Thanks Moms!

Seriously, are there any  harder workers than moms?  I think that we would hard pressed  to discover a more demanding job.  Being married to a beautiful mother of a 3 and 1 year old, gives me a crystal clear shot of the effort, love and intentionality it takes to be a good mom.  So, Amber, thanks for all that you do.  Our kids love and adore you.  They reflect your heart and your spirit.  Thanks for your investment in and care for our little ones — they are and will make you make you proud.  God has chosen you for the most important job in the world — thanks for letting Him work through you.

Go Moms!

 

A Ton of Changes…

The Call to Florida…

Well, it’s been forever since I last blogged and there’s good reason for that.  My family and I, after a strong call from God, uprooted 1,200 miles from Canton, Ohio to Tampa, Florida.  The move honestly was a 2 year process.  God had been preparing me for several years for something new with phrases like, “Spread your wings” and “something new.”  There is no doubt that God had a new ministry assignment for me and because of my love for Him, I had to be obedient.  The move has been physically, emotionally and Spiritually draining for many reasons.  I left family, comfort, success, familiarity and influence for something completely new and unknown.  But, without a doubt, God’s hand has been in this process and we feel so blessed to be in Tampa — working with an amazing church.   You can read more about our move here

Needless to say, moving is a crazy process.  But here are a few things I’ve learned about God, leadership and family during this time:

 

A Christmas Prayer

If you’ve been praying for God to do a work in work in me, well, He definitely is.  The last couple of days, God has opened my eyes to a ton of things and seems to be pruning in all of the right places.

Having a few days away from work has really shown me how important it is to be a good parent.  Jace, our 2 and a half year old son, has been eating up my time at home.  He loves it.  For whatever reason, God has broken my heart for him so many times the past few days.  God has reminded me of some major shortcomings I have as a father — mainly a lack of patience, focus and intentionality.  The realization has hit me like a ton of bricks and at times has literally brought me to my knees in repentance.  I’m not sure why this heaviness and introspection has come on, but I am thankful for it.  Why?  Because I am already changed.  Repentance is a healthy thing…it means an opportunity to “go a different way” and live differently.  I already feel like a different person.  And, most people would probably say that I am a really good dad.  And, I probably am.  But, God is pushing me to be better.  To leave a legacy with my children.  To truly be present when I am home.  To truly invest in my kids when I have the opportunities.  May God continue to push me, break me, restore me and make me better — more like Him.  That is my Christmas prayer.

 

Our Family Values

My wife and I spent some time last week dreaming up values that we desire our family to live by.  As I said in my vows at our wedding, Amber is a gift from God.  I am excited to live out these values with her and lead our family toward a Christ-Centered life.

::Our Family Values::

Jesus

Others

Love

Gratitude

Giving

Honesty

Creativity

Laughter

Effort

Wellness

Rest

 

Why I Coach Football

Tonight, we wrapped up the 2008 season for the Middle School Football Team that I coach.  We had quite the turn-around from last season.  We didn’t win a game last year and this year we went 6-2.  We won our last 3 games and had 3 defensive shutouts.  But here are the main reasons why I coach:

• I am truly interested in developing players to be “built for others.” (check out our team website by clicking here)  It’s my desire to create young men who will grow up to be good husbands and fathers.  Coaching gives me countless opportunities to teach Biblical principles to players at a public school (without ever mentioning Jesus.)  Honestly, the most important thing about this season was a service project we did with the guys at a local mission.  Hopefully, we taught the players the value of living a selfless life.  Check out the video below.

• There is nothing better than seeing a player respond to what you are saying.  It’s an honor and a joy to hear players speak up in front of the team and using language and phrases that they have heard the staff use.  The best thing about that?  They aren’t talking about X’s and O’s…they’re talking about life-things and living differently.

• I love to see when players overcome tough circumstances at home and then become successful players.  Several of our players come from rough backgrounds…with absent fathers.  There is nothing better than helping a player experience success on the field and then saying things like, “I believe in you son.” Or, “you’re a winner and will go far in life.”  For the players who have no fatherly voice, God has provided me and my staff with the opportunity to be just that for them.

• Even though I saw it coming, it was cool to be doused with a Gatorade cooler tonight.  It means that the players had fun this year.

• Tonight, as I tucked in my 2.5 year old son, this is what he said, “I like you coaching football boys daddy!”  How amazing is that?  That’s the best confirmation I could ever receive for doing what I do and making coaching an arm of my ministry and my life.  I pray that my kids will always see the value in investment, coaching, discipling and mentoring.  May I live that out at home first and demonstrate it to my children by pouring into others throughout my life.

 

You’re Related to Me?

My family rocks…

Sorry, I do have to brag once in a while.  Well, tonight, I was reminded of something:  we are all gifted from God…and therefore unique.  Let me give you a little example from my family.

My beautiful wife is sitting next to me working on a design project.  She’s always expressing herself via art.  Check her blog out and you’ll see her giftedness in design and also photography.  I am thankful for my wife because she uses art as an expression.  She’s very good at creating things with her hands.  Honestly, I am not.  So, she compliments me well.  I mean, how many wives like to paint a room or assist their husbands in the landscaping?  It’s cool how relationships work out like that.

My son Jace loves to read and seems to be very organized.  Check out a few photos here and you’ll see how he lines up his toys and makes things orderly.  Sometimes, I sit in amazement as he plays.  He just catches on so quickly.  He loves to read, loves his ABC’s, loves to draw, loves to match and even loves geography (he knows all of the continents).  I have a feeling his intelligence will be handful for us in the future.  But, I am extremely amazed at how God has knitted together this little 2 year old boy.

Elle, my 5 month old daughter, seems to have a very bright personality…she smiles all the time.  But, here’s what I’m really worried about.  I know that all dad’s think their daughter is beautiful, but seriously…I think she’s going to be stunning.  Is that a good thing?  I don’t know…it probably won’t be for us when she’s a teen.  But, as I hold her, sometimes I think to myself, “man she definitely gets her looks from her mom.”    Those beautiful blue eyes and the hint of red in her hair really make her a cute baby.  Again, it’s neat to see how God mixed a little of Amber and I together in order to create such a beautiful baby.

We can all dote on our kids, but here’s something even more cool: they are unique gifts from God.  He already knows their future and exists in their future.  The Creator God decides what specific gift they should have and distributes them accordingly. He knit them together and entrusts them to us.  How cool is that?  There’s nothing like being a daddy!

 

The Rear View Mirror

It’s been a while since I have blogged, but I wanted to share a thought quickly with you.  A few months ago, I came to an amazing realization:  I am not who I used to be.  I am now a husband an a father.  I realized this one day when I looked in my rear view mirror.  Shortly after Elle was born, I had both of the kids in my car.  I glanced in my rear view mirror to the back seat and realized I had not one, but two kids.  My, where did the time go?

 

Yeah, it’s been a while

Yeah, so it’s been a while since I’ve blogged. It’s been a crazy last 5-6 weeks for me. Then, I went through this internal rebellion against blogging. I asked myself questions like, “why should I feel pressure to blog…what’s the fascination with it?” and “what’s my motivation for blogging?” But, anyway, I’m back at it. Here are a few things I’ve experienced and learned since my last blog: