TwelveThirty

Without vision people perish..

2011-03-10T20:10:00.001-08:00

Over the next several weeks we are making a concerted effort to dissolve barriers between our church and our community. It will be fun to see how our church family puts our beliefs into action off our campus. On April 22nd, we will retell the last supper at Granite Creek Park. The following day we have the opportunity to serve in our community cleaning up the same park with members of our community.

The last thirteen weeks of our series, Twenty Weeks, has really made a significant difference in establishing what it means to truly know Jesus and to do something with that knowledge. It's a safe play to always expect those outside church to come to us. It's faith building to take those inside and put them on mission in the community. We will see what happens. I know this much..

Without vision people perish.

4 things

2009-12-09T21:21:00.000-08:00

so we had this incredibly strange thunder blizzard that struck through the heart of our town early tuesday morning. with this storm came intense wind and snow. add these things together and you get some bad results. mainly..power outages, trees that lay across an important road and/or trees that land through the roof of your house.

four things:
1. chainsaw
2. friends to quote christmas movies with and stack firewood
3. cell phone to check email that is otherwise unavailable due to power
outage...although typing emails on cellphone is like trying to play lead guitar on a martin backpacker
4. patience with a.p.s.

Dan Barker

2009-07-30T22:05:00.000-07:00

As many of you know, Dan Barker, is now back in his home at UCYC and is continuing his therapy following his accident last month. He is a walking miracle and a testimony to the power of prayer and God's miraculous work. If you want to read the story from the first day of Dan's accident until this past Monday, July 27th, check out 1scooter.blogspot.com. My friend Kris, has written a great account of what has happened over the last five weeks in Dan's life.

The following is a challenge that I'm undertaking with my friend Danny Cox to raise money for Dan's ongoing medical expenses. Please take the time to read more about what we are doing....thanks!

Chris

The Dan Barker Weight-Loss-Athon Challenge

The Situation: A few weeks back a friend of mine, Dan Barker, fell 40 feet while doing some rock climbing in Sedona, Arizona. His injuries include: swelling to the brain, a deep bruise to his left lung, broken vertebrae, fractured pelvis, and laceration to his head, facial fractures, broken jaw, fractured right wrist and a hole in his intestine. Doctors have been amazing! They have already done surgeries which include: repairing two small holes in his small intestine, facial reconstructive surgery, surgery on his right and left wrist, surgery to wire his jaw shut so it can heal, a tracheotomy was performed so he can eat while his jaw is wired shut, and the list goes on.

The need: As you can imagine the medical bill for this is going to be astronomical. Dan has insurance but is going to need to meet his deductible and his max out of pocket expense. A fund called the “Dan Barker Medical Fund” has been established to help Dan with his expenses.

The Challenge: I am teaming up with a few of Dan Barker’s friends to raise as much money as possible for our buddy Dan. Our main challenge is what I would like to talk to you about in this letter. We are having a “Dan Barker Weight-loss-athon” for Dan. Starting August 1st, and going until November 1st, , several others and myself are going to do everything we can to lose as much weight as possible in the hopes that our family and friends will sponsor us per pound of weight loss. The money we raise will go towards the Dan Barker Medical Fund.

*If you would like to join the challenge and help Dan raise money, just let me know.

The Humble Question: Will you sponsor me in this challenge? Will you commit $1 per pound that I lose? or $2, $3, $5, or even $10 per pound (or more)? I am going to embarrass myself by disclosing my weight. Currently I weigh 245 pounds. My personal goal in this challenge is to lose at least 30 pounds in the next three months. My goal for my friend Dan is to raise over $3000 for his medical fund.

Dan is an amazing young man who has devoted his life to serving at UCYC here in Prescott, AZ. His devotion to the Lord, the camp, and his family and friends is inspiring. Please join me as we seek to help him in his time of need. Also, please commit to praying for Dan Barker and to his continued recovery.

Chris Herrington

P.S. I have sponsored myself $10 a pound in this challenge. I can’t wait to write a check to Dan for $300-$400.

P.S.S. You can do a onetime donation if you would like. Just write check payable to: “The Dan Barker Medical Fund.”

Living life together,

Chris Herrington

Program Director

928-445-0391 office

928-848-1574 cell

877-560-3617 fax

things to laugh about

2009-07-25T11:55:00.000-07:00

http://www.theonion.com/content/news_briefs/table_tennis_star_wang_hao

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E_-KbstEG4E
in honor of adam sandler's new movie "funny people"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J9c9lAfXQHs
thank you Jim Gaffigan...hot pockets!!

dude..111 years old

2009-07-25T10:02:00.000-07:00

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/military-obituaries/army-obituaries/5907316/Private-Harry-Patch.html

Psalm 119:41-48

2009-07-15T14:19:00.000-07:00

41 May your unfailing love come to me, O LORD,
your salvation according to your promise;

42 then I will answer the one who taunts me,
for I trust in your word.

43 Do not snatch the word of truth from my mouth,
for I have put my hope in your laws.

44 I will always obey your law,
for ever and ever.

45 I will walk about in freedom,
for I have sought out your precepts.

46 I will speak of your statutes before kings
and will not be put to shame,

47 for I delight in your commands
because I love them.

48 I lift up my hands to your commands, which I love,
and I meditate on your decrees.

Tomorrow

2009-07-13T09:58:00.003-07:00

Psalm 119:33-40

33 Teach me, O LORD, to follow your decrees;
then I will keep them to the end.

34 Give me understanding, and I will keep your law
and obey it with all my heart.

35 Direct me in the path of your commands,
for there I find delight.

36 Turn my heart toward your statutes
and not toward selfish gain.

37 Turn my eyes away from worthless things;
preserve my life according to your word. [b]

38 Fulfill your promise to your servant,
so that you may be feared.

39 Take away the disgrace I dread,
for your laws are good.

40 How I long for your precepts!
Preserve my life in your righteousness.

Tomorrow's reading

2009-07-13T00:13:00.000-07:00

psalm 119

25 I am laid low in the dust;
preserve my life according to your word.

26 I recounted my ways and you answered me;
teach me your decrees.

27 Let me understand the teaching of your precepts;
then I will meditate on your wonders.

28 My soul is weary with sorrow;
strengthen me according to your word.

29 Keep me from deceitful ways;
be gracious to me through your law.

30 I have chosen the way of truth;
I have set my heart on your laws.

31 I hold fast to your statutes, O LORD;
do not let me be put to shame.

32 I run in the path of your commands,
for you have set my heart free.

New books to read

2009-07-13T00:10:00.000-07:00

I'm hoping to read through these books in the next couple of weeks. I can't wait to dive in to them.

Flickering Pixels

Original Sin

Vintage Jesus

Phil 4:2-3

2009-06-11T13:50:00.000-07:00

2 I plead with Euodia and I plead with Syntyche to agree with each other in the Lord. 3 Yes, and I ask you, loyal yokefellow, help these women who have contended at my side in the cause of the gospel, along with Clement and the rest of my fellow workers, whose names are in the book of life.

Ministry through unity is done alongside one another, working together, serving together and living life intentionally with one another. Flying solo in ministry is lame. If you are walking alone doing church by reading sports illustrated and listening to Cat Stevens cd's...recycle your magazine, sell you cd at Hasting's and get connected with others in a church. Life is short, don't miss out on the value of community.

For tomorrow..

2009-06-09T22:07:00.000-07:00

Phil. 3:15-21

15 All of us who are mature should take such a view of things. And if on some point you think differently, that too God will make clear to you. 16 Only let us live up to what we have already attained.

17 Join with others in following my example, brothers, and take note of those who live according to the pattern we gave you. 18 For, as I have often told you before and now say again even with tears, many live as enemies of the cross of Christ. 19 Their destiny is destruction, their god is their stomach, and their glory is in their shame. Their mind is on earthly things. 20 But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, 21 who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body.

Paul invites the Philippians to follow his example and pay attention to the "pattern" of life that is lived in front of them. Knowing Christ and making him known to others requires our lives to be lived differently than those who live as enemies of Christ.

The road ahead is intended to be one that points toward heaven and not in the opposite direction which maintains and eye only on earthly things. So, as we follow God now we must live in the tension of making Christ known fully without being consumed by what we see in front of us in the present.

Phil. 3:12-14

2009-06-09T14:22:00.000-07:00

Today's reading...

12 Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. 13 Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.

The destraction of what lies behind us can make all of our forward hope in Christ turn sideways. It's important to remember that God has done in a work in us, but He is not finished doing that work in us either. With that in mind, lean forward into the present with a intentional hope toward the future. Good things lie ahead!

Phil. 3:10-11

2009-06-08T16:52:00.000-07:00

10 I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, 11 and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead.

Today as a staff we talked about the end goal of our lives. It seems that there are a couple traps we can fall into as Christians.

1. We think think only about the present.
2. We think only about the future.

By doing only the first, we engage fully in the social elements of the gospel without considering the needs of the future.

By doing only the second, we dream about the future and miss the chance to express love in the present to those who may need it most.

I know this is an oversimplification and there is a raging debate in Christianity about how to embrace the full gospel, live the gospel out and then continue to share it and I think this what Paul is driving at..he talks about his identity before Jesus, his identity after he met Christ and then he moves on to these verses as a reminder on how to know Christ and how to make him known as we live presently in Christ and hope eternally in Christ.

Wherever you are on the map of following Christ...embrace him fully and not partially. It's so easy to be engaged only in the morals of Christ without having to wrap ourselves up fully in the difficult things he called us to do and be as his followers.

New things..

2009-06-06T22:47:00.000-07:00

So, for the longest time I've focused on only things that I know I can accomplish with ease. Playing the guitar, networking with people (new or familiar), organizing people for a project, putting resources together, preparing lesson for teaching, starting small groups and connecting people into those small groups.

Today, I installed an alternator in my truck. I learned in general more about my 1992 Ford F-150 that I've been driving for the last 15 months. I've gained so much respect for Grandpas, Dad and others who can easily look at the interworkings of an engine and know what the heck they are doing.

I'm reminded of the value of doing something new each day and how valuable these small experiences are in everyday life. It's easy to become complacent with what we know and never explore the things we don't understand. In my case, mechanics. Regardless, of where your passions are, strive to learn something new today.

Today's reading

2009-06-04T19:49:00.000-07:00

Philippians 3:4-9

4 though I myself have reasons for such confidence. If anyone else thinks he has reasons to put confidence in the flesh, I have more: 5 circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; in regard to the law, a Pharisee; 6 as for zeal, persecuting the church; as for legalistic righteousness, faultless.

7 But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. 8 What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith.

It's easy to get so caught up in who we are, what we have done and where we've been that we can miss the reality of why we are here in the first place. I think it is to know Christ and make him known to others.

If we only get a taste of what it means to have a real identity, a sense of what God has done, and a compelling life that shows that our faith is more than knowledge we begin to truly worship and draw others to the source of that worship. For what it's worth, I've been caught in a rut of thinking about my efforts only, more than the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith.

What an incredible gift..

Phil 2:19-24

2009-06-04T19:31:00.000-07:00

Wednesday's reading...

19 I hope in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to you soon, that I also may be cheered when I receive news about you. 20 I have no one else like him, who takes a genuine interest in your welfare. 21 For everyone looks out for his own interests, not those of Jesus Christ. 22 But you know that Timothy has proved himself, because as a son with his father he has served with me in the work of the gospel. 23 I hope, therefore, to send him as soon as I see how things go with me. 24 And I am confident in the Lord that I myself will come soon.

25 But I think it is necessary to send back to you Epaphroditus, my brother, fellow worker and fellow soldier, who is also your messenger, whom you sent to take care of my needs. 26 For he longs for all of you and is distressed because you heard he was ill. 27 Indeed he was ill, and almost died. But God had mercy on him, and not on him only but also on me, to spare me sorrow upon sorrow. 28 Therefore I am all the more eager to send him, so that when you see him again you may be glad and I may have less anxiety. 29 Welcome him in the Lord with great joy, and honor men like him, 30because he almost died for the work of Christ, risking his life to make up for the help you could not give me.

Paul's description of this relationship with Timothy and E. (for short) is unique. He trusts them with the work of the church,
the message of the church
and the call to give up their lives.

Ultimately, to know Christ and make him known.

Hold Me Jesus

2009-06-01T20:57:00.000-07:00

It's hard to believe it's been over ten years since Rich has been gone. Here is one of my favorite songs he wrote.

Sigur RÃ³s Plots New Album(s), Performs for Dalai Lama :: Music News :: Articles :: Paste

2009-06-01T20:43:00.001-07:00

Sigur RÃ³s Plots New Album(s), Performs for Dalai Lama :: Music News :: Articles :: Paste

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Michael Caine reveals Batman 3 villain :: Film & TV News :: Articles :: Paste

2009-06-01T20:40:00.001-07:00

Michael Caine reveals Batman 3 villain :: Film & TV News :: Articles :: Paste

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Working out our salvation with fear and trembling

2009-06-01T20:29:00.000-07:00

I read this article and it seemed relevant based on the reading from Phil 2:12-16 today.

http://theresurgence.com/beaumont_words-and-deeds

Phil 2:12-16

2009-06-01T20:12:00.000-07:00

Today's reading is...

12 Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, 13 for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose.

14 Do everything without complaining or arguing, 15 so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe 16 as you hold out the word of life—in order that I may boast on the day of Christ that I did not run or labor for nothing.

A couple of questions that stick out to me..

1. How do we work out our salvation with fear and trembling?

2. How unique of a community was Phillipi that they were challenged to do everything with complaining or arguing?

Phil. 2:1-4

2009-05-28T11:56:00.000-07:00

Today's reading...

1 If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, 2 then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose. 3 Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. 4 Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.

We talked about this passage together in our team meeting. We spent a significant amount of time considering ways to demonstrate our love for others.

We shared about the differences of considering our own way first in every circumstance and spent time trying to ponder selfless ways to not be selfish while not looking for moments to point to as ways in which we accomplished humility. Which would be the opposite of what verse 4 is urging us toward.

I heard this definition of humility recently that sticks out. Humility is not thinking less of yourself it is thinking of yourself less. I think that is a starting place.

Phil 1:19-30

2009-05-27T14:55:00.000-07:00

Our reading for today is the following passage.

Yes, and I will continue to rejoice, 19 for I know that through your prayers and the help given by the Spirit of Jesus Christ, what has happened to me will turn out for my deliverance. 20 I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have sufficient courage so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death. 21 For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. 22 If I am to go on living in the body, this will mean fruitful labor for me. Yet what shall I choose? I do not know! 23 I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far; 24 but it is more necessary for you that I remain in the body. 25 Convinced of this, I know that I will remain, and I will continue with all of you for your progress and joy in the faith, 26 so that through my being with you again your joy in Christ Jesus will overflow on account of me.

27 Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ. Then, whether I come and see you or only hear about you in my absence, I will know that you stand firm in one spirit, contending as one man for the faith of the gospel 28 without being frightened in any way by those who oppose you. This is a sign to them that they will be destroyed, but that you will be saved—and that by God. 29 For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for him, 30 since you are going through the same struggle you saw I had, and now hear that I still have.

Verse 29 sticks out to me so clearly in this passage. It has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for him.

What an amazing concept. Faith in Christ is an unbelievable gift, but so is suffering for him.

My prayer today is for thankfulness for not only the chance to be known by Christ, but also to make him known to others by the way I live.

Some more thoughts that popped in my head:

During the good as we live we count it as an amazing gift, but also through the bad, as we gradually age and struggle with our bodies, mind and flesh. As verse 21 points out, to live is Christ and to die is gain. We gain Christ either way. So to be known by Christ and conversely to know him, is to embrace life and death with courage knowing that either aspect is for His glory. And to that end I pray for courage.

Phil 1:12-18

2009-05-26T12:17:00.000-07:00

Today I'm working through the following passage:

Paul's Chains Advance the Gospel
12Now I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel. 13 As a result, it has become clear throughout the whole palace guard and to everyone else that I am in chains for Christ. 14 Because of my chains, most of the brothers in the Lord have been encouraged to speak the word of God more courageously and fearlessly.

15 It is true that some preach Christ out of envy and rivalry, but others out of goodwill. 16 The latter do so in love, knowing that I am put here for the defense of the gospel. 17 The former preach Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely, supposing that they can stir up trouble for me while I am in chains. 18 But what does it matter? The important thing is that in every way, whether from false motives or true, Christ is preached. And because of this I rejoice.

Verse 18 says it all. Regardless of the motivation of those who are speaking out of envy and rivalry of Paul's message or Paul's style. He is reminding the Philippians of the overwhelming joy he has because Christ is being proclaimed through it all.

God give us joy as we make you known to those around us. Help us to check our motives against the evil that rages in our hearts, so that you will be given praise in all we do and say.

29 movies to catch

2009-05-25T14:46:00.001-07:00

Link to a previous post..

Phil. 1:1-11

2009-05-25T14:32:00.000-07:00

We started through Philippians this morning..

1Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus,To all the saints in Christ Jesus at Philippi, together with the overseers[a] and deacons:

2Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Thanksgiving and Prayer
3I thank my God every time I remember you. 4In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy 5because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, 6being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.

7It is right for me to feel this way about all of you, since I have you in my heart; for whether I am in chains or defending and confirming the gospel, all of you share in God's grace with me. 8God can testify how I long for all of you with the affection of Christ Jesus.

9And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, 10so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ, 11filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ—to the glory and praise of God.

I underlined verses 6 and 9.

Things to remember from these particular verses:
God will continue to work in and through our lives until the work is complete.
God calls us to humility, so love may abound more and more.

If you aren't reading anything then read along with me.

2009 Movies

2009-05-25T14:29:00.000-07:00

Staying up with current movies is a bit of a challenge these days. Regardless, here is a list of movies to keep an eye out for during this year.

Movies are speaking to us and are challenging us to consider deeper things about life. Who we are, where we are going and what life is all about. Some of them are just trying to get us to lighten up a little. Which I need and welcome. :)

This comes courtesy of Paste magazine,

Mom's Birthday

2009-05-24T22:56:00.000-07:00

Mom, happy birthday! Love you and hope you have a great day tomorrow. Wish we could be there with you.

Books i'm reading

2009-05-24T22:51:00.000-07:00

I'm a fan of the Resurgence and am posting this picture to potentially receive a free copy of a Russell Moore's new book called, "Adopted for Life."

questions about finances

2009-04-22T22:27:00.000-07:00

A lot of changes have occurred at macro economics level in our city, state, country and in the world. In the micro level changes are happening as well.

One of the best resources in tough financial times, is to get your house in order. Give 10% somewhere, Save 1000 in an emergency fund, pay off your debt, save 3-6 months pay, invest 15% and then invest in real estate.

All these principles are from Financial Peace University. For more info check out daveramsey.com and read up and apply these principles to your life. It will change your life.

mingus mtn, trail 353

2009-04-22T22:16:00.000-07:00

Today was an amazing day. Drove out to Mingus mountain and visited Mingus springs camp. We were able to dream about our first ever summer staff camp (for returning staff).

It makes me thankful for quality time with my team members and the conversations that happened during our hike along ash creek and down trail 353.

Oh yeah, and thankful that we live in such an amazing place.

Deadliest Catch : Discovery Channel

2009-04-11T22:35:00.001-07:00

Deadliest Catch : Discovery Channel

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Deadliest Catch

2009-04-11T22:31:00.000-07:00

I'm not a huge fan of reality shows...but I love the deadliest catch. I saw an interview last night with Larry King and Phil Harris that really got me excited about this Tuesday night.

I'm looking forward to the new season. Giddy up!

Cuyler

2009-04-11T22:18:00.000-07:00

I'm thankful for my son. He is so unique from his brother and sister. More than anything it is peaceful watching him grow each and everyday. He has already gained 11 ounces...it won't be long and we will be able to wrestle around with another.

I can't wait!

Yesterday at church

2009-04-06T12:46:00.000-07:00

At church yesterday one of our members, Dean Cox, gave a final defense of Christianity. This was following a year of walking through the Bible at the Heights. I am thankful for what he shared and wanted to share it with others. Here is the link to our church website heightschurch.com. Click on sermons, it is the message from April 5, 2009.

Here is the direct link, www.heightschurch.com/20090405.mp3

Prayer

2009-04-06T11:15:00.000-07:00

Prayer is something that I've never been "good" at. I was the kid who struggled to bow his head, fold his hands and remain quiet. After about 30 seconds of the best prayer possible, I would start thinking about how good my baseball team was going to do that afternoon or I would pray selfishly by asking for things like my favorite team to win or to win a 1000 dollars on the scratch ticket I bought in college.

Prayer is important, but why is so hard to do. Is it the act of asking for something that we truly need? Or is possibly because we have such a hard time differentiating what we truly need and what we want in life? Prayer can serve as the filter where we speak open and honestly to God.

Whatever the struggle is, prayer is to be an essential part of the life of a Christian. Here is a commitment that the early followers of Jesus made, But we will give ourselves continually to prayer, and to the ministry of the word. (Acts 6:4)

They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. (Acts 2:42)

Prayer is seen as the catalyst to forgiveness, Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much. (James 5:16) I love this verse and the context around it because it emphasizes how relational prayer should be to God.

Prayer is helpful at all times and we are to give thanks to those who are encouragement in our lives. Pray without ceasing.

Whatever the need is, whenever it arises, however big the mountain is that we have to climb or how difficult the road is ahead. Pray.

When in doubt, give

2009-04-06T10:50:00.000-07:00

It's easy for me to hoard things. Random stuff, that is weird at times to think about. I'm a fan of it...here are few examples.

baseball cards:
I have two boxes completely full of baseball cards that I haven't gone through since 1990 something.

deodorant:
I collect deodorant sticks although our current budget doesn't allow me to purchase a large amount of these. If my wife would let me I would have like 25 in my medicine cabinet.

books:
I enjoy books any can about any subject. I'm curious to learn new things pretty much all the time. So, we have a lot of books, but I would take more if you are giving them away.

music and movies:
I'm a fan of every kind of music and movies. I think both teach us things about our culture and are telling us something bigger than the genre they are assigned to.

I'm in transition again. Having a third child in the house is making rethink of ton of different weaknesses in my personality. Such as collecting, hoarding...

When I give away my possessions, clean out the closets, give money to someone who needs something warm to drink. Whatever it is I'm giving away, I'm so much freer than I was without the action of letting go of all the above things.

What do I need to learn about giving personally?

In my life, how do I learn to give, so as not to approach everything from the feed me culture that is crippling generations of gifted followers of Jesus?

What do I want my kids to take away from what we are learning about giving to others?

Here's a story I read that made me start to contemplate the idea of giving. (It's summarized) C.S. Lewis and his friend Walter Hooper were walking from the university home and a beggar stopped them. Lewis reached into his pockets for change. Hooper asked "aren't you worried that he will spend it on a drink?" Lewis said, "I'm worried, I will." C.S. Lews said to his friend he was led by a specific principle "when in doubt, give."

I don't know about you, but this hits home with me. I don't operate this way. I don't always need to know where something is going..I need to be faithful in giving away what God has given me simply.

Stewardship is an important element. I think one of the only ways we are going to move forward is to get out of debt so we can give generously to others. Our government is going the opposite way be emphasizing someone else giving to us. But practically we have to unlearn our dependency on others to hand something to us. Work hard, give generously and get out of debt so we can give freely to others.

When in doubt, give.

i don't want to gain the whole world and lose my soul

2009-04-03T06:21:00.000-07:00

I woke up to this song that was in my head this morning at 400....isn't it weird how the brain works at times.

But then it didn't go away...it was like the annoying toyota commercial save by zero jingle that my son Colin and i would sing all day long this summer.

Back to the point, so I looked up the passage again to take a new look at the context of the verses.

Mark 8:34-36
³⁴Then he called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. ³⁵For whoever wants to save his life^c]">[c] will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me and for the gospel will save it. ³⁶What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul? ³⁷Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul?

It's easy at times to get so caught up in ourselves, our accomplishments, what we do, produce, invent, create. Instead of giving any pause to the need of giving up what is ours, so we can experience, know, follow God with a surrender we have never had before. It's an easy trap to follow into today.

Practically, one of the best things that can happen today is to look at the things that I own. The places that I invest my time, family, work, relationships, fun. Does it really matter how what I due with my time if my aim..if my objective is only what I get out of it. Giving up whatever is ours, so we can gain Christ has to be the driving force of a journey of following God. Otherwise, it's easy to end up with a compartmentalized faith.

In this verse, verse 37, the question is raised or what can a man give in exchange for his soul?

Augustine defined the soul as "a special substance, endowed with reason, adapted to rule the body". If we give up what matters most to us in our core beliefs, our soul. We begin to give up, our thoughts, convictions and gradually slide toward preferences in the way we follow Christ. We will move further down the road of becoming "men without chests," as C.S. Lewis said in The Abolition of Man.

So I woke up to a tune by Toby Mac and ended up revisiting a fundamental question that Jesus asked his disciples.

What good is it for a man to gain the whole and forfeit his soul?

Family

2009-01-30T10:40:00.001-08:00

Family has been the most important part of my life as long as I can remember. Our parents worked their tails off (and still do) to provide us a solid foundation and I'm so thankful for the investment they made in the life of our family directly.

Carrie and I have started to do bible lessons with our kids. At times it's hit or miss, but the goal lately is a family night once a week. We have a good meal together, a dance party usually breaks out and then we read a devotion together, followed by memorizing scripture as a family. I don't say to brag. Simply to suggest that we all have choices we make everday and for now the best choice for us and our family is telling them about the gospel.

Our desire is to make Jesus the central focus of our lives and family life. I can't really describe in words how thankful I am for my family and kids...it's hard to do. Equally, I know God has entrusted me as a father to love Jesus first, their mother second, so they can see my actions match with my beliefs and finally to pour into them as a father, coach and teacher. Wherever you are, no matter what stage of life.
Consider your influence.

Around what do you center your life?
Who is watching you?
Where do you spend the majority of your time?
How are striving to improve your relationships with others?

3d ultrasound

2009-01-29T10:34:00.000-08:00

My wife Carrie and I are expecting our third baby on April7th. We know we are having a son, yeah, no more weddings to pay for. Of course the ultrasound technician could have read the first ultrasound way incorrectly, but she would have to have some serious vision issues.

Regardless today, we have a 3d ultrasound which is a gift from the OB doctor to all her patients (very cool) and I'm thinking about borrowing my buddy Tye's 3d glasses to see if it would help me during the appointment today. Do you think it would help the experience? I'm thinking not so much, but it would probably really mess up the technician if I showed up with them on anyway. I'm very excited for this day to see our son up close and personal...and in 3d.

The goal will be to put some pictures from this appointment today out there for others to see.

Favorites of 2008

2009-01-26T13:47:00.000-08:00

So, I'm playing a lot of catch up obviously on my blogging. It's been well over a month, the goal is to write more frequently during this year. It's to improve my discipline in releasing some of the thoughts that come into my mind onto a blog for others to enjoy and to contribute their thoughts in response.

I really enjoy the arts and the various pulpits of the theatre and the radio.
Here are my ten favorite movies and albums for 2008.

movies
Be kind rewind
Definitely maybe
Horton hears a who
Kung fu panda
Man on wire
Hellboy 2
Iron Man
The Dark Knight
Charlie Wilson's War
Gran Torino

albums
Coldplay-Viva la vida
Jakob Dylan-Seeing things
Fleet Foxes-Sun giant
Dave Barnes-Me and you and the world
Foo Fighters-Echoes, Silence, Patience and Grace
One Republic-Dreaming out loud
Brad Paisley-Play
Phil Wickham-Cannons
Justin Unger-To know you love me
Charlie Hall-The bright sadness

What are you favorite movies and albums from 2008?

Gator bowl for the Huskers

2008-12-04T22:27:00.000-08:00

The 2008 season is wrapping and up and it was a good one for Nebraska. I really was pleasantly surprised that the Huskers won as many as we did considering the injuries to Barry Turner, Philip Dillard, Menelik Holt and Cody Glenn's indefinite suspension from the team.

It's not official from the Big 12 yet, but unofficially we are going to the Gator Bowl and are playing Clemson. It should be a fun game. They have a good defense statistically and they will be a worthy foe for the Huskers.

I anticipate a really fired up Husker squad after a month of practices and preparation for this bowl game. More than anything it seem as though our team has an identity again and I'm thankful that the new coaches have made such an effort to emphasize the development of younger players through repetition and technique. I love thinking about the future and what lies ahead for Nebraska football. To that end, I hope we are able to really build continuity to our coaching staff. In my opinion, it was one of the biggest reasons for Nebraska's success during the nineties.

Those are my thoughts. Go Big Red!

u2

2008-12-04T22:26:00.000-08:00

i'm excited about u2's new album and i read this today.

http://www.u2.com/news/index.php?mode=full&news_id=2271

anyone else excited?

80smusic

2008-09-05T22:32:00.000-07:00

I really like 80's music. Always have, always will. I guess its from listening to my sisters tapes way back in the day. Who knows?

iTunes has a whole slew of 80s stuff they are pushing. It's like throwing donuts in front of a fat kid. A run down of a few of the bands.

Huey Lewis and the news
Bon Jovi
The Police
Tears for Fears
Men at Work
Michael Jackson
The Go-Go's
Culture Club
Billy Idol
Beastie Boys

Yeah, I'll probably be spending some money on their real soon. Who's your favorite of the bands listed above?

Mingus Springs

2008-09-05T22:19:00.000-07:00

East of Prescott there is a little place called Mingus Springs camp http://www.mingussprings.org/. It sits quietly in the pines off of the highway between here and Jerome. What an amazing little spot to get the heck out of dodge and just be. We were able to spend time with Henry who has run this camp for forty years. He's innovative, hard working and content. It's been a long time since I've been around someone who has loved doing what they do and projects thankfulness in a really humble way like that. Henry taught us about gabions as well. He is a heck of a nice guy.

Spending time there today with my friends made me realize how fortunate we are to live where we live. Life is good. Time goes fast. Way too much of my time is spent leveraged against the clock. If nothing else, today was a good reminder to slow things down a little bit. Get outside in the mud, dirt and mess of life. Life can be tough at times, but man do we have it good on this side of things if we just choose to see it.

Hope I get to go back soon to Mingus Springs.

Death by love

2008-09-03T22:00:00.001-07:00

New book coming out by Mark Driscoll and Gary Breshears. It's style and relevance to the culture we engage with everyday is amazing. Please check this video out that previews the soon to be released book. Thanks!

Stealing Jesus

2008-09-03T21:52:00.000-07:00

My friend Scott Nickel taught a series called Stealing Jesus. It addresses how many of us speak for Jesus, but don't really listen to what he has to say. It's so true. I want to encourage anyone who reads my ramblings. Dad and Mom, Linda in my case. ;)

You have got to check this series out and start digging into who jesus was and what he said. It will change everything you do. Here is the link.

http://www.flatironschurch.com/messages/messages.php

Enjoy! By the way, you can also download the pdfs for some discussion questions. Check out the bibliography page.

Huskers week 1

2008-09-03T21:40:00.000-07:00

The Huskers are back in action again. It was a good showing by the boys in red. Especially the first half of play on offense and defense. The second half was not so good. Less emphasis on playing the fundamentals defensively and Joey got a little sloppy with decision making.

Things that really stuck out to me.
1. Passion: Bo and Carl's animation and love for the game comes through. The defense is fast and will continue to improve over the coming weeks.
2. Joe Ganz is a good leader and a solid quarterback.
3. Tight ends actually returned to being a part of the offense for more than a drag route.
4. Speed on defense. Ty Steinkuhler, Barry Turner and Cody Glenn are freakishly talented kids who plays at full tilt.
5. Alex Henery is a weapon and will win us 2 games this year.
6. Our nickel defense was effective most when it delivers those crazy bo blitzes.
7. Players from previous dominant NU teams were once again on the sideline...awesome thing to see again.

This week we play San Jose State. This should be a great game for us on offense to put up 40+ points again. Hopefully in the next couple of weeks we will get to enjoy the running game a little more with Helu and Castille slicing and dicing between the tackles. Look for some big plays this week to our tall tight ends and a huge pass play to Swift again.

All in all. It's the fall. I'm glad college football is back on the radar again. Go big red!

Baby #3

2008-09-03T21:34:00.000-07:00

Well in case you didn't know. My wife and I are expecting a third baby in our home. We found out today it will be early April when we will bring that little one into our lives. We are thankful and very blessed to be parents again.

Regardless, I've been reading a lot of wisdom literature from the bible. Trying to gain wisdom and knowledge to prepare for yet another lesson in humility with next son or daughter that comes home with us next year.

Anyone have any great practical advice for me? Encouragement or instruction? Just curious.

Once every two months isn't bad..

2008-07-15T15:53:00.000-07:00

Well, well, well. It's been awhile since I've written anything. I figure once every two months isn't bad.

A lot has happened in these past sixty days.

1.My new job is incredible and pushes me spiritually, physically, mentally. Love it lots. The team I work with is fun and nothing replaces what you learn through the steady rhythm of life in the summer months.

It's weird getting older and sharing work life with friends that I went to school with. I remember what it felt like to be on camp team back in college and to work with the camp deans back in the midwest. At the time we thought we knew everything and we didn't know crap. But, hindsight is always twenty twenty.

Our summer staffers have worked incredibly hard. Sometimes putting in 16 hour days. It's cool to see them building stronger relationships with God, each other, students and pastors. I'm proud of the great effort they take to seek God first.

2. I spent 21 days apart from family.
Not good, but sorta necessary. My incredible wife had been away from all that she had know her whole life for six months and it was time for a trip back to memory lane. She took the kids to see our family back in Kansas and Nebraska. Good times for them as there were many fun activities planned by our parents who love seeing their grandkids smile and spoil them rotten. My family here at camp helped me get through that time. I was able to spend some quality time with the guys from summer staff here at camp and the program team homies.

3. I'm an uncle.
My brother Nich and his wife Amber helped make me an uncle to Carter Roscoe Herrington on July 13, 2008. It feels great to be an uncle and hopefully I will be able to spoil him in the coming years. It's weird that my baby brother has a son, but amazing to see God blessing our family with another little guy.

4. New challenges.
Trying a couple new things as well. Trying to lose 30 pounds in 30 days which I've heard is unhealthy, but I think it's also unhealthy to not try. ;)
Trying to live the gospel, love people and love Christ's church. I think I've tried one of these at a time, but not all three with all of my heart...so here I go.
............. read some older books instead of the trendy stuff.
............. play my guitar once a day.
..............eat more dark chocolate, drink more dark coffee

All in all.
Life is great.
Head up.
Eyes on Jesus.
Ready.
Go.

Insight

2008-05-01T14:40:00.001-07:00

I appreciate the insight I receive from other people I'm working with and studying with. After moving here in January I've realized how much I miss my family and close friends. They've been the sounding board through the recent season in my life.

And I miss them a great deal. I'm thankful for new friendships that are emerging during this season of new things....

Have you ever had someone in your life that could always cause you to think? They had a gift to pull the best out of you?

I'm beginning to see, I'm slow at this, how fortunate I am to have you these new friends during this time of transition in my life. We would call this gift, insight.

Insight is defined as the act or outcome of grasping the inward or hidden nature of things or of perceiving in an intuitive manner. The Bible calls this wisdom and their are loads of verses you can read from the Proverbs alone regarding wisdom.

Take a minute today and thank someone who is a soundboard for you. Thanks to my friends who are willing to speak into my life.

Guitar surgery and guitar players

2008-04-22T22:39:00.001-07:00

I love playing my Guild D-30 guitar. The guitar is in surgery right now getting some much needed attention after moving to the driest environment on the planet. Thankfully, it will be safely within arms reach in the next couple of days.

At thirty I realize a couple of things about music now,

1.Playing the guitar is a lot of fun and it's therapeutic.

2.I've always wanted to learn how to play lead guitar, but rhythm is where my strengths lie. I'm cool with that....

3.I hope to learn to play lead guitar like some of my friends Justin Ostrander, Jake Eyler or Holohan I really do nothing that unique to pull all the incredible tone out of the guitar like these guys do. But I'm learning.

Musically I'm trying to listen to some new bands. For instance, Carrie and I heard the band Vampire Weekend on SNL. Amazing band. Fun name. Great music. Really crazy stuff.

Tonight I was reading up on all things acoustic guitar and heard about a guy named Andy McKee. You have to check this video out. It is incredible. If you are a fan of Phil Keaggy you will love this. Videos like this, inspire me to learn and show me that I'm a pleeb musically.

Gospel Music

2008-04-15T19:39:00.000-07:00

There's Power in the Blood
I'll Fly Away
When We All Get to Heaven
How Great Thou Art
Tis So Sweet to Trust in Jesus

There is the order for senior's day tomorrow. Good to go, let's do this thing.

Songs like this give me hope that one day we will return to writing songs that endure for the church about the power of the gospel, hope and faith.

Do you remember when O Brother Where Art Thou? came out a few years ago. The movie was great, but the music was incredible and inspired thousands to remember how powerful acoustic (bluegrass) music is connecting our hearts to our minds.

Well, senior's day won't be that kind of experience, but I'm thankful that I get to play music with my friend Chris. And I'm thankful as well that it reminds me of where I came from and paints a picture of where I think faith leads us.

Viva La Vida

2008-04-15T19:36:00.000-07:00

I'm a huge fan of Coldplay and I was excited to read this article this evening.

Brian Eno is a great producer and pulls greatness out of each project he directs. And by the way, he is at the helm of their new project. If you enjoy great guitar work and still enjoy listening to whole albums of music and not individual tracks. Pre-order this sucka as soon as you can.

Leading worship

2008-04-14T20:40:00.000-07:00

I'm leading worship for Senior's Day on Wednesday. It's been awhile since I've done this. I'm thinking that this maybe the time to bust out some good ole gospel medleys and all.

Any suggestions for the event? I'm listening if anyone has suggestions.

Spring Game Craziness

2008-04-14T20:35:00.000-07:00

Last week while awaiting the shuttle from Phoenix to Prescott, I watched the Florida spring game at Dick Clark's in Terminal 3 at Sky Harbor.

Florida is a great program. They have the returning Heisman winner and a boatload of talent. They are fast and really good on offense. Tim Tebow played with a 102 fever. Pretty incredible, really good coach and crazy fans. All of these things impressed me, but then I checked huskerpedia and saw this article.

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?id=3346892

If you thought college football fans were nuts you were right.

Go Huskers!

No country for old men

2008-04-14T20:10:00.000-07:00

I recently enjoyed watching No Country for Old Men. I'm going to cautiously recommend this movie knowing that some people will automatically not watch it for the same reason we avoid most stuff that challenges us, but regardless.

This movie was great. I enjoyed the barrenness of the film which was shot entirely in Texas. I just flew over the area in which it was filmed on my way back from Kansas and the landscape begs for a movie of desperation to be shot there. I remember hiking in on the edge of West Texas and New Mexico over ten years ago. The land is vast and empty. I thought the land is as much a character as the actor is in the film.

The villain/psycho killer (Javier Bardem) was a crazy glue sniffing type of character who was also fairly moral, strangely enough. He's chasing down an everyday guy (Josh Brolin) who stumbles upon a boatload of heroin and money while hunting one day. (Woody Harrelson) shows up in a fairly comical arrogant role and then is humbled while in pursuit of Bardem's character.

The sheriff (Tommy Lee Jones) weathered as ever and wise, is sadly comical and he steals the screen with his believability as well. He is hot on the trail and is slowly piecing all of the elements together, but is always a step behind if you know what I mean.

The pace of this film was great and I enjoyed this film way more than I thought I would. It was a pleasant surprise. It reminded me of the best parts of westerns and the best parts of thrillers that I've enjoyed as well.

The Coen brothers have made other thought provoking films such as Fargo and O Brother Where Art Thou?, they have an uncanny ability to make difficult characters likable. For those who are fans of The Usual Suspects or Boon dock Saints you should enjoy this film. If you dislike dramas that are dark stay away from this film and rent Live Free or Die Hard. Although you will dislike No Country for it's heavier story and content. I think it deals with the subjects of greed, malice and vengeance as honestly as any movie I've seen.

Giddy up. I'm watching Once with Carrie tonight. I hope it lives up to the hype.

And can it be?

2008-04-08T21:03:00.001-07:00

College football is not that far away. I'm so excited and cannot wait to see what the Huskers look like in their first game.

I know it's again western michigan, and can it be that we may have a defense again?

http://www.omaha.com/index.php?u_page=1200&u_sid=10304518 can it be?

Only ten days until the spring game.

Wichita

2008-04-08T20:49:00.000-07:00

Ahhh, Wichita....

Finally got here. Interesting day it was my friend. There is one person who reads this. Thank you Linda. :)

American Airlines stands for, your flight has been delayed thirty minutes do to backed up air traffic above the city. Fun.

Seriously, I'm weird. I love spontaneity. Just not when it inconveniences me. I love flexibility, but only when I'm not always willing to reciprocate. As much as anyone I want a second chance, but, you can see where this is going, I don't want to hand them out.

Today was a reminder of patience, grace and not being in such a big hurry. Sure I only got to see my in laws for like ten minutes before they went to bed, but I did get to see them. And that is why I came here to make connections, albeit brief ones, but to do it face to face. To expect others to be spontaneous, flexible and to extend grace during my time here.

Wichita. All these things came to mind as I was driving here. As much as I hate being away from my family, friends and home. I love what happens when I have the chance to think. When my flight is delayed and the rental car bus is late. Great things happen when my plans are delayed. Am I willing to see these things in those moments?

Sick

2008-04-03T17:53:00.000-07:00

Well, the family was sick today. No, fun at all. I thought Charis had avoided this quick takeover of the family, but then she literally blew up all over her car seat.........

With one of my best friends in the car.

In that one moment I realized Jenn may wait for ten years before she has kids. This comes on the back side of many conversations that have gone like this. Kids are great they're so much fun you guys should have one, blahhhhhhhh.

Oh, fun times today. I read a lot, sent emails, cleaned the house, did laundry, made coffee and tried to avoid the sick bug. So far, so good.

Humility

2008-04-01T20:49:00.000-07:00

I read a book recommended from Mark Driscoll's blog via theresurgence.com. Let me say for the five people that read this. I admire and love the effort theresurgence.com takes to support the church and help with resources for disciples of Jesus. I'm loving it and here is my suggestion to you all. Humility by C.J. Mahaney.

This book is killing me guys. It's an easy read and good reminder of how important common grace is for the Christ follower.

Taking risks

2008-04-01T20:33:00.000-07:00

I spent today working with my team. It was great and the beginning of some great things for ucyc. We are taking risks, calculated ones in the near future. But bigger, more uncertain things lie ahead of us.

I was reminded of this idea tonight while watching my daughter Charis walk on the front porch. It is a blast watching my kid walk...it makes me smile. When she approaches a step because she has no depth perception, she will lay down on her stomach and slide and tell her feet hit the ground.

This looks hilarious, but it makes perfect sense. In fact, she gets it. She realizes that right now for her to get to where she is going she has to drag herself, get dirty, scratch her legs, crawl, scrape whatever to reach her goal. She has to risk to reach her goal.

We have to risk to move forward with anything we do.
Will I risk and ask for forgiveness?
Am I willing to risk security for integrity?
Why is it so hard to truly trust God?

Life is good and presents us so many choices. Will I choose to live a risky life?

I

Notes from Sunday

2008-03-31T19:22:00.000-07:00

The following are some of the notes from Kinnaman's talk at CCV.

What is our motive as we follow Christ?
-Make disciples or make Christians to occupy buildings?

Christianity no longer looks like Jesus intended it to look.
-This is a difficult statement to make and even more difficult to understand.
-The message of Jesus will be offensive does mean that we have to offend.

What are the images of our faith?
How are they being expressed in our lives?

Depth in our faith.
-We've embraced Jesus, but haven't become disciples.
-He shared a freakish stat about the amount of Christians that don't embrace a Biblical world view. If you've read the book you've seen this chart.

He shared from Luke 7.
-Jesus feet are anointed with oil by the sinful woman.
-Jesus tells the parable of forgiven debt

She gave because she was forgiven much by Jesus. Simon didn't give because he embraced an idea, but not a faith with depth. His faith was a barrier to others and not a bridge.

Is your life a spiritual barrier to others?

Valley of the sun

2008-03-28T16:37:00.000-07:00

So, I was fortunate to spend a couple of days in one of my favorite places this week. Phoenix...it is a great city. Sure it's busy, you can see the air, traffic is as backed up as a guy who ate too much cheese. But I love it and it's nice to feel surrounded by people. There's something comforting about it.

I'm heading back there tomorrow to here David Kinnaman share about his new book unChristian. It's excellent and is a must read for anyone who takes their faith seriously. He will be sharing at the alternative service at CCV.

In preparation for tomorrow, I've been searching my heart. I would like to think I'm culturally savvy enough to take on any subject. But, I think that's my biggest issue. Pride. I'm all of the chapters in that book and it's embarrassing. I need redemption from it all. I need hope and grace to navigate through this life.

In the midst of this crappy reality. I seek to follow Jesus. Praying that humility will be embodied in my life on the road ahead.

It dawned on me how much opportunity I have to cling to hope. Hope is the fuel for living in a timely way with timeless faith.

Allergies

2008-03-25T17:05:00.000-07:00

For as long as I can remember I've been allergic to something. Milk when I was little. Penicillin when I was a toddler. Girls when I was in junior high. Bills when I was in college. When I was young, my mom would always warn me to avoid cats and so I did with a holy passion. Unfortunately, last year I found out I'm allergic to dogs and everything else in Kansas. Allergies, they suck, really bad. For those of you fortunate enough to not battle allergies. I heart you.

I was reading about some organic vitamins that would help me lose visceral fat, rest better and fight against harmful allergens. And I thought, sweet, let's go for it and then I read reviews of the products through amazon and the comments spoke to otherwise. My hopes crushed..

I say this because this morning while David was wiping his eyes like an old lady at a Neil Diamond concert, it donned on me that we all could move to Hawaii. Because everyone from the midwest moves here to get away from allergies, but then it sunk in that there is more green in Hawaii than there is in Kansas. Although we might accidentally run into the cast members of Lost and make the journey totally worth it.

Fellow allergy sufferers I feel your pain. I heard Iceland has no allergy issues. Maybe that would work?

Catching up...

2008-03-24T19:26:00.000-07:00

Today was a beautiful day. The weather is so nice here that at times I have to scratch myself to remember that I live in Arizona in the mountains. What an incredible gift to live, work, raise kids in such an amazing place.

Don't get me wrong, I loved Manhattan. The sun didn't come out quite as often as it does here.

I'm trying this blogging thing out. My friend Chris encouraged me to try. Of course his blogs kicks butt and mine reads like the part of the paper that you take to the bathroom with you just to make it through the experience.

For better or worse, I'm here and I will apologize in advance. :)