had to work hunched over. We were not suprised then when our fearless younger son, the 3-year old terror nicknamed "Urlacher," immediately laid claim to the dirt as his personal domain as it was all cleaned up and he had access! What we didn't expect was that he would be joined by his older brother. The boy who still won't go down the hall, let alone downstairs, at night if the lights are not already on; the boy who last summer scared even our neighbors with a blood-curdling scream in his playhouse (they suspected it was a snake) when he felt a spider web on his arm (he didn't even see the spider); the boy who for much of the summer last year insisted on being carried down the deck stairs to get to the backyard because he had one seen a spider under the stairs; is now the boy who plays under the deck. What a difference a year makes!
Now, as a parent, you learn the lesson that when a child overcomes a fear...there is both good and bad. The good news is he isn't afraid of the spiders, could careless really, and doesn't need to be carried to the backyard. Now for the bad news. He is so not afraid that he loves to play under the deck--meaning IN THE DIRT--which equates to dirt all over clothes, all over arms, legs, hands, faces, and especially hair! So just as the fear has been overcome...Daddy has now made the area under the deck off-limits! What a difference a year makes!

She has returned

My sister-my bride has returned from her Mexico service/mission trip having assisted in the building of a new house for a mother and her children and it was great to see her Saturday night. We even had the laundry done and the house relatively clean so she could enjoy some time with her boys. She said she learned a lot of new skills and had a great time serving God by serving others and she hopes to do it again in upcoming summers.

Time to Go

Why is it that when it comes to going TO school, the boys kick and scream and throw fits about getting out of bed, getting dressed, getting in the car, getting out of the car, going into the school without stomping a puddle, etc. etc.?
Then, you go to pick them up and you'd think they run out the door (and sometimes they do) but today, after a typical morning of resistance, I couldn't get my oldest son to leave school. He was working on a drawing when I picked him up and he wanted to finish it. After minutes (those that seem like hours) of begging, pleading, and down-right ordering, he finally got to a point where he thought he could finish the rest of it at home and got up and departed the classroom. Can't get them to go and then once you do, you can't get them to leave!
Father's Day Weekend this weekend and the joy for us will be we get our wife/mommy back from Mexico!

Mission Accomplished

Did my manly project for the weekend after the sweetie left on Saturday (a good day to be inside with all the storms anyway). The basement bathroom is remodeled!






The ugly before pictures, the floor stripped, the old medicine cabinet removed







A floor you can actually get wet, classic white & chrome fixtures...it turned out better than I thought it would!

One More Week...Mixed Emotions

Lots of prayers offered last night at the end of our 59th of 60 Crossway's classes. We have been on the journey together since August 2006 and will finally conclude our journey through the Bible next week. Tonight we closed on a somber note as we all had heavy hearts for the many petitions we offered up to our Lord. We've all bonded as a group and all feel the pain and sorrow of our classmates as they suffer through life's trials and though we are all excited to have finally reached the end as we prepare our last lesson this week, we will surely miss meeting together as we have on so many Wednesday evenings past.
May the Lord continue to bless each member of the class as they grow in faith and equip them to serve others. I pray tonight that the Lord hear the many petitions we offered tonight and if it be His Will, grant healing, relief from suffering, and peace to each of those we prayed for. In Jesus most precious name I pray, Amen.

Rubba-Dub-Dub, Three Men in a...

Well, mommie has been gone for a few days now and the boys are starting to miss their mommy. Last night I was joined by both boys who insisted on sleeping in mommy's bed with me. (I think they want to make sure they would be there if she came home in the middle of the night)
Actually, all three of us miss her terribly but are doing well as bachelors. We've gotten up on time and dressed and to daycare without incident the past two days. Saturday night both boys participated in filling goodie bags that my oldest and I will be helping to hand out this coming Saturday at our local soup kitchen (another of our church's community groups will be serving the meal), of course they have some sweets in them but each goodie bag also has a New Testament inside as well.
We all can't wait to see mommy this weekend!

Border Crossing

My sister--my bride and the other 15 members of her group crossed into Juarez, Mexico today and started building a house. They should be all finished with the house and crossing back into El Paso on Thursday. Of course she's been gone since bright and early Saturday morning, when I drove her to the church in the midst of yet another heavy downpour. We had to dodge several flash floods and take a serpentine route to get her there, but she made it.

