Because today is a special day – Thanksgiving – I have decided to bring in two guest bloggers. If you regularly read my blog, you may feel like you know them mostly because I blog about them quite often. They are my two children, Ty (8) and Lexi (6). I usually edit my writings, but I will allow them to speak in their own words, unedited (unless they say something about me that I don’t like).




What one word best describes you?
Lexi: I have no idea.
Ty: Guitar

What is Thanksgiving all about?
Lexi: It’s about getting together and all your family comes together and they thank God for all the stuff they got and everything. That’s all!
Ty: I’m gonna go with what Lexi said

What is your favorite thing about Thanksgiving?
Lexi: Turkey
Ty: Getting together with your family and family members

What makes you thankful for your mommy?
Lexi: She bakes me lunch, she tucks me in bed, and she gives me everything I want…just kidding
Ty: For her working to make money for us

What makes you thankful for your daddy?
Lexi: He works and he makes money for our house
Ty: He works for us so that **** and I can get toys

Lexi is currently mad because she didn’t want Ty to use her name in the last answer.
Lexi is done doing the interview and has stomped up to her room.
She is back.

What is the most important thing for which you can be thankful?
Lexi: Our family, food, friends, church, the Bible, and God…without Him we would have a dark land (she is going to become a preacher one day)
Ty: I’ll go with God, the Bible, and Jesus dying on the cross (such spiritual children…they were fighting a few minutes ago)

Lexi wants a snack. Ty is using the bathroom. Ty is done now and he also wants a snack. They’re back.

What would you like to say to all those reading this blog?
Lexi: Thank you for reading this blog. Bye.
Ty: I am a famous Lego builder. I am getting guitar lessons soon. I am eight years old. I have over 100 girlfriends. I like to watch TV sometimes. I like to read the Magic Treehouse books. I can count over 600 (not just to 600, but over 600).

I took a break to watch Darius Rucker (lead singer from Hootie and the Blowfish) sing at the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. I actually think that the guest bloggers are all blogged out.

I am truly thankful for my family and I know I take them for granted at times. They make my life so much more fulfilling and I am grateful God has given me each one of them. I pray that God reminds me often of His goodness to me.

I am also thankful for all of you who read this blog and who have become my friends. Each one of you, whether close or far away, are wonderful people and I wish you a very happy Thanksgiving.

This has always been one of my favorite commercials. Have a great Thanksgiving!

If you live in Ohio, tomorrow (November 22, 2008) is a particularly exciting day. The annual Ohio State vs. Michigan college football game will be played at noon and will be witnessed by over 100,000 fans that are willing to brave the elements in hopes that their team will prevail. Millions more, who may be smarter than a fifth grader, will watch the game inside the warm confines of their home. I will be one of those. I must be honest…I am not a huge college football fan. I know…horror of horrors. How can I live in Ohio and not be a football fan? I actually prefer the real football, the world’s sport – soccer! I welcome the smart aleck comments because I am not ashamed to admit that I am more excited about the Columbus Crew playing in the MLS Cup on Sunday night! Go Crew!

Seriously though, I seem to always catch the Ohio State vs. Mich**** game because of the extreme anticipation and intensity which defines this game. Even though Michigan pretty much stinks this year (sorry, they do), anyone can win this game. Record means nothing. It’s all about pride and bragging rights. These players will give their all and hold nothing back. The fans will be going nuts (in the cold, mind you) and millions of eyes will be glued to their television sets with sweaty armpits and palms as if they were the ones playing the game.

And you know something else which is amazing about tomorrow’s game? The labels which we have learned to put on people - Democrat or Republican, black or white, rich or poor - will not matter. Ohio State fans will forget about the differences they have with each other in order to accomplish a greater purpose – rooting their team on to victory.

Do you think the church could learn something from a football game tomorrow?


Addendum – I had to force my eight-year old son to wear his Ohio State jersey to school today (it is college football day). I have properly taught him to be a Duke Basketball fan, but I had to explain that daddy is not proud of Duke Football. I also did not want him to get beat up!

