Friday, May 27, 2005
Off To Florida!!
I ask that you pray for me and my sweeetie as we travel. She came in last night (or this morning) at 2:30, woke up at 5:30 and taught a bunch of elementary kids on their last day of school. I am sure that I will drive all of the way. Hey, that is fine by me. I loooove to drive! I just ask that you pray for our safety as we journey on to celebrate our 2nd year of marriage. God has surely blessed me with a wonderful wife. Each year brings with it greater and deeper love. She is the best thing that has ever happened to me.
Thursday, May 26, 2005
Time With Family
Tonight I am spending time with my Dad. We got together to eat some Mazzio's pizza and watch a movie. We talked a little, but being together again was just what we needed. It is great to spend time with family!
Tomorrow my wife and I will leave for Tallahassee to spend a few days with my sister, Misti, her husband, Jeff and their two sons, Kameron and Brendon. Little Kameron is looking forward to spending time with "Uncle Thummy and Aunt Libeth." We can't wait to spend time with him, too!
Then it is off to Orlando for a week. Just me and my sweetie of 2 years. Just us. No phones. No ringing doorbells. No previous engagements. Just time for us, a new family, to celebrate our anniversary on the beach and at Universal Studios. I am so looking forward to this!
Family is a great thing. Don't take it for granted. Make sure that you let your love for your parents, spouse, children, siblings, etc. show in your words and actions. Home is truly where the heart is. It is the one place where you can truly let your hair down and refresh and renew yourself through relationship.
Tomorrow my wife and I will leave for Tallahassee to spend a few days with my sister, Misti, her husband, Jeff and their two sons, Kameron and Brendon. Little Kameron is looking forward to spending time with "Uncle Thummy and Aunt Libeth." We can't wait to spend time with him, too!
Then it is off to Orlando for a week. Just me and my sweetie of 2 years. Just us. No phones. No ringing doorbells. No previous engagements. Just time for us, a new family, to celebrate our anniversary on the beach and at Universal Studios. I am so looking forward to this!
Family is a great thing. Don't take it for granted. Make sure that you let your love for your parents, spouse, children, siblings, etc. show in your words and actions. Home is truly where the heart is. It is the one place where you can truly let your hair down and refresh and renew yourself through relationship.
Tuesday, May 24, 2005
Tubin' In The Sun
The youth group had a great Saturday this past weekend. We all hopped in the van and traveled over to the home of some truly great people in our church: Walt and Shirley. They had the food (which was delicious and in overabundant supply!) and boats ready on the lake for the 30+ kids that attended. Rick, their son, gave a great devotional thought and we had some nice singing.
We tubed from 11:00 to 5:30 or 6:00 on the Sumo, the Patriot, the Mach 3 and many more.
It was fun to watch on Sunday morning as they came dragging in to bible class with sore muscles and faces, arms and legs that closely resembled those of a lobster.
Thanx a bunch to Walt, Shirley and Rick for all the hard work and prep time that they put into this great day! God has blessed us with people like you.
We tubed from 11:00 to 5:30 or 6:00 on the Sumo, the Patriot, the Mach 3 and many more.
It was fun to watch on Sunday morning as they came dragging in to bible class with sore muscles and faces, arms and legs that closely resembled those of a lobster.
Thanx a bunch to Walt, Shirley and Rick for all the hard work and prep time that they put into this great day! God has blessed us with people like you.
Monday, May 23, 2005
Quote Of The Day
"I stake the future on the few humble and hearty lovers who seek God passionately in the marvelous, messy world of redeemed and related realities that lie in front of our noses." - William McNamara
Thursday, May 19, 2005
Feelin' Good
This morning I started a new regimen. I got to the gym at around 7 and met up with my friend, Joey. We worked out for a little over an hour and I have to say that I feel like a million bucks right now. I am a little sore from our 1st workout on Tuesday, but other than that I really have the blood flowin'.
I believe that it is extremely important to lead active, healthy lives. If you do not have a walking, jogging, lifting, pilate, yoga, stretching or any other type of exercise routine in at least 3-4 days a week, then I recommend that you start one. Your outlook on life will be lifted. Studies have shown that not only does regular exercise enhance physical health, but mental and emotional health as well.
It has made all the difference in the lives of me and my wife. We feel good and full of energy, passion and zeal. If you want to lead a fuller, more enriched life; start today!
I believe that it is extremely important to lead active, healthy lives. If you do not have a walking, jogging, lifting, pilate, yoga, stretching or any other type of exercise routine in at least 3-4 days a week, then I recommend that you start one. Your outlook on life will be lifted. Studies have shown that not only does regular exercise enhance physical health, but mental and emotional health as well.
It has made all the difference in the lives of me and my wife. We feel good and full of energy, passion and zeal. If you want to lead a fuller, more enriched life; start today!
Tuesday, May 17, 2005
Just One Of Those Days
Have you ever had one of those days? You know, the one where you spend all day trying to figure out why you got out of the wrong side of the bed? You stay in the grump state from dawn to dusk? I have been in this funk all day long. And I don't know why! I have no reason to feel like this. Yet, here I am with a "case of the Mondays" on Tuesday.
I hastily brushed off a kid from my youth group while snapping at my wife over the phone. I holed myself away from my coworkers. I was not quite as cheerful with the lady behind the desk at Taco Bell as usual. It has been just one of those days. And there is no reason behind it. It just is.
While I encounter this day of grumpiness, I recall the lyrics of a song that my mom and dad would play for me every Sunday morning in my childhood. "Have patience. Have patience. Don't be in such a hurry. When you get impatient, you only start to worry. Remember. Remember that God is patient, too. And think of all the times when others had to wait on you." Just remembering the words to that song (sung by a snail in a dragging, monotonous baritone, I believe) brings a smile to my face.
I have since called my wife and apologized. I am going to see the kid in the group and say some kind words and I know that I will be back in Taco Bell to smile and shoot the breeze with the workers. Reparations are well under way.
Days like this will come upon us whether we like it or not. But when they do it is helpful to stop and bring to mind a little poem, ditty or scripture that speaks to our behavior and attitude. It makes a world of difference. "Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus." (Philippians 2:5)
I hastily brushed off a kid from my youth group while snapping at my wife over the phone. I holed myself away from my coworkers. I was not quite as cheerful with the lady behind the desk at Taco Bell as usual. It has been just one of those days. And there is no reason behind it. It just is.
While I encounter this day of grumpiness, I recall the lyrics of a song that my mom and dad would play for me every Sunday morning in my childhood. "Have patience. Have patience. Don't be in such a hurry. When you get impatient, you only start to worry. Remember. Remember that God is patient, too. And think of all the times when others had to wait on you." Just remembering the words to that song (sung by a snail in a dragging, monotonous baritone, I believe) brings a smile to my face.
I have since called my wife and apologized. I am going to see the kid in the group and say some kind words and I know that I will be back in Taco Bell to smile and shoot the breeze with the workers. Reparations are well under way.
Days like this will come upon us whether we like it or not. But when they do it is helpful to stop and bring to mind a little poem, ditty or scripture that speaks to our behavior and attitude. It makes a world of difference. "Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus." (Philippians 2:5)
Monday, May 16, 2005
As I Arose
As I arose this morning to the break of dawn and the bird singing their sweet songs, I thanked God for his beautiful creation. I heard the cry of my little puppy, Peanut, and the loud motor-purr of my kitty, Gabbi, and I thanked God for his beautiful creation.
There are so many things created by God for humankind to enjoy in this life. Too often, though, they are taken for granted. He wants us to enjoy what He has made. They are a proclamation of His awesome power and might. The prophet Amos wrote: "For the Lord is the one who shaped the mountains, stirs up the winds, and reveals every thought. He turns the light of dawn into darkness and treads the mountains under his feet. The Lord God Almighty is his name!" (4:13)
I encourage you to look around you at the creation of the Almighty and enjoy His beautiful nature.
There are so many things created by God for humankind to enjoy in this life. Too often, though, they are taken for granted. He wants us to enjoy what He has made. They are a proclamation of His awesome power and might. The prophet Amos wrote: "For the Lord is the one who shaped the mountains, stirs up the winds, and reveals every thought. He turns the light of dawn into darkness and treads the mountains under his feet. The Lord God Almighty is his name!" (4:13)
I encourage you to look around you at the creation of the Almighty and enjoy His beautiful nature.
Friday, May 13, 2005
Quote Of The Day
"If someone proved to me that Christ were outside the truth and it really were that the truth lay outside Christ, I would prefer to remain with Christ than with the truth." - Fyodor Dostoyevsky
Wednesday, May 11, 2005
Aliens Among Us
I found this on another blog site and I thought it might prove humorous to parents of early teens. I think it is hilarious!
DUDE, WHERE'S MY SON?
By Jackie Papandrew
www.JackiePapandrew.com
My son recently turned 13, and the last traces of that sweet little boy who thought I hung the moon seem to have vanished. In his place is a strange, slouching creature with a pencil-thin mustache and adolescent angst oozing from every pore. This extraterrestrial I once called flesh and blood, whose mood swings dwarf the Grand Canyon, seems intent on bungee jumping from that rickety bridge connecting a child with adulthood. And I think he plans on dragging his rapidly aging mother along for the ride.
A drastic language change was the first indication of alien infestation in my once cherished offspring. The rosy-cheeked cherub who used to run to me, eyes shining with adoration and shouting "Mommy!" began to address me (and everyone else) as "Dude." At 13 months, he was a sponge, joyfully soaking up new words, becoming more communicative every day. At 13 years, the hormones surging through his body have cut a swath through the speech center in his brain; his mouth, when it speaks at all, produces mere shrunken shreds of complete sentences apparently understood only by other members of his species.
"S'up" is a perfectly acceptable, all-purpose phrase in an adolescent's world. "Mom, I love you," on the other hand, would burn his monosyllabic lips like acid and permanently corrupt his coolness. Communication with this high-tech yet illiterate generation is fraught with frustration. My son, who can't seem to utter two intelligible sentences to me, airs his gripes through text messaging. Just the other day, a message flashed on my cell phone in fractured syntax designed to torture my English major soul.
"i no u h8 me. i try so hard 2 b good. y r u mad @ me?"
Cave men scribbling on walls were more eloquent.
Then there's the alteration in appearance. While I'm desperately trying to avoid bags and sags, this long-haired Neanderthal living in my house embraces them as fashion. Wearing gravity-defying pants slung low across his scrawny backside, he looks just like a baby with an overly full diaper. When I helpfully pointed this out, I got another overwrought, electronic missive that ended with several lines of the text message equivalent of a scream. This modern means of communication does keep the house quiet.
Adolescent males seem to lose all capacity for living like civilized human beings. This means that my boy constantly raids the refrigerator but can't manage to close a door, that he can take 30-minute showers but never hang up a wet towel, that he stuffs freshly laundered clothes back into his hamper rather than putting them away. I find sticky cereal bowls in his closet because he was too lazy to return them to the kitchen, and the lunchbox he claimed he lost growing whole colonies of bacteria under his bed. I now understand why some animals eat their young.
The child who begged me to read to him daily now rolls his eyes in disgust when I suggest we turn off the video games and pick up a book. The angel who proudly showed me off to his kindergarten classmates now pretends not to know the deranged woman waving to him in the middle school hallway. My fall from grace, seemingly overnight, has left me depressed, bewildered and prone to emotional excess.
"You could cut the apron strings without slicing through my heart, you know," I whimper in one of my calmer moments.
"Mom," he mumbles in that teenage tone of voice, "why can't you just act normal?"
Normal is, of course, a relative term. In about 10 years, I will magically return to normalcy as my pubescent boy turns into an adult. At least I hope I do. In the meantime, I'm going to hang on to those severed apron strings. I may need them to strangle him.
Copyright 2005 Jackie Papandrew; http://www.JackiePapandrew.com.
Permission is granted to send this to others, with attribution, but not for commercial purposes.
DUDE, WHERE'S MY SON?
By Jackie Papandrew
www.JackiePapandrew.com
My son recently turned 13, and the last traces of that sweet little boy who thought I hung the moon seem to have vanished. In his place is a strange, slouching creature with a pencil-thin mustache and adolescent angst oozing from every pore. This extraterrestrial I once called flesh and blood, whose mood swings dwarf the Grand Canyon, seems intent on bungee jumping from that rickety bridge connecting a child with adulthood. And I think he plans on dragging his rapidly aging mother along for the ride.
A drastic language change was the first indication of alien infestation in my once cherished offspring. The rosy-cheeked cherub who used to run to me, eyes shining with adoration and shouting "Mommy!" began to address me (and everyone else) as "Dude." At 13 months, he was a sponge, joyfully soaking up new words, becoming more communicative every day. At 13 years, the hormones surging through his body have cut a swath through the speech center in his brain; his mouth, when it speaks at all, produces mere shrunken shreds of complete sentences apparently understood only by other members of his species.
"S'up" is a perfectly acceptable, all-purpose phrase in an adolescent's world. "Mom, I love you," on the other hand, would burn his monosyllabic lips like acid and permanently corrupt his coolness. Communication with this high-tech yet illiterate generation is fraught with frustration. My son, who can't seem to utter two intelligible sentences to me, airs his gripes through text messaging. Just the other day, a message flashed on my cell phone in fractured syntax designed to torture my English major soul.
"i no u h8 me. i try so hard 2 b good. y r u mad @ me?"
Cave men scribbling on walls were more eloquent.
Then there's the alteration in appearance. While I'm desperately trying to avoid bags and sags, this long-haired Neanderthal living in my house embraces them as fashion. Wearing gravity-defying pants slung low across his scrawny backside, he looks just like a baby with an overly full diaper. When I helpfully pointed this out, I got another overwrought, electronic missive that ended with several lines of the text message equivalent of a scream. This modern means of communication does keep the house quiet.
Adolescent males seem to lose all capacity for living like civilized human beings. This means that my boy constantly raids the refrigerator but can't manage to close a door, that he can take 30-minute showers but never hang up a wet towel, that he stuffs freshly laundered clothes back into his hamper rather than putting them away. I find sticky cereal bowls in his closet because he was too lazy to return them to the kitchen, and the lunchbox he claimed he lost growing whole colonies of bacteria under his bed. I now understand why some animals eat their young.
The child who begged me to read to him daily now rolls his eyes in disgust when I suggest we turn off the video games and pick up a book. The angel who proudly showed me off to his kindergarten classmates now pretends not to know the deranged woman waving to him in the middle school hallway. My fall from grace, seemingly overnight, has left me depressed, bewildered and prone to emotional excess.
"You could cut the apron strings without slicing through my heart, you know," I whimper in one of my calmer moments.
"Mom," he mumbles in that teenage tone of voice, "why can't you just act normal?"
Normal is, of course, a relative term. In about 10 years, I will magically return to normalcy as my pubescent boy turns into an adult. At least I hope I do. In the meantime, I'm going to hang on to those severed apron strings. I may need them to strangle him.
Copyright 2005 Jackie Papandrew; http://www.JackiePapandrew.com.
Permission is granted to send this to others, with attribution, but not for commercial purposes.
Tuesday, May 10, 2005
Proud
I attended the Jessieville High School Academic Award Reception in the Jessieville Sports Arena and was pleasantly surprised to find that more than several from our youth were honored for their hard work, service and outright diligence. I want all of you to know that I was busting at the seams for each and every one of you.
Nicole, Jeffrey, Kevin, Kyle and Chae: I am very proud that you have shown yourselves to be outstanding scholars! It is my prayer for you that you will let that energy and passion for academics and sports bleed over in your quest for spiritual maturity as well. Live in such a way that you bring honor to the name of the Lord your God. If you do this, you will make your Father very proud
Nicole, Jeffrey, Kevin, Kyle and Chae: I am very proud that you have shown yourselves to be outstanding scholars! It is my prayer for you that you will let that energy and passion for academics and sports bleed over in your quest for spiritual maturity as well. Live in such a way that you bring honor to the name of the Lord your God. If you do this, you will make your Father very proud
Monday, May 09, 2005
This Morning...
This Morning...I am remembering the great worship that we had here in our congregation yesterday morning. The sermon was great, the singing was outstanding and we honored the hard work and love of mothers.
This Morning...I just came from breakfast with a friend that is shaping up to be a true accountability partner. We talked about life and many things that we encounter on the Journey. "Share each other's troubles and problems and in this way obey the law of Christ." (Galatians 6:2, NLT)
This Morning...I am excited about the things to come. God has a plan for me and I pray that I will step up to the plate and get ready to swing.
This Morning...I hope that you look to God for the answers.
This Morning...I just came from breakfast with a friend that is shaping up to be a true accountability partner. We talked about life and many things that we encounter on the Journey. "Share each other's troubles and problems and in this way obey the law of Christ." (Galatians 6:2, NLT)
This Morning...I am excited about the things to come. God has a plan for me and I pray that I will step up to the plate and get ready to swing.
This Morning...I hope that you look to God for the answers.
Friday, May 06, 2005
Simplicity
While cleaning out the rest of the knick-knacks and leftovers from the townhouse and going slightly mad to discover that it multiplies rapidly when you're gone, I realized that I don't need this much stuff! My neighbor invited me over to take a look at what he had done to his townhouse and I saw a nice, Spartan environment.
When I left his place, I grabbed the 34 Gallon trashcan and went to town throwing things away that I had kept for ages. Elizabeth came home and joined me in the fun. I never knew it could feel so good to throw things away! What an exhilarating feeling. I guess the thought of a more simple life really seems good to me.
God wants us to have a more simple life. Stuff can get in the way of our true focus and goal-Jesus. If we would just clear out the clutter, it would be so much easier to see. Stuff includes toys, games, movies, addiction, anger, pain...the list goes on and on. And it piles up a little faster than we think.
Get rid of it.
Trash it-Sell it-Give it over to God.
What a difference you will see in your life.
The difference that God can make through Jesus.
When I left his place, I grabbed the 34 Gallon trashcan and went to town throwing things away that I had kept for ages. Elizabeth came home and joined me in the fun. I never knew it could feel so good to throw things away! What an exhilarating feeling. I guess the thought of a more simple life really seems good to me.
God wants us to have a more simple life. Stuff can get in the way of our true focus and goal-Jesus. If we would just clear out the clutter, it would be so much easier to see. Stuff includes toys, games, movies, addiction, anger, pain...the list goes on and on. And it piles up a little faster than we think.
Get rid of it.
Trash it-Sell it-Give it over to God.
What a difference you will see in your life.
The difference that God can make through Jesus.
Tuesday, May 03, 2005
Tap Into The Source
Here is an interesting quote from J. Budzizewski's book "How To Stay Christian In College." The book is for those that are entering Unversity life.But it also serves to remindus of what is important/top priority in facing new challenges and curves in the road of life.
"The best advice I can give about getting started is (1) pray, (2) pray, (3) pray, (4) pray, (5)pray, (6) pray, and(7) pray." He then goes on to explain the 7 'prays,' but I found that if one stopped there in the book, the answer would be there. Pray!
Prayer is so many times the untapped resource when, in reality, it should be the first thing we do. James tells us to pray when we are happy, sad, sick, etc. There should never be a time when we don't need this avenue. We are blessed with a direct line to the Big Guy Upstairs and it would be such a shame if we didn't use it.
So, I ask that when you finish with this blog, find a nice quiet place to go to God in prayer about___________. You fill in the blank. Take it all to Him. I know that He would love to hear from you.
"The best advice I can give about getting started is (1) pray, (2) pray, (3) pray, (4) pray, (5)pray, (6) pray, and(7) pray." He then goes on to explain the 7 'prays,' but I found that if one stopped there in the book, the answer would be there. Pray!
Prayer is so many times the untapped resource when, in reality, it should be the first thing we do. James tells us to pray when we are happy, sad, sick, etc. There should never be a time when we don't need this avenue. We are blessed with a direct line to the Big Guy Upstairs and it would be such a shame if we didn't use it.
So, I ask that when you finish with this blog, find a nice quiet place to go to God in prayer about___________. You fill in the blank. Take it all to Him. I know that He would love to hear from you.
Monday, May 02, 2005
The Living Years
I am extremely apologetic for letting the blogs slip by undone. My sweetie and I are now 95% moved into the new house and we are still trying to find our bearings. Add to that the new responsibility that comes with being the proud parents of a 7 week old kitten named Gabbi and a 6 week old puppy (miniature Schnauzer-miniature Yorkie mix) named Peanut and we are learning to modify our schedules for feeding and bathroom times. Well I am here again.
Mike and the Mechanics sang a song in the eighties called "The Living Years." It talked about the relationship, or lack thereof, between a father and a son. The singer pines about the lack of love and intimacy that could have been but never was. The son talks about his dad dying and how he wishes that he had not withheld his feelings and thoughts and love for him.
The song is a great motivation to not let moments pass you by. Seize every opportunity to let those around you know that you love and care for them. Let bygones be bygones. Allow yourself to be like Christ and forgive. Even if the cuts are deep. This life is too short to let grudges control our relatinships with family and friends.
Has someone, be it family or friend, hurt you so bad that you cannot forgive them? I don't believe so. I believe that we can overcome hurts and failures and flaws. I believe that we can tell that person that we won't let these things stand in the way of our love for each other. We don't have time. It hurts too bad to look back and wish we had done things differently. Don't wait-Seize The Day!
Mike and the Mechanics sang a song in the eighties called "The Living Years." It talked about the relationship, or lack thereof, between a father and a son. The singer pines about the lack of love and intimacy that could have been but never was. The son talks about his dad dying and how he wishes that he had not withheld his feelings and thoughts and love for him.
The song is a great motivation to not let moments pass you by. Seize every opportunity to let those around you know that you love and care for them. Let bygones be bygones. Allow yourself to be like Christ and forgive. Even if the cuts are deep. This life is too short to let grudges control our relatinships with family and friends.
Has someone, be it family or friend, hurt you so bad that you cannot forgive them? I don't believe so. I believe that we can overcome hurts and failures and flaws. I believe that we can tell that person that we won't let these things stand in the way of our love for each other. We don't have time. It hurts too bad to look back and wish we had done things differently. Don't wait-Seize The Day!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
