Quote For The Coming Year

“I am the new year. I am an unspoiled page in your book of time.

I am your next chance at the art of living. I am your opportunity to practice what you have learned about life during the last twelve months.

All that you sought and didn’t find is hidden in me, waiting for you to search it but with more determination.

All the good that you tried for and didn’t achieve is mine to grant when you have fewer conflicting desires.

All that you dreamed but didn’t dare to do, all that you hoped but did not will, all the faith that you claimed but did not have—these slumber lightly, waiting to be awakened by the touch of a strong purpose.

I am your opportunity to renew your allegiance to Him who said, "Behold, I make all things new."
Anonymous

Getting Ready

This morning, my sweetheart woke at 6:45 to babysit a real baby. She is taking care of Lela, a 7 and a half month old today with her mom. They are both getting ready for the real thing that is due on January 9th (or if El had her way...today). It was sweet to see the little girl look at me and smile that cute and innocent smile. It melted my heart. I am so excited to be a Daddy!

In related news-Well, I guess I have to share this with you and maybe get a little feedback from parents out there. I have been waking up in the middle of the night for the past few nights with knots of worry in my stomach, questions racing through my mind-"Will I be a good Christian father?" "Will I be there for her and her needs?" Will I teach my little girl that God is love and that her life is His?" "Will I help her to truly know Jesus?" All of this has been coming to me at around 2:30 or 3:00 in the morning. I am nervous and a bit scared. If you have any thoughts on this as mothers and fathers out there, please help me out by comment or email.

Happiness

I'm happy because...

Our new preacher-man has moved in and begun his ministry with us here in Marble Falls. I am ready to go to work with him.

Last Sunday evening 22 of us traveled to Gateway Villa to carol, hand out homemade Christmas cards and spread cheer with the elderly folk there. It brings tears to my eyes to see their joy from song and visitation from our teens and tweens.

Last night new people came to study from God's Word at our house. Greg Neill was also there to impart his wisdom on John 17: "The Real Lord's Prayer!"

My baby is going to come quickly!

My Mother-In-Law is flying in tomorrow. My wife is jumping up and down about seeing her mom again. It makes me feel good when El feels good.

Christmas is around the corner. I love this time of year!!

Truth Is Truth

"Whatever you do, don't limit your reading to religious books. Read recent novels, old classics, biographies, short stories, essays, articles. Christians aren't the only ones speaking truth. Truth is truth, regardless of who says it." - Mike Yaconelli

For Future Youth Leaders

"If I can get the kids to see me as their buddy, then they'll open up their lives to me, I thought. Well, it worked-unfortunately. That summer, as an intern I had a bunch of spiritually marginal kids treat me like a buddy. But there was a wee problem: It put me in a position of impotence. I had earned their confidence, but I hadn't earned a place of authority in their lives, the right to speak to issues from a godly perspective. I was just one of them-no more. Ministry-wise it was a total dead-end.

I remember John; he was just a sophomore, but he acted much older. He had a quiet confidence that made him way cool. I admired his self-assurance and hung out with him, hoping to gain his favor, to get an in with him. It wasn't all about my wanting to be accepted-I wanted to have a spiritual impact on him, though I had absolutely no idea how I would do this or what it would look like. I listened to-and laughed at-John's off-color jokes, maybe making an "oh, behave" face occasionally. I compromised to win his trust, and I got it. He trusted me enough to let me into his life. But I had absolutely no spiritual impact on his life. None. Zip. Maybe even a negative impact.

The role of youth worker is not to be a buddy or pal. If you hang out with teenagers all the time and see them as peers and best friends, something is wrong with you and you shouldn't be in youth ministry. Sure, you'll befriend kids. But you're their leader, and that defines you as a different kind of friend. Yes, you'll hang out and talk about things other than Jesus. But your relationship with students, as chummy as it may seem at times, needs to maintain the foundational understanding that your reason for hanging is not to be a pal-it's to have a spiritual impact on their lives." - Mark Oestreicher

The Most Wonderful TIme Of The Year

The last few days have been a blur! If you will indulge me; I would like to recount them here for you, dear reader:

Saturday - The teens got together for the Progressive Dinner/Christmas Party.
First, we traveled to the home of Chris and Julie Bridges for appetizers (spiral sandwiches, chipotle cream cheese, chips and salsa). There we played Christmas Song trivia and tried to guess how many M&Ms were in the Christmas jar (1924, to be precise).

Then we headed over to Bryce Gage's house for caesar salad and cheese soup. The teens made christmas cards for the elderly at Gateway Villa (we will be caroling for them this coming Sunday evening).

The 3rd stop brought us to the Futrell's Christmas Extravaganza Abode (I have never seen a house so chock full of Christmas ornaments and decorations. It is quite a sight to see!) where we stuffed ourselves silly with brisket, corn pudding, coleslaw, beans and rolls, but not before we sang carols for our supper.

We finally wound down to the Jamar's residence where we drank hot cocoa, wassail and munched on roasted marshmallows and all sorts of cookies. There we gave away prizes to the winners of the trivia and M&M guessing game. We also held the Dirty Santa gift exchange. What a great night we had!

Sunday - The teens got together in the evening and went to see the Nativity Story at the Driftwood 8. Great movie!

Monday - Marble Falls Middle School/High School held their Christmas Choir Concert. The house was packed and there were 2 standing ovations. Several of our teens and tweens participated and many from the church family were there in the audience. Our own Bryce Gage has turned the music department around so quickly and so well that parents and teens are flocking in droves to support and join what they are doing. I am so happy to see a growing arts department! It takes me back to the good old days at BAHS where the Choir and Drama Departments held full sway over the community.

Tuesday - I caroled the Marble Falls High School hallways with the combined choirs in the morning and subbed for the rest of the day.

Today - Getting ready for the arrival of a new colleague this week. Greg Neill will be coming into town on Friday and officially begin his ministry here with us. I am looking forward to it! A little nervous+a lot eager=very excited!!

Jessieville Lions Beat Junction City Dragons 20-19!

And it's official! Jessieville (my old stomping grounds near the Village) took home their first ever state championship in football. The Jessieville Lions roared into War Memorial Stadium in Little Rock and ripped into the Junction City Dragons, beating them 20-19 in the chilly 20 degree weather. I am very proud of the team-including some of my former youth group, and coaches Don Phillips and Jamie Saveall. I know they are relishing the sweet taste of victory tonight! My buddy, Jim Gardner, called me to leave me some exciting news of the win. We are proud of their awesome achievement! If only we could have been there to share in the excitement!

Baby Update

Here is a quick baby update on little "Pepo" as El and I have taken to calling her. Yesterday, El and I traveled to Georgetown to meet the delivering doctor for the 1st time. He is a great guy and put El's fears of possible preeclampsia to rest with a thorough battery of tests and a great bedside manner. He did a songogram on El and made a dvd of pictures and several 3 second videos of the little one. She has El's nose and lips! She is already a cutie! We are both very impressed with Dr. Matt Romberg. We will be seeing him every week until the baby comes. These are exciting times!

Little Bethlehem

This past Sunday evening 35 of us took both vans and traveled to see Little Bethlehem in Burnet. This was my first time to experience this great wonder.

Little Bethlehem, located in the heart of Burnet, is a small representative of what the town must have been like. It is complete with actors and actresses portraying towsnpeople, bakers, jewelers, candle makers, shepherds, criminals and Roman soldiers.

One can travel through the shops-watch as candles are made-peek into the tavern-find there is no room at the inn-pet the sheep, donkeys, and camels-watch the baker in action and taste the fresh Bethlehem Bread-and follow the star to see Mary and Joseph holding baby Jesus in their arms.

The members of the Baptist church in Burnet have truly outdone themselves in recreating Bethelehem. This was a great experience for EL, the Youth and me. I will post pictures of it in my next blog.

Merry December!

