Dave's Thoughts

Life is Short...

2012-01-21T17:11:00.015-06:00

I'm sitting here in my dining room watching the sun set listening to some Over the Rhine. Dusk has always been one of my favorite parts of the day. I find it very relaxing and it always puts me in a very contemplative mood. Add to that Karen Berquist's amazing voice filling every corner of the room and washing over me and I felt like I had to write something. I'm not really sure where this is going, but I'm glad you're along for the ride.

It's been a tough year so far and it's only the middle of January. On January 1st we lost a friend in a tragic accident. I admit I'm still struggling to get my arms around it and see God's purpose in it. You just don't expect to lose someone at 47. An amazing wife and mother of 3 girls, she devoted her life to them and in service to others through church. You will be missed Susan. Bob, we will continue to lift you and the girls up in prayer each day.

On Friday, we lost my wife's grandfather. While at 88 this one is a little easier to understand, it's no less difficult to deal with. He was an amazing man, surviving the beaches on D-Day and coming home to raise a family. A very hard worker and a very nice man. Bill, you will be missed, but we are comforted that you are now reunited with your lovely bride, who I know you've missed greatly the last couple of years.

Two funerals in the first month of the year are two too many. It has really hit home how short and fragile life is. It makes me not want to miss one minute with my wife and kids. The short time we are given here on earth is precious and I pray that I would spend it focusing on the things that really matter because we never know how much longer we have. I pray that my life would honor God above all other things in whatever time I'm given. I pray that I would pass things on to my kids that will make a difference in their lives: faith in Christ, unconditional love, laughter, the confidence to pursue their dreams despite the obstacles. I pray that they would always know that I love them no matter what they do and that I always have their back and support them. I pray that they would forgive my mistakes as a parent.

I pray that my wife would always know that she is the love of my life, that I enjoy every minute we get to spend together, and miss her when we're apart. I pray that she would also forgive me for my mistakes as a husband. I pray that our marriage would be a model to our kids that they can look to as they mature and eventually start their own families. Not that we have a perfect marriage, but quite the opposite, I hope that they see when we screw up, we forgive each other. That even when we're upset with each other, it doesn't change the fact we love each other.

I know I'm rambling. It's just that going to funerals and listening to all the stories of those that have passed away, makes me wonder what people will say about me when I'm gone. What kind of an impact have I had on those around me? What kind of legacy have I left my children? What will people remember about me? I suppose it's kind of selfish to think of such things, but I guess it's part of how I deal with the loss. Maybe it just keeps me from fully dealing with the pain of loss or maybe it's God re-focusing my life on what He wants me to see as truly important. Perhaps it's a little bit of all that.

I like the idea of celebrating someones life when they have passed away, but there also needs to be a time of grieving. As the writer of Ecclesiastes says, "a sad face is good for the heart." This sounds strange at first, but grieving allows the heart to heal. It's truly a roller coaster of emotions as we grieve and celebrate at the same time. But God is there with us on the roller coaster. As I've said many times before, God doesn't promise we won't suffer, only that He will be with us when we do go through dark valleys.

Ultimately, what I come back to is that death is not really the end. As believers in Christ we have hope in the resurrection and eternal life with God. An eternal life with no pain and suffering. So while we miss those we have lost, we will see them again some day. In the meantime, to quote The Choir, "we miss you down here... give Jesus a kiss for us."

Click here to listen to "Hey Gene" by the Choir: http://youtu.be/7hUxqFLT6G8

God Bless,
Dave

Merry Christmas 2011

2011-12-22T15:24:00.016-06:00

Merry Christmas everyone!!! We decided to send out our Christmas letter electronically again this year via email, posted on my blog at http://davesthoughtsblog.blogspot.com and on Facebook.

I hope this letter finds you healthy and enjoying the holidays. It’s hard to believe that another year is almost over. It’s been a typically crazy year in the McKay house. In March, the five of us went on a cruise to the western Caribbean. We flew down to Florida a day early to hang out on the beach before boarding our ship. We then spent the next week on the ship visiting several countries, including Guatemala, Mexico, and Belize. It was the first time the kids had been out of the country and we all really enjoyed the uniqueness of each country’s culture. I think Guatemala was probably our favorite as we had a great guide that took us out of the tourist areas so we could experience more of the culture. Everyone’s other favorite thing, especially Caleb, was the food on the ship. The rest of the year was busy with school, church, sports, and other activities.

Marisa started 4th grade this year and remains very busy at school and church. She continues to be involved in Girl Scouts and playing the violin in the school orchestra. She played volleyball again this fall where her team took first place in their division. She also started Crossfire at church, which is our youth group for 4th and 5th graders, and really enjoyed the Crossfire lock-in this fall. She was also very excited that we got to celebrate her 9th birthday on the beach in Mexico.

Sarah started 7th grade this year and seems to get busier and busier all the time. She loves middle school and is very involved in Crash, our middle school youth group at church, and likes to stay for after school activities. She played on 2 softball teams this year from March to October. One of her teams finished first in their division and the other finished second. She also plays basketball from October to March. The basketball team hasn’t fared as well, but she still has a lot of fun playing. Sarah also loves to babysit every chance she gets.

Caleb started his sophomore year in high school this year and is really enjoying high school life. He’s still very involved in Krew, our church high school youth group and hanging out with his friends. Caleb had surgery on his left knee in October to correct some joint pain he has had for some time. We are very thankful to have found a good doctor that has been able to identify the problem and correct it. Fortunately, he is recovering very quickly from the surgery. Over the summer he got his driver’s learning permit and has been driving quite a bit. He’s really looking forward to getting his license early next year after he turns 16.

Mandi, besides going crazy sometimes trying to manage the insanity that is our household, started back with the Pampered Chef this year as a consultant. So far she has done very well and her business is really starting to take off. She’s glad to be back doing something that she really enjoys. She recently started going to boot camp a couple of days a week and is really enjoying the tough workouts.

Besides still being a little freaked out by turning 40 this year, I (Dave) have had a great year. I continue to work at Aon Risk Services as an Associate Account Executive and stay very busy coaching basketball and softball. I love to spend time at the gym and try to get there as much as possible. I continue to serve as a deacon at church and enjoy the opportunity to serve those in our church family.

I hope that this Christmas is a time of renewed hope for you as you reflect on all that God has blessed you with over the last year. May we especially remember the amazing gift of His son, Jesus, whom He sent into the world to redeem all of creation.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!!

The McKay’s (Dave, Mandi, Caleb, Sarah, and Marisa)

Thanksgiving 2011

2011-11-21T22:30:00.007-06:00

As I've written on numerous occasions, Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. It's one of the few times throughout the year that I take some time to slow down and really reflect on all the God has blessed me with. Which is a shame really because I have a lot to be thankful for and should pause more often and give God the thanks He so truly deserves.

As I write this, I'm listening to U2's song Yahweh and my thoughts are drawn to not only the fact that I should be more thankful, but to how much I take for granted at times. I'm not only not thankful, but I'm often a spoiled brat. Instead of loving others as I should and helping those around me in need, I'm often more interested in just getting what I want.

I'm reminded of the old 77's song, "The Lust, the Flesh, the Eyes, and the Pride of Life", where Mike Roe sings:

"Well, I see something and I want it
Bam! Right now!
No questions asked
Don't worry how much it costs me now or later
I want it and I want it fast
I'll go to any length
Sacrifice all that I already have
And all that I might get
Just to get
Something more that I don't need
And Lord, please don't ask me what for"

The gospel message is really very simple, love God with all your heart, mind, soul, and strength and love your neighbor as yourself. We so often try to complicate it with so much other junk. I can't help to think how much happier we'd be and how much more effective we, as the church would be if we really took a hold of this and lived it. If we stopped worrying about all our differences, our agendas, our desire to get ahead at all costs and just loved people for who God created them to be.

If we could just get rid of all the nonsense and embrace what Jesus was trying to teach us, think of the impact we could have on the world. I know it sounds like some idealistic, hippie dream from the 60's, but I guess I'm just so burned out on the so called American dream and the damage it's done to people's lives here and around the world. We so often try to equate this American ideal of individualism and getting ahead with Christianity and I think we couldn't be further off base.