Unfortunately, I didn't quite make it back.


This is the only road into our court and this was taken after the water had already subsided some. I had to park out on the other road and hoof it back home and retreived the van later that morning.


A~ the drain on the north side of road
B~the vortex above the drainpipe where the water is supposed to go under the road on the far side
C~the waterfall of more water pouring into the area from the crossroad.




In the midst of the storm, my sweetie headed out to serve the Lord and she arrived there safely. Thanks be to God!

Rain, Rain, Go Away!

Not to make light of the recent flooding troubles we've been dealing with here in Central Illinois, but we have been deluged by a lot of rain and I thought a little humor might lighten the mood. We got 5" in a single day this week at one point and a lot of people have flood damage to their homes and we also had a death due to moving water yesterday so I pray for all those who are struggling through these times.
The heavy rains though brought out the buckets at church which my Bible study class noticed on Wednesday night. Loads of buckets standing by outside the conference room door, ready to be pressed into service with the next heavy rainfall. Yes, our church building has some leaky roof sections, especially near the skylights and flat parts in the office areas. Surprising? Shouldn't be. Shouldn't you expect a church roof to be "holy"?
Enjoy your weekend, pray for dry weather here in the heart of the prairie and also pray for those going on the Mexico mission trip beginning tomorrow (including my sister--my bride)

Daddy Day Care

Well...first, let me say I love my wife (my cherished sister--bride) and she can leave the seat up in the car all she wants...as long as she doesn't mind hearing a gripe or two about it (see last Thursday's post)
Saturday morning, bright and early, she will be departing for Juarez, Mexico with some other members of your congregation who will be driving down there to build a two room house in just four days for a mother and her two children. That means from this Saturday morning to the following Saturday evening, our house will be an estrogen-free zone of just daddy and the boys (and granddad who will be helping that first weekend with the bathroom remodel I'll be doing while she is gone). We have lots of people praying, not only for the safety of those travelling to Juarez and for their mission to be a success, but also for me in surviving sans mom/wife for 8 days.
She hasn't even left yet and the boys and I miss her already!

Qualifications

Last night we ate out at the local fast food place with the big play area (we were without power all afternoon and evening due to storms so we needed a place to eat and hangout for awhile). The sign on the street, you know the part underneath that famed red and gold "M," had a message to passers-by that read: "Now Hiring, Qualified Managers"
As we left the place (and thankfully returned home to a powered-up house!) my sister--my bride and I talked about the sign and the need for putting "qualified" in there. Did they expect an influx of "unqualified" applicants? Perhaps they meant "experienced" and were indicating these weren't entry-level of manager trainee positions. It begged the question, who would want to hire "unqualified" managers?
Hmmm.
Sermon topic this past week and for the next couple was and will be "The March of the Unqualified"
It seems God likes to call upon the unqualified. He calls upon those least likely. Then God equips those he calls with the 3Ps, His PRESENCE, His POWER, and His PROMISE. Our God is an awesome God

The Most Awesomest One

I think my oldest (5year old) is ready to sing "Our God Is An Awesome God" as it seems the word AWESOME has entered his lexicon.
Tonight, we were in the basement "weathering out" (pun intended) the storms and tornado warnings and to calm the boys I played one of their favorite DVDs, Kipper. One of the short episodes on there was my oldest son's favorite (and has been for a couple years now since we got that DVD). It is an episode about mud puddles and dinosaur paw prints. He was in the basement bathroom when that episode began and from that room my other son and I heard him squeal "oh, that one is my 'fav-o-rit' one. Its the most awesomest one." and he came running back into the room (thankfully having completed his bathroom activities) to watch it with us. I asked him if he liked this one and he looked at me and said "It is the AWESOME"
OK dad. That's your cue to explain just how much more AWESOME God is to your boy.

Mexico Bound

Well...the checklist is nearly complete, so my sweetie (my sister--my bride) will be packing this week and heading down to Mexico to build a house with several other members of our church. We also got a lot of yardwork done this weekend and again tonight, so hopefully by the time she returns I'll have a 3-tiered vegetable garden planted as well as a basement bathroom remodeled and all while watching our boys. I love that she will have this chance to serve the Lord our Savior by serving others. I pray God will take care of all those going, keeping them safe in travel and in there time there, and may God also bless this family (a mother and two kids) with through this new home.