we are family

tonight, we began a new conversation at the Stirring ... we are family ... amazing ...  

our prayer is that we would see and get God's heart for family ... that God is calling us out of a dark room on Sunday nights into family ...

it's so easy to come to church every week and sit in a chair, but church is more than a chair ... it's a family ... fathers and mothers, brothers and sisters, and sons and daughters ... God has this passion for family ... we were created for family ... 

tonight, I realize how deep and how significant this family conversation may be ... after each service, I spoke with all kinds of people about their families and fathers and divorce and abandonment ... we are so deeply wounded ... and this is why God calls us into a new God family ...

I can't wait to see how God shapes us to be the family He created us to be ...

 

long day

today was a long day ...

I woke up at 7 in the morning ... I met some friends to film at 8 in the morning ... we shot a couple of scenes for a short film I've been working on ... it was cold ... it was windy ... it was miserable ... we cancelled the shoot ... I went home bummed ...

I took a quick nap ... it ended up being a long nap ... I woke up at 2 in the afternoon ... I spent some time with my family ... field trip to Jamba Juice ... Orange Dream machine ... feeling a little better ...

ate dinner ... homemade enchiladas ... yep, my wife is hispanic ...

spent time with God ... reading the book of Matthew ... prayed a bit ... listened to Dave Crowder's Obsession about 16 times in a row ... it's my prayer song ... 

blogged ... see you tomorrow night ...  

caramel lape cider

It's past midnight ... I sitting at my desk, drinking hot apple cider ...

and I would like to share a story with you ... this happened 5 years ago, before I lost my starbucks virginity ... I was young and innocent ...

growing up, my mom was a coffee-aholic ... she never beat me, but she did drink quite a bit of coffee ... so, I avoided coffee for most of my life ... in high school, I was convinced that 'coffee' was from the devil ... so, instead I drank beer ... more healthy and loosened me up ...

so, 5 years ago I visited Starbucks for the first time ... earlier that day, one of my friends recommended a drink ... the Caramel Lape Cider ... yep, that's a Lape Cider ...

so, I finally mustered the courage to overcome my coffee-phobia ... I waited in line ... when asked, "what would you like?" ... I replied with confidence, "I'll have a Caramel Lape Cider" ... blank stare ... I repeated the order, "that's a Caramel Lape Cider" ... blank stare ...

and she politely responded, "we don't have Lape Cider's" ... she paused for a moment ... "would you like a Caramel Apple Cider?" ... quickly catching on, I nodded my head ... "yep, that's it, a Caramel Apple Cider" ... humiliation ... but I enjoyed the drink ...

don't listen to friends ...

business time

I can't get enough of this short video ... this is my life ... it's business time ...

peeps

this has been one of the greatest days of my life ...

it all began with peeps ... there's nothing like peeps in the morning ... my wife fixed an amazing lunch ... ham and potatoes ... I think we have enough potatoes to feed Haiti ...

then I put on my Easter shirt, fixed my hair and drove off to the Stirring ... tonight, I led worship with my brother, Jeremy ... I think he leaves on tour tomorrow ... with Prince or Dixie Chicks or some band ... God has such an amazing call on Jeremy's life ... I can't wait to see how God uses him in these coming years ...

I spoke a little baptism message from Matthew 3 ... amazing ... Jesus and His Father ... they're way cool ... then we baptized at least 25 people tonight ... most of them new followers of Christ ... God is awesome ... I can't believe I get to live this life with God ...

this day has been absolutely amazing ... and it all began with peeps ...

the Hatchet

so, tonight we went out for dinner ... yep, the Tai Cafe ... it's quiet ... it's cheap ... it's tasty ... it's tai ...

as we stood in line, waiting to be seated, I noticed an older couple staring at my children ... she was smiling ... he was awkward and stiff ... my daughters kept kissing the little Buddha statue ... rubbing his little bald head ... touching his cute round belly ... how precious ...

this strange couple kept staring at my kids ... she was smiling ... he looked angry ... and then she turned to me and said, "you are blessed" ... I slowly made eye contact ... "thank you," I replied ...

she wouldn't stop staring at me ... smiling and staring ... "you are so blessed" ... I'm not going to lie to you ... it was getting weird ... I tried to ignore it, but I wanted to be polite ... "thank you" I replied ...

then she said, "you are so blessed to have such beautiful children" ... and then her husband looked at me and said, "my father thought he was blessed until he found me in the barn with a hatchet" ... and he laughed out loud at himself ... one of those evil villain laughs ... I just stood there ... speechless ... his wife looked so confused ... she smiled at her husband ... "Oh, honey," she said ... they walked slowly to their table ...

later on that night, I ate Pa Nang Curry ... amazing ... this has been one of the greatest nights of my life ...

my 4 year old daughter

unbelievable ...

tonight, we sat down for a family dinner ... chicken ... zuchini ... beans and bread rolls ... amazing ... every night my wife surprises me with a delicious family meal ...

erica and I were discussing the upcoming Stirring women's retreat ... we were talking about a couple different bible stories ... mary and martha ... the woman at the well ... and as we're unpacking these stories, Ava jumps in the conversation ...

"Dad, I know that story, about the woman at the well," Ava announces with confidence ...

"Oh yeah," I reply. "Let's hear it" ...

And so, for the next 5 minutes, Ava tells the story of the woman at the well (John 4), word for word ... she's 4 years old ... she has the entire story memorized ... every detail ... every verse ... erica and I are floored ... huge grins ...

as she shared this Jesus story with us, I began to see God's call on her life ... I'm so proud of her and can't wait to see her become the woman God has created her to be ...

good old friends

here is a blog for good old friends ...

dave reichle ... possibly the funniest and strangest man on earth ...
dan lance ... where have you been the last 7 years ...
jeff coulter ... if I had to go to war, I'd want him by my side ...
jon klein ... a great encourager ... lives in Oregon somewhere ...
jeff yoder ... brief, but enjoyable ...
eli quinnett ... moving back to Redding in June ... amazing ...
david lim ... just got married last week ...

just thinking about the good old days ... one of those nights ...

the greatest films

some of the greatest 'acting' films ever ...

Godfather ... my wife and I could watch the Godfather series all night long ... you broke my heart ...

the Usual Suspects ... Kevin Spacey blows me away ... probably the greatest film ever ... if you haven't seen it, we can't be friends ... and just like that, he's gone ...

Tombstone ... the greatest western film of the century ... two words, Val Kilmer ... I'll be your huckleberry ...

There will be Blood ... Daniel Day Lewis ... best acting since Godfather ... best film of the decade ... I can't wait to watch this film with my wife ... she'll love it ... I want the blood, Lord ...

Snatch ... I watch this film at least once a month ... I can't get enough Brad Pitt ... Fight club ... Meet Joe Black ... Twelve Monkeys ... these are your last words, so make them a prayer ...

more to come ...

ultimate frisbee

tonight, my daughters and I threw a frisbee in the back yard ...

I'm teaching Ava and Adiah how to hold and throw the frisbee like a man ... not those sissy girl throws ... flimsy wrist and soft flick ... you know what I"m talking about ... I mean, Ava can really throw that frisbee ... in fact, the other day, she almost gave Adiah a concussion ... frisbee's are dangerous ... they don't tell you that at the sporting goods store ...

and so I began thinking about Ultimate Frisbee ... one of my favorite past times ... so, when it stops raining, I've decided to get some friends together and play Ultimate Frisbee on Tuesday nights ... Enterprise Park, by Kid's Kingdom ...

we'll bbq and play some frisbee ... and if we get bored, we can play roller hockey ...

man in the water

I just finished the screenplay for a short film I've been writing for Erase the Dark ... 'man in the water' ... you know, like 'lady in the water,' except it's a man ...

We're shooting it over the next couple of weeks ... starring Kristina Hayes, Aaron Holmes, Dan Lance, Derrick Fleck, Billy Brown and others ... Drew Maw is filming it ... he's the man ... I can't wait ...

And I can't wait to see M. Night's new film, the Happening ...

the cliff

when I was 16 years old, the DMV finally granted me a drivers license ... bless their hearts ... three weeks later, I drove my car off a cliff ...

it was raining cats and dogs ... not really, but I wanted to use the expression ... it was heavy rain, if you know what I mean ... I was young ... my parents were away on a vacation to Hawaii ... I took the light blue Ford Tempo out for a cruise ...

and yep, I drove my parents car right off a cliff ... they call it hydroplaning ... I left the car in the ditch and walked a mile to the nearest pay phone ... I called my grandpa ... true story ...

one day I'll teach my son how to drive stick ... and I'll take him back to that cliff ... and I'll tell Asher how is father drove off a cliff and lived ... that'll teach him ...

tight black suit

yep, I'm the wedding guy ... I'm that guy ...

seriously, if you had known me 5 years ago and you'd have asked me if I thought I'd ever be a wedding guy ... no way ... but look at me ... I wear a tight black suit ... I show up for the dress rehearsal ... I perform the wedding ceremony ... i carry the little black book with vows and all the secret wedding stuff ... and when people ask what's in my little black book, I say, 'that's none of your business' ...

anyways, i just finished one more wedding ... scott and melissa ... my greatest fear is messing up someone's wedding ... it's terrifying ... everyone's watching ... parents ... grandma ... friends ... and I'm standing there in my tight black suit ... terrified ...

so, here's one more wedding blooper ... at the end of Scott and Melissa's the ceremony, I'm supposed to say, 'and that's how husbands ought to LOVE their wives' ... instead, I say, 'and that's how husbands ought to LEAVE their wives' ... true story ... everyone is laughing ... I'm about to die ...

sometimes I'd rather be a wedding singer ...

chutes and ladders

this week has been amazing ...

it's friday night ... early tonight, i met Scott Davis and Melissa Maxwell at the Nazarene church for their wedding dress rehearsal ... 20 minutes ... a world record ... i love quick rehearsals ... i mean, come on, how hard can it be ... walk up the aisle ... say i do ... kiss the bride ... walk back down the aisle ... everyone cheers ... done ...

now I'm hanging with family ... i just finished a brutal game of chutes and ladders with my daughters ... adiah cheats and ava is super competitive ... i wonder where she got it ... i miss the good old board games ... like monopoly and life and twister ...

my all time favorite game is risk ... 6 guys around a good old game of risk ... all night long ... it's business time ... you know exactly what I'm talking about ... business time ... that's why they call them business socks ...

the night is just getting started ...

surf mexico

it's 3:30 a.m. . . . i haven't been up this late since college . . .

i just finished editing our surf mexico film from 2006 . . . it took me 5 hours straight . . . not bad . . . it was supposed to be finished 2 years ago . . . i procrastinate . . . anyways, Brad and the guys are leaving for mexico in the morning and i promised them i would send them off with this surf film . . .

anyways, it's pretty cool . . . surfing . . . jeeps stuck in the sand . . . fireworks . . . tacos . . . scooters . . . anything and everything you would expect in southern mexico . . .

it's 3:34 a.m. . . . i'm going to sleep . . . i've got Greek class at 9:40 in the morning . . . it's my life . . .

sabbath

monday is my day off . . . my sabbath . . .

sabbath comes from the hebrew word shabbat, which means 'to cease' . . . literally, to cease doing . . . a day to simply enjoy God and the world He's given to us . . . for me, sabbath is this one day of the week where I am reminded that I am not defined by what I do, but by who I am . . . a child of God . . .

I've been talking about it for weeks, but today I actually shut off my cell phone . . . normally, I hover over my cell phone all day long . . . but not today . . . because it can wait until tomorrow . . .

I woke up . . . I showered . . . I ate Macadamian Nut pancakes . . . I worked out at the gym to get rid of the pancakes . . . I took Adiah on a date to Jamba Juice . . . we ran into my brother Jeremy and Meghan at Discovery Village . . . I ate lunch . . . I watched Prison Break with my amazing wife . . . took a nap . . . wrestled with the girls . . . Asher just started walking . . . I ate dinner . . . I blogged . . .

I can't believe I get to live this life . . .