For those of you who read yesterday's post entitled "I'm Looking for Your Advice...Please Help Me," I wanted to provide a very brief update. The mouse is dead. Thanks for all your advice, mostly to those of you who suggested peanut butter...it worked. We can all celebrate knowing that there is one less mouse in the world!

Last night I was being a good husband, so I went down to the basement to put laundry in the washing machine. I turned on the light, set the laundry basket on the floor, and opened the lid to the washer. As soon as I did this, I saw something scampering up one of the pipes on the wall and it proceeded across the water pipe on the ceiling. I’ll give you three guesses as to what this was…and the first two don’t count. Unfortunately, the mouse was not that agile so it lost its footing halfway through its fearful escape. If things happened normally in our family, this mouse would have dropped to the floor and escaped into a hole. Instead, when the fugitive mouse lost his (or her) footing, it fell right into the washing machine. Unfortunately, I had not turned it on yet so there was no chance of a drowning taking place. I quickly rushed to the machine in time to see the mouse climb up the wall and drop itself behind the tub of the washer. This meant the mouse was still inside. About this time my wife comes downstairs and I tell her that she might want to leave. Then an evil part in me, which didn’t remember the emotional scenes of Ratatouille (I had to look up the spelling on that one), decided to put the washer in a fast spin cycle. No luck. The mouse remained. My next strategy was to begin shaking the washing machine which resulted in nothing more than my back hurting. I saw a tennis racket nearby so I grabbed it and threw open the lid hoping that the fugitive would stick its furry, little head out so the score would be 15-Love. No luck on that one either. It was late and I didn’t feel like taking the washer apart so as far as I know, the mouse is still hunkered down in our washing machine. You might be saying, “Why didn’t you just leave the lid up and let the mouse crawl out overnight?” Good question. I need to know FOR SURE if the mouse is still in there or not. Simply hoping that the mouse crawls out would leave uncertainty in my mind and every time I wear my clothes I would wonder if the mouse is still in there.

Proverbs 11:14 says, “Where there is no counsel, the people fall; But in the multitude of counselors there is safety.” I am looking for your help in getting this mouse out of my washing machine. Any advice for me?

At the beginning of the school year, Leah and I felt like both of our kids were at the age where they could handle some light responsibility around the house. If you visited our house today you would find that agreed-upon list of responsibilities taped to the hallway in between their rooms. Most of the things on the list are pretty simple – clean your room, blah, blah, blah. I tried to slip in some good ones such as mow the yard, but since our lawnmower weighs more than they do, we decided that this would be unfair…maybe next year. Along with this list, we decided to also implement a system of rewards and consequences. The most important factor to them is the $2.50 they receive if they complete their responsibilities. Some of you think this is unfair and cheap labor. Others of you may think children should not be rewarded for tasks they should already be doing. Oh, well.

My daughter is very religious about doing these assignments, even if her idea of cleaning her room is rearranging things – mostly to underneath the bed. My son, however, is not so excited about the “list” until it comes time for the money to be given out. Last week, Lexi did all her chores during the week but Ty did not do anything. Toward the end of the week, my wife reminded him of this so he began furiously working for one day. He explained to me that even though he had not done his chores during the week, he had completed some “make-up work.” That is what he called it. In reality he did complete the work, even if it was late. He will get the same reward as Lexi.

This situation reminded me of a parable in the Bible found in Matthew 20:1-16. A landowner goes out to hire men to work in his vineyard. He hired some to work early in the morning, some in the afternoon, and some an hour before the end of the day. When it came time to pay the workers, each of them received a full day’s wage regardless of the amount of time worked. Those who had worked all day became upset at the landowner for not giving them more. How could those who only worked one hour receive the same wage as those who labored all day? The answer is not found in laborers, but in the fact that the landowner was kind and gracious. The landowner represents God the Father who is gracious to all those who labor for Him…even those who begin their work later in life. Remember that it is never too late to do something that matters for the kingdom of God.

See the longer version at the American Airlines website. It is the one titled "Team Building."

During the month of November and December I usually take an alternative route to and from work. The main roads to our house are inevitably cluttered with lots of holiday traffic and I like to avoid being on the receiving end of road rage or the infamous middle finger…so much for holiday cheer! Instead of being right in the middle of all that, I prefer taking the scenic, “back way” which leads me through a couple neighborhoods, a beautiful park, tree-lined streets, and finally to my destination. It is pretty peaceful and only takes me an additional 4-5 minutes. This morning, however, was not so peaceful. Four minutes into my drive I found myself cutting through neighborhood #2 trying my best to drive the speed limit because my worst nightmare is hitting some kid who runs out into the street retrieving a ball. Out of the corner of my eye I spotted something perched on top of a medium sized rock (no, it wasn’t a child) and as I got closer I noticed it was a squirrel. No problem. I was going the speed limit of 25mph, but all the sudden this little squirrel started running into my path. It didn’t even have that last minute hesitation typically evidenced by most normal-minded squirrels when they realize they are in the path of something a thousand times their size. Stupid squirrel! It left me no reaction time to swerve. I simply felt a direct hit bump and then I gave a courtesy look in my rearview mirror. Yep…it was dead. For a minute or so, I felt bad that there was one less squirrel in the world.

Some of you have recently changed the course of your life. You made a decision to transform your old habits and lifestyle to be in line with God’s ways, but the new path you are on has presented you with countless challenges. Many times we envision that a commitment to change brings along happiness, peace, and a life without difficulty; however, a resolution to change generally means disappointment, pain, and struggle. Don’t get me wrong…transformation is worth the effort, but the track to change is often filled with hurdles. The Old Testament prophet Jeremiah offers us hope through his own struggles with disappointment saying, “The unfailing love of the LORD never ends! By his mercies we have been kept from complete destruction. Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each day” (Lamentations 3:22-23). Although you may not feel as if hope is in sight, remember that each day offers a new opportunity to receive God’s mercy. The past is gone and cannot be changed. Begin again today.

My six year old daughter loves to write little notes on pieces of paper and leave them for me. She writes cute little girly things like “I love you, daddy” and “hugs and kisses.” Usually when I go out of town, I can expect a note from her saying “I will miss you, daddy” or “I wish you didn’t have to go.” Since we live in an electronically savvy world, Lexi is starting to also get the hang of typing text documents which enhances her communication process. Here is the exact message she left for me in a word document yesterday, “Hi dad . how are you doing ? I love you so much. If you speack tonight do good.i will do 2 speaiel [translated - special] things for you.i love you kkkiiisssssss.” She is a very sweet and thoughtful girl and I hope she stays like that when she is a teenager!

While I was away last night on an event, my wife committed the cardinal sin- she taught our daughter how to text message. Having worked in youth ministry for many years, I know that this is a bad habit to start. I know students who send over 10,000 text messages a month! Anyway, I received a text message last night while I was on my way home from the event and it was from Lexi. When I got home she was all giggly and didn’t want to speak to me but only communicate through text messages. After some exchanging of texts, I sent her one that said “go to bed” (since she was up two hours past her bedtime). We usually tuck our kids into bed every night, but last night Lexi did not want me to tuck her in; instead, she declared to my wife “I don’t want daddy to tuck me in…tell him to text me in.” My daughter could not wait until she received each text message from me because she knew that the words represented her daddy who loves her.

I hope I love hearing from God as much as my daughter loves hearing from me.

Many moons ago, I used to be quite a bit skinner than I am now. Over the last several months I have come across some “old pictures” and willingly admit that there has been a definite change in my weight. I always laugh it off and chalk it up to getting older and my fast-paced lifestyle. If I can be transparent for a minute, I really would like to shed a few of those extra pounds because I know that maintaining a healthy weight will contribute to my overall quality of life. There have even been a couple times over the last several years that I have actually taken steps to lose weight; however, each time I find myself slipping right back into bad habits. So, I decided to contact Richard Simmons and he has agreed to be my personal trainer for the next six months. Just kidding. I know you would have been jealous.

I’ve asked myself over and over, “why can’t I change this evident problem?” Each time I arrive at numerous conclusions about my repeated failures. First, I have deceived myself into thinking I am fine especially when I compare myself to others. Secondly, I believe I can handle things on my own without the help of others. Last, I know I will just fail again. These excuses are deja vu because they are the same ones we use concerning spiritual transformation. We think everything is fine the way it is. We don’t want to admit our helplessness to God or even enlist others to support us in our spiritual journey. We quit trying to change because we are certain of looming failure right around the corner.

What causes us to buy into these lies? Wrong thinking. If God’s Word shapes our thinking, we will stop comparing ourselves to others and God will be our example for living. God’s Word will then expose our helplessness and drive us to our knees in prayer. This recognition will also cause us to be transparent with others and ask for their accountability in our daily attitudes and actions. The last lie is a little more complicated to defeat because failure is a constant struggle for the follower of Christ. Although failure is inevitable, we should never give up or retreat. We must be brave enough to face these struggles head on and depend on God to provide the strength for us to endure. Maybe you have quit trying to change because of so many failed attempts. Pick up the pieces and start again. The writer in Proverbs reminds us that “a righteous man may fall seven times and rise again…” (Proverbs 24:16).

Transformation is a hot topic in our world and everyone is looking for their opportunity to make a change. Popular television shows promise transformation of appearance, dancing skills, homes, child behavior, marriage, and general happiness. Although these shows may be entertaining, transformation is never mastered by changing the outward. True transformation begins in the heart.

As a follower of Christ, you should be in the process of transformation every day. This process is called sanctification which is striving to obey God in every thought, word, and deed. Paul described sanctification in this way, “Neither yield ye your members [body] as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God” (Romans 6:13). Simply put, our new life in Christ should be used for good, not evil.

So, how does transformation take place? Over the next several weeks we will be discussing the essential elements which will help us be transformed: scripture, prayer, accountability, giving, and serving.

Here is an overview of the series:
Week 1: Get Ready for the New You!
Week 2: Oprah, Dr. Phil, and the Truth (Scripture)
Week 3: Losing the Facade (Prayer)
Week 4: Strength in Numbers (Accountability)
Week 5: Is Money Taboo? Someone Should Tell Jesus (Giving)
Week 6: The Oxymoron of Christianity (Serving)

Do not miss one week of this life-changing series! You can join us at The Summit each Sunday at 10:15am. We meet at Regal Cinema in Green, Ohio which is located at 1089 Interstate Parkway. The cinema is off of I-77 and Arlington Road. See you there!

There are not many things I hate in life, but there is one thing which causes some anger to rise up inside me. Some of you who are Christian thinking people will give me expected answers such as Satan, Sin, and Sex (outside marriage, of course). If you’ve been watching too much political stuff lately, I’m sure you would also add Socialism to that list. Any other S words missing? What causes my blood to boil? Here is my answer: People who claim to speak for God but are, in reality, far from Him or any of His teachings. One such nationally recognized person (or group of people) has been rumored to be making his way to our main campus tomorrow morning all the way from Topeka, Kansas. His name is Fred Phelps and he is the pastor of the hate-filled Westboro Baptist Church. He is definitely not an invited guest, but has chosen to draw attention to himself by coming to picket outside our church during the funeral of Army Sgt. Nicholas Casey. Mr. Casey was recently killed in Afghanistan by a suicide bombing and leaves behind a wife as well as two very young children. Sgt. Casey is the first Stark County soldier killed in Afghanistan since the beginning of the war and was only 22 years old. You can check out the Canton Repository’s article by clicking here.

Mr. Phelps has earned national recognition through going to high profile funerals of fallen soldiers (and notable people such as the Rev. Jerry Falwell and Mr. Rogers from the kid’s TV show) and picketing to communicate his hatred for homosexuality in the United States. He feels that the death of these soldiers is God’s judgment on America’s tolerance of homosexuality. Although I think homosexuality is a sin, I believe the platform which they are using to spread their message is wrong. The more I write, the more I wonder if I should be giving this man any more attention than he has already received. I guess I am just writing to sort through my angry thoughts. This man does not represent Jesus Christ and his actions demonstrate that he knows nothing about God’s Word.

My heart and prayers go out to the Casey family and may they know that Fred Phelps and his deceived followers do not represent our church or the name of Jesus Christ.

Usually I attempt to find a humorous life experience to share with you, but today I have concluded that this has no laughable element, although the thought of it makes me smile. For several years, Leah and I have been talking to our kids about the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ for their sins. Instead of forcing them to “pray a prayer” of repentance and belief in Him, we decided to be patient and make sure that they understood the significance of a relationship with Jesus. Last night, Leah seemed prompted that we should talk to our kids again about the gospel, so we separately talked to them. I sat down with Ty and Leah talked to Lexi. As Ty and I discussed sin and how it separates us from God, Ty honestly confessed that he had broken God’s law. He also understood that breaking God’s law meant that he would have to spend an eternity in hell. Ty even quoted some verses he had learned at church about these truths. Then we had a chance to review a story that our kids have heard numerous times – Jesus came to earth 2,000 years ago as God’s Son and took upon Himself the sin of all mankind; in Ty’s words, “Jesus took away our sins on the cross.” We also recounted the fact that Jesus did not stay in the grave, but He miraculously resurrected from the dead on the third day. I asked Ty if he believed this and he acknowledged that he did. I asked him if he would like to pray and confess his sin and also his belief in Jesus. As he began praying, I could tell he meant it from his heart. After he finished praying, I asked him if he’d like to write what he did in the front of his Bible. Of course he would because he usually doesn’t get to write in Bibles. Ty began to write, in his own words, what he had done. It is his record of repentance and belief. Even though there are some misspellings and crossed-out words, it is his. As he gets older, I know doubt and sin have a tendency to creep into our lives at times and cause us to doubt our belief in Christ. However, I pray that he will rest in the finished work of Jesus Christ and not his own ever-changing feelings. I know the journey has just begun for both my son and my daughter, who also professed faith in Jesus Christ last night. Many trials, temptations, doubts, and fears await them, but I have confidence that God will deliver them out of them all (Psalm 34:19).

You can also visit my wife's blog where she also shares her thoughts on this.

My daughter asked me this morning about the outcome of last night’s election. I explained that Barack Obama had defeated John McCain in the race for the president. Without missing a beat she proceeded to tell me about another election which had taken place in her own classroom at school. Apparently today they will be having a special guest pet in their class, a hermit crab, but my six-year old was not happy about this creature paying a visit to her elementary school. It seems that she and nine of her classmates had voted to bring in a fish instead of the hermit crab.

Some of you can identify with my daughter’s disappointment. You woke up this morning (or stayed up late last night) to find that the person for whom you voted yesterday lost the presidential election. Until this point I have chosen not to blog about politics, but today I just wanted to weigh in on the unending banter between the candidates over the last several months and the final results of this 2008 election. I love the United States and when I voted yesterday I was reminded why. At 6:30am the lines were long and I saw all kinds of people waiting alongside me…a doctor, soldier, school teacher (in front of me), moms with newborns, old and young, black and white, handicapped and healthy, democrat and republican. All of these diverse groups of people were exercising their freedom to vote in hopes that their candidate would bring the “change” our country needs. To me, having a say in who is elected is a huge privilege that I do not take for granted.

Although I voted for the person whom I believe closely represented issues which were important to me, my faith is not in the government, whether republican or democrat. Maybe you think that is a “spiritual” cop out. Maybe it is, but for me “change” does not depend on an elected official. My life did not “change” overnight because of the next president. I hope you did not go to work in a bad mood because of the election results. I hope you are not declaring that the world is coming to an end. I hope you are not making a fool out of yourself by arguing with someone about your strong opinions on the election. Circumstances should not cause our faith to waver. I have confidence that God sees the whole picture. He knows the beginning from the end. This election did not catch Him off guard. The country has spoken – Barack Obama is the next president and Christians should pray for His wisdom as he leads the United States of America.

The king's heart is in the hand of the Lord, Like the rivers of water; He turns it wherever He wishes (Proverbs 21:1).