God created us to walk this journey in communion with one another, loving those around us unconditionally as He loves us. But we're too often worried about what's in it for us. So I guess my prayer this Thanksgiving is that God would change the desires of my heart to line up with His desires and that I would care about the things He cares about. My prayer is Bono's prayer:

"Take these shoes
Click clacking down some dead end street
Take these shoes
And make them fit
Take this shirt
Polyester white trash made in nowhere
Take this shirt
And make it clean, clean
Take this soul
Stranded in some skin and bones
Take this soul
And make it sing

Yahweh, Yahweh
Always pain before a child is born
Yahweh, Yahweh
Still I'm waiting for the dawn

Take these hands
Teach them what to carry
Take these hands
Don't make a fist no
Take this mouth
So quick to criticize
Take this mouth
Give it a kiss

Yahweh, Yahweh
Always pain before a child is born
Yahweh, Yahweh
Still I'm waiting for the dawn

Still waiting for the dawn, the sun is coming up
The sun is coming up on the ocean
His love is like a drop in the ocean
His love is like a drop in the ocean

Yahweh, Yahweh
Always pain before a child is born
Yahweh, tell me now
Why the dark before the dawn?

Take this city
A city should be shining on a hill
Take this city
If it be your will
What no man can own, no man can take
Take this heart
Take this heart
Take this heart
And make it brave"

"Yahweh" - U2

God Bless and Happy Thanksgiving,
Dave

The Big 40!!!

2011-10-12T11:45:00.000-05:00

Well, it's finally here. The big number 40. I have to admit, turning 30 didn't bother me that much. It was kind of cool to be in my 30's, but 40, well that just seems strange. It's odd to stop and think that I've been married for over 18 years, am the parent of teenagers (yikes!), own a house and 2 cars, and have a job where businesses actually seek my opinion to make decisions that effect their bottom line. When did I become my parents?

Physically, I feel pretty good. I wouldn't mind shedding a few pounds, but I try to get to the gym 2-3 days a week, lead a fairly active lifestyle, and eat healthy. Though I have noticed that it takes my body longer to recover these days after a workout and I wake up every morning with a backache, which I know is only going to get worse. I don't think of myself as old, though I'm reminded daily by my kids that I'm not as young and cool as I think I am. This is especially true when the topic turns to music. They are constantly trying to convince me that the music I like is old and dated. However, I just write it off to the ignorance of youth because we all know 70's and 80's music rocks. I mean that's just a given really and some day they'll realize it. But I digress.

It's just odd to think that almost as much of my life is behind me as is in front of me and I admit that freaks me out. Where did the time go? What have I done with the last 40 years? How much time have I wasted on things that don't really matter and what opportunities have I missed out on because of it? Will the next 40-50 years go just as fast, or faster?

In the midst of struggling with and reflecting on these questions, I realize that my first 40 years have actually been truly blessed. God has given an amazing wife to walk with me on this journey and there is no one else I'd rather walk it with. He's given me 3 amazing children that I get the privilege of watching grow up and become the men and women God created them to be. I couldn't be prouder of them and am thankful for the relationship I have with each of them. He's given me supportive parents, grandparents, in-laws, and extended family. He's given me great friends, many of which I've been friends with for almost 30 years. He's given me the opportunity to get a good education and a good job. He's opened doors to give me the opportunity to coach and hopefully make an impact on the next generation. He's given me a wonderful church family that encourages and challenges me in my spiritual walk. He's given me the opportunity to travel to some amazing places. He's placed some amazing people (pastors, teachers, coaches, friends' parents) in my life over years that have helped to mold and shape me.

I pray that I haven't wasted too many of His blessings over the years and that I would embrace the opportunities He presents in the future.

In spite of being a little freaked out, I'm looking forward to this next era of my life. In looking forward it's been helpful for me to look back over my life and be reminded of God's faithfulness. This was really brought home for me on Saturday as we attended my cousin's wedding (congratulations Melissa and Ryan). Weddings are such a great picture of hope for the future. It was encouraging to see the bride and groom laughing and enjoying themselves with a hopeful anticipation of their future together. At the same time we sat at a table with several very dear friends that I go way back with. It was great to laugh and just enjoy each others company. As we reminisced about old times and talked about future plans (and gave each other a hard time about all of us being over 40), I was actually encouraged about getting older. I realized that even though I'm entering a new phase in my life, I have just as much to be hopeful for as my newly wedded cousin. Because God is the same today as He was yesterday and will be the same in the future, I can have the confidence that He will remain faithful and that He will continue to mold and shape me into the man He wants me to be.

Because of His faithfulness and the people He's put in my life, I can embrace turning 40 and not dread it. It may take me a while to adjust, but I know in the end this may be my best decade yet.

God Bless,
Dave

Everything Matters

2011-09-05T19:14:00.000-05:00

It's interesting, at least in my experience, that God typically speaks to me in subtle ways where I have to be paying attention to hear. However, every so often, God hits me over the head with a very large 2x4 that's hard to miss. That's what happened to me on Sunday. It wasn't a message I hadn't heard before or some new revelation, but it was unavoidable that God was trying to get me to focus on something.

It started with Sunday's sermon in church where our pastor preached on the passage from Colossians 3:23 that talks about "whatever you do, do it with all your heart, as working for the Lord." I've always tried to live by this verse and instill this idea in my kids that God gave us all certain talents and desires and that the reason they are passionate about certain things is because that's how God made them. I firmly believe that we are to work hard to develop those talents and pursue our passions and as long as we do it acknowledging God is the source, it is an act of worship and ultimately brings glory to Him. You see I believe we were not just created to endure this life and get prepared for some future heaven, but to have a fulfilling and enjoyable relationship with Him in this life and partake in His blessings here. Yes, there is great struggle here at times and it can be very hard work as we walk the path before us. But if we look at life as an opportunity to get to know the creator of the universe, we can find great joy and fulfillment in everything we do, whether that's preparing a meal for our family or negotiating peace between two warring nations. Everything we do matters.

After church I went to the gym and while I was working out I started thinking about how to better apply this philosophy in my coaching. This is an idea that's always permeated my coaching philosophy, but I often struggle with communicating in as clearly as I'd like. I've been looking for ways to teach my athletes to pursue excellence, but not just to bring glory and accolades to themselves, but for a greater purpose. I want them to think outside of themselves and to understand that even the way they play sports is important to God. Everything matters.

I thought I had gotten the message, then 2x4 number two hit me later that evening while watching the movie Soul Surfer. For those not familiar, it''s the true story of a young girl with a bright future in professional surfing whose arm was bitten off by a shark while training one morning. Instead of ending her career and destroying her dreams, it allowed her the platform to, as she says, "embrace more people with one arm than I ever could have with two." It was her faith in Christ that allowed her to not give up on her dreams, that I believe God gave her, but instead to pursue them with a higher purpose in mind. She is now a championship surfer, despite only having one arm, and provides encouragement to millions that are struggling with their own situations. Her journey was certainly not easy. In fact at her lowest point when she was about to give up, her eyes were opened when she looked beyond her circumstances and realized there were people struggling with more difficult situations than hers and that by her not quitting she could provide hope to others. Everything we do matters.

Then as if that wasn't enough, 2x4 number three hit me as we watched another movie, To Save a Life. This was a difficult movie to watch as it deals with teen suicide, cutting, teen pregnancy, abortion, divorce, teen drinking, etc. However, the movie really strikes home the impact we can make on others lives, both in a positive and negative manner. There are millions of hurting and lonely people out there just waiting for someone to show them they care about them; to show them God cares about them. How many "invisible" people do we ignore everyday? Jesus said, "as you have done unto the least of these, you have done to me." Again, everything we do matters.

Truthfully, it really wasn't until I was laying in bed that night that I put it all together and realized there seemed to be a theme to my day. (I know, I'm a little slow) It's not just one area of life that matters, it's every area. It's not just what we do on Sunday or even how we take care of our own family. In everything we do we should be committed and focused on honoring God, from the menial tasks to the more important ones. No, it doesn't earn us favor with God and our works certainly don't save us, but doesn't the God of the universe who willingly gave his life for us deserve to receive honor and glory. Isn't that what true communion with God is, acknowledging Him in the small details of life? This is how we grow closer to God and truly become who He intended us to become. And in that regard, everything matters.