Happy first day of December! Elizabeth rolls her eyes at me because I usually get the Christmas spirit a little earlier every year. This year I started listening to a few select Christmas tunes before Halloween and she got on to me. OK, so I admit I am a bit overzealous this year, but I just can't help it. Don't be surprised, dear reader, if the December blogs are filled to the brim with hints of egg nog and figgy pudding!

---------

"Our hearts grow tender with childhood memories and love of kindred, and we are better throughout the year for having, in spirit, become a child again at Christmas-time" - Laura Ingalls Wilder

---------

The weather is cold here today. I am surprised that it can get down to the 20's and 30's here in the south central hill country of Texas. I like it! With the weather like this, I like to cook my favorite-Mom's Beef and Vegetable Soup and curl up with some good reading. In addition to my book, I have some extra reading today: "West Nile Vaccine Journal Review" by Elizabeth Mitchell (17 pages), "Abram's Animal Ceremony in Genesis 15: An Exegesis of Genesis 15:7-21" (9 pages) and "Preaching the Lord's Supper" (24 pages) both by my buddy Allan Stanglin. I look forward to soaking up some knowledge.

----------

Michael Bishop has been a strong and faithful member of our family here in Marble Falls. Recently, he has been afflicted with the West Nile Virus. Rarely does this virus bring great harm, but in Michael's case it has. Michael's immune system was too low and unable to fight the virus and he is struggling with the effects. His family is in need of fervent and faithful prayer. Please take some time out of your day and pray for the Bishop family.

Explaining Eternity

"If you have a steel ball, solid steel, the size of this earth, 25,000 miles in circumference, and every one million years a little sparrow would be released to land on that ball to sharpen his beak and fly away only to come back another million years later and begin again, by the time he would have worn that ball down to the size of a BB, eternity would have just begun." - Chuck Swindoll

"Along with that, even young children are having to deal with peer pressure and other societal influences.

Beyond the drugs, sex and rock'n'roll their boomer and Gen X parents navigated, technology and consumerism have accelerated the pace of life, giving kids easy access to influences that may or may not be parent-approved. Sex, violence and foul language that used to be relegated to late-night viewing and R-rated movies are expected fixtures in everyday TV.

And many tweens model what they see, including common plot lines "where the kids are really running the house, not the dysfunctional parents," says Plante, who in addition to being Zach's dad is a psychology professor at Santa Clara University in California's Silicon Valley.

He sees the results of all these factors in his private practice frequently.

Kids look and dress older. They struggle to process the images of sex, violence and adult humor, even when their parents try to shield them. And sometimes, he says, parents end up encouraging the behavior by failing to set limits — in essence, handing over power to their kids.

"You get this kind of perfect storm of variables that would suggest that, yes, kids are becoming teens at an earlier age," Plante says."

An email forward was sent to me from Allan, our associate minister, with this article tackling the topic of children as early as elementary school trying to live like teenagers. It is quite a sobering idea for parents out there and for those, like me, that have a child on the way, to deal with the issue of kids wanting to be older and wanting to make more adult decisions. It's my prayer that we can shield our children from this mentality and help maintain their innocence in a fallen world.

Experience

I have been getting my feet wet recently by speaking in the pulpit while Allan has been away. Although I don't feel like I am cut out to be a preacher, I do enjoy the experience of talking to the entire congregation from time to time. It keeps me on my toes!

------------

Last night 40 from this church family(it was our youth time with some older couples that decided to tag along) traveled over to the Driftwood 8 Theatre to see "Facing the Giants"- a movie about football with a strong Christian message. It was great. It is very evident that this movie does not have any actors, but after a while you forget all about that because the message is so powerful. If their is a theatre near you showing this film, I encourage you to take your church family to see it. It refreshed and renewed my heart for action.

High and Dry

Here I am, left by my local colleagues to hang in the wind! The entire church family is meeting in the auditorium to have a special Thanksgiving Service. Allan, our Associate Minister, has skipped town to be with family. Bryce, our worship leader, has skedaddled over to OK. Our new preacher, Greg Neill, has not yet moved here. So that leave little old me-the youth guy (who Allan lovingly refers to as the Volleyball Net Coordinator)-to come up with a plan. I will try to do the same for you one day!!

Well, I used the word local in the first sentence for a reason. My precher buddy Jim from another state has sent me some thoughts to help me have a nice devotional this evening. I now think that I will be able to stumble through somehow. Thank you, Jim, for all your help!

Well, it has been quite some time since my last blog and for that I am deeply sorry. Between working overtime getting ready for the Friday 5th Quarter, anticipating the visit from our new preacher and his family and substitute teaching, I have been away from my beloved laptop. And I really don't like being away from my laptop. Some of you may know what that feels like.

I will blog later today. Right now I am going to visit one of the teens that is in a residential treatment center and try to take him out to lunch.

Only A Little Bit

I don't have much time to type this. Here I sit in McNeil High School Library while I await the results of the 4 students from Marble Falls Choir and their TMEA All State competition results. I have once again agreed to chaperone and infuse some exciting energy in the students as they prepare to sightread and sing measures from O Schone Nacht by Brahms, The Conversion of Saul by Stroope and a piece by Ralph (pronounced Rafe) Vaughn Williams, among others, that are fairly difficult. It has been a pleasure to hear them as they rehearse their voice parts alone and then to hear them as a large group of Sopranos, Altos, Tenors and Basses. What beautiful music!!

---------

I awoke the other night to the sound of my sweetheart crying out in pain. With a start, I turned to her and got ready to take her to the hospital, but it was not what I thought. Her calf had cramped so tight that she was feeling immense pain. Although I was relieved, I went over to the other side of the bed and massaged out the hard cramp until the muscle was relaxed and she was feeling no pain. After the whole ordeal, she laughed at me and told me noticed that I was on red alert lately and that made her feel good. I guess I do wake up more in the middle of the night if I hear a sound that is out of the ordinary.

---------

Well, I gotta go. They are shutting the school library down now. I will blog more tomorrow!

Quote Of The Day

"How seldom it is that the soul keeps itself silent enough for God to speak." - William Buckhouse and James Janson

Shower of Blessings

This past Sunday evening, EL and I were showered for our baby that is soon to be here! Wow, the days keep flying by. Anyway, our church family here is the greatest. They have given to us time and time again. So much so that A.L. Hahn jokingly took me aside and told me that we were not allowed to buy another house or have another baby in at least a year. He got no argument from me or a tired EL. We are so grateful to this family for blessing us in every way possible. There are no words that can describe how we feel about this congregation. Ms. Ann, our secretary, informed us that the baby will not be ours but will be the whole church's to pamper and spoil and raise. What fun! We are so excited!!

The Latest

Here is the latest that has been happening on the Marble Falls front:

Thursday-I subbed for the Middle School and had some great classes.

Friday-I worked at the office, ate lunch with Allan (who I haven't seen in a long, long time), and prepped for our 5th Quarter for the last football game of the season: Marble Falls vs. Burnet-what a wild game-2 of our guys got hurt one right after the other-Big John Bird (Marble Falls) and then Thomas Levens (Burnet). They are doing fine now.

The 5th Quarter brought 30+ teens and friends to our new house. I got to meet some teens that are from the school and community. The pictures you see are from the party!

Saturday-Kyle B, Thomas G and I babysat for the ladies patriotic brunch. It was fun. We watched Ice Age and played Ratchet & Clank in the Youth House.

That evening, EL and I sat out on the newly uncluttered back patio and played Gin while the sun went down. We only played a few games because it got cold quick.

This morning-In class we talked about how to love people that we can't stand. We came to the conclusion that it's a lot easier said than done, but that it is what Jesus calls us to do as His radical disciples.

Tonight-I will fill you in on the happenings tomorrow afternoon with more pictures to accompany.

I Love Trivia

Tell me what it is?

The word of the day (and the one you, dear reader, must define to me by comment or email) is:

Lenugo.

Inquiring minds want to know.

Hint: It is only found on two types of people!
If you answer with these as well you will get brownie points.

Whaddaya think?!?