It Got Worse

I survived all day Wednesday and I thought I was going to survive this round of sickness. After church, I didn’t feel right but I chalked that up to still being tired from the previous days. Thursday morning proved that my thoughts were wrong. After spending six hours alternating between bed and kissing my toilet, I was finally able to move to my chair. The rest of the day was a combination of back pain, nausea, and a monster headache. Good day.

The Long Day Closes

It ended up being a rather long day. Little sleep mixed with trying to keep everything at our house running. The kids are doing better while Kelly is slowly recovering. The greatest thing right now is that the clock reads 9:37 PM and I know I will be asleep before 10:30. Hopefully that is. As long as I don’t wake up sick.

It's Going to Be a Long Night

As you begin reading this post, I ask that you check the time it was posted. As I write, my clock reads 2:20 AM. I stayed up a little later than usual tonight because I got into a groove working on my church’s website. I’ve had a static “under construction” page up for some time now while I have attempted to completely redesign it. I work best late at night and since the ideas were flowing, I kept working. It was no problem since my wife had long ago gone to bed with an upset stomach. Around one in the morning I knew I better stop for the night, so I shut everything down and headed for the bathroom. Here’s the brief schedule since that moment.

1. Kelly informed me that Havilah was vomiting.
2. I began setting up the Pack and Play so we could move Silas out of the room and clean her bed.
3. Went in to assist in cleaning Havilah (looks like another bath)
4. Kelly checked on Silas and discovered (oh joy) that he had vomited.
5. Both kids stripped and tossed in the tub so I could scrub the vomit off their bodies and out of their hair.
6. While thus proceeding, I heard my wife in the kitchen vomiting.
7. With cleaned kids, it was decided to put Silas back in his crib since it was still okay. Havilah will sleep next to mommy. Daddy will get load of laundry going and sleep on the couch.
8. As of this sentence, I’ve been back to the room three more times for vomit. Thankfully, in a trash can and not on the bed.

Now, I’m going to publish this and lay my head down. Maybe I’ll get some sleep. Good night everyone, and I hope your night was better than ours.

P.S. Before I clicked publish, I was back to the room for the fourth time. Not much left but painful dry heaves.

Return to Reality

I think the hardest thing about heading away on a retreat is the fact that you have to come back to reality. Life and the enemy are relentless in their combined purpose to strip away all the good that God accomplishes. I know some of my youth are already battling this with mixed success. To those of them that read this I have one thing to say. Don’t let go of what God did in your life. No matter what happens, no matter what others may say, and even if the power of that moment with God begins to fade a little in in your mind, don’t let go. I was there. I witnessed God doing some powerful things. Continue allowing him to work.

Maybe a message tailored more to my youth, but it holds true for all of us.

Note: Don’t forget the current book giveaway going on right now. Click here for more info.

Relentless Retreat

I got to spend an incredible weekend with my youth group. There’s something powerful about getting away from everything and having a time to be with each other and God. From what I’m hearing, God did some incredible things in some of our students lives. Experiencing God’s love, forgiving people that have hurt them, and realizing that God does care.

Planning a weekend retreat is stressful, tiring, and sometimes a downright pain. But seeing God do some great things makes it all worth it.


Note: Don’t forget the current book giveaway going on right now. Click here for more info.

Book Review - me, myself, & I AM

Truth right up front. I signed up to review this book but then I ran out of time. Planning a weekend retreat for youth takes a ton of time. That added to the fact that the book isn’t an ordinary book. It’s not one that you can do a quick speed read through. It’s a book of questions for you answer with God. I’ve perused it and it is very different from what you’d expect. My best explanation is that it is a journaling book, but maybe even a little more than that. When I have some time here soon I want to start working through it myself. It would be a great book for a person that journals regularly or for someone that wants to start.

With all that said, I’m going to wrap up my part with two things. First, I do have two free copies to give away. Leave a comment to this post and we will draw a winner on Friday, November 14. Second, I’m going to post the info from the publisher so you can get a better idea about the book.

A new experience of God comes one question at a time in this fun and provocative journal. Made up entirely of insightful, profound, and occasionally ridiculous questions, Me, Myself, and I AM invites you to open to any page, open yourself to God, and be the author of your own story.

Questions range from spiritually intriguing— You overhear God talking about you. What do hear him saying?

To thought-provoking— You are on a long car trip with a close friend who is not a Christian and the conversation turns to faith. What is your biggest fear about what your friend will ask or say?

To challenging— Do you believe that all of Jesus’s followers have a responsibility to tell others about him?

To just plain fun— If your life before you became a Christian were a movie, its title would be: Animal House, As Good as It Gets, The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly, It’s a Wonderful Life.

Me, Myself, and I AM will entertain, inspire, and get you thinking about your spiritual life from brand new angles. Whether you use Me, Myself, and I AM as a reflective tool, a way to start conversations with friends and family, or as a spiritual time capsule to look back on years later, their own words will create a powerful journey of self-discovery.

Buy it at Amazon

Time Away

Heading away this weekend for a retreat with my youth. Looking forward to having some fun and having time with God.

Thoughts on Wednesday

No matter who gets elected on Tuesday, there will surely be at least three reactions. The first will be smug pride in the fact that a certain candidate won. The second will be dread fear that everything is going to now fall apart. Let me stop there a moment. Neither one of these reactions is fitting for a believer. Will we praise our victory while stomping on those that didn’t agree with us? Are we ever 100% certain our candidate is the best? It’s arrogant and if we’re not careful, our political views may taint our ability to minister to those around us. As for fear of the elected, doesn’t the Word declare that, “perfect loves casts out fear?” (1 John 4:18) Why should we fear when eternity has been completely secured for us by Jesus? I don’t think we need to fear.

I guess what it ultimately boils down to is that I’m a citizen of the kingdom of God first. Those that are a part of this kingdom know peace even amidst the turmoil of the world. That’s where the third reaction comes in. The one that I want to live. Acknowledgment of the winner, a commitment to pray for him, and continuing on with the mission Christ has laid before me. Maybe that sounds simplistic. It probably is, but it’s what I’m going to do my best to live. I guess I feel this way because I don’t believe the government can legislate righteousness no matter which party controls it. Faith can’t be forced. I’m not looking for the President to reach the hurting around me, that’s why God has placed me where I am. Congress will never introduce my neighbors to Christ, but perhaps I can. Government can be good, but we should never expect it to take the place of what God has called us to do.

Tomorrow I will vote for the one that I feel is the better of the two choices. Then, I will continue the mission.