God Bless,
Dave

Goodbye Summer, It's Been Fun

2011-08-23T09:41:00.003-05:00

It's hard to believe that summer is over. The kids started back to school last week and the craziness of our fall schedule has already started. As I reflect back on this summer, I realize how much I enjoyed it. It was busy as usual and it went by way too fast, but it was fun having a less rigid schedule. I always enjoy the fact that the kids are up later (we're all night owls) and we get more hang out time. I like the constant activity of their friends in and out of our house at all hours. It makes me happy that their friends enjoy being at our house and feel at home there. I consider many of them a part of our family. Of course they spend a lot of time at their friends houses as well. I'm proud of the choices they've made in choosing their friends and I'm glad they can feel at home there as well. It's encouraging to be a part of a community where you know your kids are in a good environment when their not at home.

We didn't take a trip this summer since we went on a cruise back in March, but we did do a lot of fun things around town: Zoo, Art Museum, Six Flags, Magic House, Cardinals game, Rams game, MO Botanical Garden, sports camps, church camps, movies, and eating out probably more than we should have. Mandi and I also celebrated our 18th anniversary this summer. It's amazing to look back over 18 years of marriage and see the path you've walked and realize how faithful God has been along the way.

As those that know us well know much of our time revolves around the kids' sports schedules (which is more than fine with me by the way). Sarah played on 2 softball teams this Spring/Summer so we spent a lot of time at the ballpark. One team took 1st place and the other 2nd. I'm very proud of her and all the girls on both teams. She started the season with a knee injury which took forever to heal, but she really gutted it out and played in spite of the pain (of which she seldom complained about). I get the privilege of assistant coaching both teams, which allows us to spend a lot of time together doing something we both love. Caleb and I spent a lot of time at the gym as usual and Marisa came once in a while to play some volleyball.

I guess I enjoyed this summer so much because it reminded me of my summers growing up; hanging out with friends, staying up late, etc. It was fun to watch them enjoy themselves.

Looking ahead...

With Fall comes trying to coordinate the kids sports schedules, getting into a homework routine, school activities, church activities, etc. Normally, Fall heavily revolves around Caleb's football schedule. Unfortunately, he's continuing to struggle with some injury issues that will prevent him from playing this year. He played last year and also played basketball over the winter in a tremendous amount of pain, receiving multiple injections into his ankle and hip just to try and control the pain. I'm not sure I've ever seen a tougher 15 year old. Ultimately, the pain was getting worse and he had no choice but to decide and take this year off while the doctors provide treatment. I'm extremely proud of his maturity and the way he's handled the situation. You see, football was/is extremely important to him and has been a major part of his life, so this was not an easy decision. However, he's handled it with tremendous maturity and perspective and it's fostered some good discussions about life not always going the way you want it to. It's easy to let our circumstances get us down, but it takes a mature and wise person to find the positives and learn to trust that God has a plan that may be different than what we expected. As Bill Mallonee sings in the song Crescent Moon, "life is coming to grips with what your worth when God says one thing, but your heart says another."

Fall also means volleyball for Marisa. She played in a training league last year for the first time and discovered she really loved it. This will be her first year on a team and she's very excited. So is her dad.

Fall also means Fall softball and the start of basketball for Sarah and I. Since I also get the privilege of coaching her basketball team, August and September are very busy times for me as I prepare for the season. It's a long season with 2 practices and 1-2 games a week from October to March, but I love every minute of it. I've only got 2 more years with these girls before they go to high school and then I'll have to be content to drive my wife crazy watching them from the stands.

Indeed I will miss summer, but I do look forward to the fall weather, watching college and NFL football, the kid's games, etc. I just wish we could skip the winter weather that I know is looming out there. In the meantime, I'll try and enjoy the last few weeks of warm weather and reflect back on a wonderful summer.

God Bless
Dave

Thoughts on Making a Difference

2011-07-07T10:48:00.003-05:00

I've been thinking a lot lately about what kind of an impact I'm making in my life on the people around me, my kids, and the world in general. I guess it's that looming 40th birthday rearing it's head again, but I suppose everyone gets to a point in their life where they wonder if they are making a difference. It's interesting as I look back over my life and see the path I've taken to get where I am today, there is one common thread binding it all together: God. He has definitely been guiding and leading me, sometimes in surprising directions I would never have gone on my own. I often look back and wonder, "how in the world did I get here?"

As I've admitted before, while I believe in God's sovereignty, I really don't understand how that works with our free will. It's a mystery we won't fully understand this side of heaven. Nevertheless, looking back with some perspective, it's clear that God is in complete control even as we go about our lives making decisions on a daily basis. I truly have few regrets in life. That's not to say I haven't made some bad decisions, believe me I have, but hopefully I've learned from those decisions and grown through the process. I believe that everything we go through shapes who we are and what we will become. We can either let our circumstances steer us in a negative direction or ask God to help us grow into the person He wants us to become. I find a lot of comfort in the fact that I can royally screw something up and yet God will take that and turn it into a positive. It doesn't mean there aren't consequences to our actions and decisions, because there certainly are, it just means that we don't have to be destroyed by them if we mess up. Isn't that exactly the message of the gospel, God's unmerited grace coming into our messed up lives.

Of course not everything we go through is because of a decision we've made, sometimes God allows things to happen that we have to deal with, both good and bad. It's not only the negative things that shape us. In fact as I reflect on my journey thus far, there has been much more good than bad and I'm just as much shaped by those experiences.

So how does all of this impact those around me now? While I believe this life is about God's pursuit of us and us growing closer to Him, it's just as much about us connecting with other people. We're not walking this journey alone, we're all walking it together and if my story can encourage those around me to pursue a deeper relationship with God, I can find great fulfillment in that. As a society that worships celebrity, we often feel like we aren't making a difference if we can't touch millions of people on a daily basis. But in reality, if we are touching those around us and they in turn around them and so on we are making a bigger impact than we realize. We're strengthened as we share our story with others and as they share theirs with us.

As a father my prayer is that I can use what God has taught me thus far and impart it to my kids in a way that they will understand. I know they won't always listen or take my advice and that's fine. They need to walk their own path and learn to trust God as He guides and leads them. But I do hope that they will take my words to heart and that it helps them in some way. I believe it is my role as a parent to prepare my kids for the journey God has laid out for them not to control every detail of their lives. Though I admit I struggle with letting go of that control sometimes.

I pray that as a husband I would love and serve my wife in a way that is honoring to God. I pray that as a coach I can teach more than basketball and softball to my athletes and that I can impart life lessons that will help them on their journeys. I pray that as a deacon, I will serve humbly and willingly and be more aware of those in need around me. I pray that as an employee that I would honor God through my work and serve my clients in a way that glorifies God. I pray that I would love my neighbor as myself. I pray that the little bit of money we give to Compassion for our sponsored child in Columbia would go a lot further than I can imagine and will be used to deepen his relationship with God and end the cycle of poverty in his family.

I'm not sure I've done a very good job at any of these things at times. Yet, my hope lies in the fact that God is not through with me yet. I'm not the same person I was 10 years ago and I won't be the person I am today 10 years from now. That's the beauty of having a relationship with the Lord and creator of the universe. He's always molding us into something greater than we can become on our own.

Lord, continue to make me into the person you want me to be.

God Bless,
Dave

Summertime Musings

2011-06-08T14:32:00.003-05:00

Well summer has finally arrived and in a big way here in Missouri. We went from a very wet and cold spring to record temperatures, which to be honest is fine with me. I much prefer the heat to the cold. With summer comes the summer schedule. During the school year our schedule is busy, but structured. Once summer arrives it seems that the schedule actually gets busier, but our days are less structured (i.e. kids have no bedtime, their friends are in and out of the house at all hours of the day and night, different kids at different camps each week, etc.) I'm not complaining though, I actually kind of like the chaos and in spite of it feel like everyone is a little more laid back.

Speaking of chaos, we're also at the beginning of the presidential race heading into next year's election. To me this is one of the most interesting times of the election process as candidates are jumping in and out of the race it seems every week. It's way too early for me to know who I even like at this point. I can't say that I'm particularly thrilled with any of the potential candidates, but it's a safe bet that I won't be voting for Obama unless the republicans do something really strange. I do wish that Donald Trump had entered the race. I probably wouldn't have voted for him, but he made the race much more interesting. It was refreshing to see someone actually speak their mind and not worry about what the media or his own party might say. He would have been great in the debates and made them much more entertaining. In fact, while I don't think he could have won the nomination, I do think he would have pushed the republican platform in a positive direction.

My run down on the other potential candidates: I don't think Palin will run. She's not built up enough political capital and is too dividing a figure even in her own party. I sort of like her, but I don't think she's ready to be president. Bachman is an interesting candidate. Similar positions to Palin, but may have a difficult time reaching beyond the Tea Party voters. We all know what we get with Romney, a moderate. Probably the most electable, but hard to get too excited about. Gingrich has too much baggage. He's intelligent and has good ideas, but won't draw in the moderates. Ron Paul, who's really more of a Libertarian, has some interesting ideas as well, but he's crazy. Just when I think he's making sense, he says something from out in left field that makes me scratch my head. Pawlenty is too boring. He may have some good ideas, but he's not going to excite anyone. Don't really know that much about Cain, though I am intrigued and will be looking more closely into his platform. Besides, who doesn't love Godfather's Pizza?

Regardless of who decides to run, it'll be an interesting race. If the republicans can't find someone to unseat a president presiding over the worst economy since the 70's and out of control debt/spending policies, they don't deserve to win.

While we're on the subject of politics, can someone please tell Congressman Weiner to just resign now and get it over with. We all know he will eventually resign and this way we won't have to listen to several more weeks of this nonsense. I mean how stupid can one person be to think their not going to get caught engaging in this type of activity. I don't want someone that stupid running this country. I understand that what he did wasn't illegal, but what a dirt bag, and a stupid dirt bag at that. The arrogance of these folks never ceases to amaze me. To quote Homer Simpson, "Doh!, why do all my actions have consequences?" I think Homer is about the level of intelligence we're dealing with when it comes to most of these clowns.

Enough politics for now. It's summer and I for one plan to enjoy it. My oldest daughter plays on 2 softball teams (which I get the privilege of assistant coaching) that are each in first place in their respective divisions and is at a church camp this week with her youth group. My youngest daughter just finished volleyball camp and is getting ready for Vacation Bible School next week followed by Strings Camp and Art Camp in July. My son is getting ready to take his driver's test to get his learning permit. I'm starting to put my plans together for basketball season. My wife is just trying to not go crazy running everyone around. Yep, bring on the chaos, it's summer.

God Bless,
Dave

It's Springtime and a Man's Thoughts Turn to...Well Some Really Random Things Actually

2011-05-06T14:25:00.003-05:00

Seems like a good day for some random thoughts. I'm not sure why, but it just does. Enjoy.

As those that read this blog know, I seldom agree with this president on anything and overall feel he is a weak leader. However, his handling of the Bin Laden situation is one of those rare occasions where I feel the president got it right. They took their time to validate the intelligence and then when it was confirmed, they went in without hesitation or seeking permission and did what needed to be done finally bringing this man to justice with minimal collateral damage. I also thought his speech was excellent and his informing Presidents Bush and Clinton beforehand was very classy.

I have to admit though that I felt a little uncomfortable with all the cheering over Bin Laden's death. Don't get me wrong, I'm glad we finally found him and I am glad he is dead. He was an evil person right up there with the most evil people throughout history and I do believe that justice was served. I also hope that the families of those who were killed on 9/11 can find some solace in this as well and am proud of and grateful for the soldiers that risked their lives to accomplish this task. But is it really appropriate for us to cheer and celebrate someones death? Don't we get upset when we see our enemies do this at the death of one of our own? As Christians, shouldn't we take a more somber tone as it relates to the death of an non-believer? Something to think about.

It really sucks watching your kids suffer with injuries and unable to fully enjoy playing the sports they are passionate about. It's hard to stand by and not be able to fix it.

At the same time, I'm very impressed with their toughness and determination to play with the injuries in spite of the pain they are in and hope this is a lesson they take with them throughout their life. God often uses obstacles in our life to build character.

Will it ever stop raining in Missouri? At this rate we'll be playing double headers everyday in July to make up all the games that have been rained out.

Initially, I wasn't particularly thrilled with the draft choices of the St. