20 Years and Just Getting Started

I’ll preface this by letting you know this post is about my lovely wife, whom I celebrate 20 years of marriage with today. No offense if you don’t read it, so you have my permission to leave now.

Some people have asked me how she’s put up with me for so long. Easy…she’s the most compassionate, caring and giving person I know. I’ve given her a lot of opportunities to practice those things over the years and she’s become very skilled.

Seriously, I can’t believe that it’s been over 21 years since I first saw her. She looks exactly the same to me. She was beautiful then and she’s beautiful now. She has grown in her faith substantially and has become an awesome woman of God. She’s an example of the Proverbs 31 woman and her wisdom blows me away.

There is absolutely nobody else that I would rather spend time with; not for 1 minute, 1 hour or 1 day. Given the choice, I choose Sharon every time and I’m so grateful that she chose me. I’ll never forget the first date at Disneyland and the first time I held her hand. It’s been those hands that have held mine as we celebrated or faced challenges; when we cried tears of sorrow and tears of joy together.

Together we have 3 AWESOME KIDS, but they wouldn’t be nearly as awesome without her pouring into their lives exactly what God gave her for them.

20 years is a long time, but we weren’t shooting for 20 years; we just promised each other that we would be there for life. Well, I’m grateful that God has given us 20 years together so far and I’m looking forward to as many years as the Lord gives us. I can picture it now…walking into the Coco’s or iHop together for the early bird special, trying to beat the youngsters to dinner and then get home before we need to take our medicine. I don’t mind getting old, because I know we’ll be together and I’ll always be holding her hand.

Questions for Husbands and Wives

I read Perry Noble’s blog quite a bit and within the last two weeks he’s had a couple of posts that were pretty thought provoking. My guess is that there will be some (maybe most) that won’t want to ask these questions of their spouse, which saddens me. Sharon and I have a heart for married couples and I believe that if couples would communicate (not just when they’re arguing), statistics on marriage/divorce would look much different than they do. That goes for “Christian Marriages” too.

Take a look at these posts from Perry and ask the questions of your spouse … if you dare:

http://www.perrynoble.com/2009/07/23/five-questions-husbands-should-ask-their-wives/

http://www.perrynoble.com/2009/08/05/four-questions-wives-should-ask-their-husbands/

Softball With My Bro

I’ll preface this post by saying that my wife DOES NOT handle curvy roads well and has been known to get car-sick on occasion. Well, last night Sharon faced the dreaded curves of the road heading to Barona just for me. No, not for gambling or the buffet, but to watch me play softball with my brother. Not that she loves softball, but because she knows I do.

Anyway, Dan called me up and asked if I could fill in for their team who was missing a few players. Dan pitched, I played 1st base and we won 11-4. It was a lot of fun to get the old softball juices flowing again. There were no injuries and the only problem was that the road got the best of Sharon, on the way there and on the way back. Looks like I’ll be on my own if I’m asked to fill in again.

Thanks for going Babe. I love you too!

30 Years Later

Two weeks ago I got a Facebook message from one of my best friends from elementary school. Yes, that’s right. A friend from 30 years ago contacted me and guess what…he lives in San Diego. We exchanged a few emails and got together for lunch today.

This is us way back when we were 11 years old (I’m the one on the right). It was great to sit down and try to catch up on things that have transpired over a 30 year period. We got a decent start, but catching up is definitely going to require more than 1 hour. Hoping to meet him and his wife for dinner in the near future.

So Cal Youth Camps

This weekend my kids head off to camp. DJ is part of the first group of interns under the direction of Terry V. and Kylie Skiles (they have to be the coolest couple ever). He’s learning about leading and serving and he couldn’t have two better models than TV and Ky. I’m sure he will never be the same.

Jason will be part of the Senior camp which starts this Sunday and Jessica will be part of the Jr. High camp which starts a week from Monday. Sharon and I have tried to model what we want to teach our kids. However, there is something special that happens when your kids get around others they think are cool that are also modeling a Christ-like life (typically as their parent, you are not cool).

I’m grateful for all of the young leaders that take their vacation time to be up at camp with my kids. Year after year they help my kids take another step closer to God and I pray that God will overwhelm them this year as they pour their hearts out for the students of So Cal.

I want my kids to have an encounter with God that will change their lives and God is certainly big enough to do that over and over again for every student at Bethel In The Hills. Please join me in prayer for the students and the leaders at the So Cal camps. God is faithful!

Family Vacation

Last week my family and I took a break and went up to Bishop, CA to do some camping and fishing. We had a blast! The weather was great and the fishing was even better.  Our family caught 40 fish in 5 days of fishing, 2 days at a couple of the lakes and 3 days in the stream.

I caught fish every day except day 2. The rest of my family caught fish on day 2, but not me. I got skunked. I’ll attribute that to a lack of time with my line actually in the water. You see, one of the responsibilities that comes with being a Dad is making sure everyone else’s line is setup (hooks, bait, swivel, bobber, weight) and reels are working properly. You’d think that my 18 & 16 year olds would have learned how to set their own rod up by now, but I guess that was wishful thinking.

Actually, I didn’t mind that they still relied on me for that. The last time we were in Bishop, DJ was 12, Jason 10 and Jessica was 7. Before too long, they won’t need Dad to fix their line, just like they don’t need me to kiss their owie or comb their hair. I am grateful for my family and for the week we had together in Bishop – where I won the biggest fish contest! A whopping 1 lb 2 oz rainbow trout. Maybe next time guys! And maybe next time you’ll clean your own fish too.

That’s My Boy

Last night my oldest son graduated from High School. He’s a fine young man and I’m very proud of him. It’s hard to believe that his high school education is over, since it seems like only a short time ago that we were walking him to his first day of kindergarten. I have many thoughts running through my head about this milestone and about his previous 13 years of school (counting kindergarten). I won’t bore you with all of the details, but let me say this to my son:

DJ, you have made being your Dad one of the greatest honors any man could ever hope to have. I’m excited to see what God has in store for you and I encourage you to keep pressing into the things of God.  He is faithful! Your life is ahead of you and I expect major blessings and prosperity for you. So,  . . . DON’T SCREW IT UP! (Just kidding. I started to cry and had to lighten it up a little.)

I love you son. You make me proud!

Quick Sunday Recap

My brother, Pastor Dan, preached a great message today in our series called Rebel.  Key take away for me is when he read the scripture in Matthew 10:34 where Jesus said, “Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword.” Jesus was the ultimate rebel.

A couple that I’ve known for almost 30 years came to church at Central today. We had the opportunity to go to lunch with them and visit. It was great to see them.

It is great to see how many new people are making New Life RSD their home church. We had 1 person come to NL RSD for the first time last week and then they came at 7:30 this morning to help set up. That was cool!

I’m grateful for our team of hard workers that make it happen every week. You guys are awesome! Looking forward to next week and the final message in our Rebel series.

The Good Old Days

That’s a common phrase for people that are . . . (let me clear my throat) mature. I used to laugh under my breath when I would hear from my parents or grandparents about all of the “good times” they had back when __________ (fill in the blank). I would think, “Why not just enjoy the present? Why are you always looking back at what happened back then?”

As I have become more. . . mature, I have found that I am very much like my parents and grandparents in a lot of ways, including thinking about the past. This year I’ve done that a lot. My son, DJ is graduating from High School next month. Jason turned 16 last week and is already wanting the keys to the car (not happening) and my baby girl, Jessica is a teenager. I remember when they were born; the first day of school; the highs that come with being a parent and the inevitable lows that come as well. I tell stories of great sports exploits (it’s my story, I can tell it like I want), camping & fishing trips, and the year that Sharon and I played yahtzee and cards with the kids every night, because we couldn’t afford cable TV (best year family-wise).

The thing that I realize now is that remembering the “good old days” doesn’t mean you don’t enjoy the present. I think it can actually help you enjoy it more, because you understand how quickly time flies. It seems that it was only yesterday that I had plenty of time to ________ (fill in the blank). Now, some of those opportunities are gone. So, today I have decided to let the lessons of the past, propel me forward. Feel free to join me in remembering the good old days. Now, let’s go and make the most of today!

Enduring

As my family sat down for dinner last Friday evening, I talked to them about a thought I had earlier in the day. On my way to work, I was struck by the fact that Jesus endured a punishment that was undeserved, just because of you and me. The scripture says that He, “for the joy that was set before Him, endured the cross”.

I wonder if He ever thought about quiting. I wonder if He thought, “This is just too much. I don’t deserve this. I’m going home.” I’m so grateful that He endured the punishment for my sake. I’m glad Jesus could look beyond the difficult, painful present and see a future that was joyful and glorious.

There would be no Easter without Good Friday; all of Good Friday, not just the whipping and the spitting and the crown of thorns, but all of it. Why would He do it? Because of the joy that was set before Him.

For me, I can’t truly enjoy the great times unless I endure the bad. What have I set my eyes upon? Is it joyful or is it worrisome and stressful? I have a feeling that will determine if I can endure or not. Thank you Jesus for not being a quitter and for setting the example of enduring; looking ahead to a better day!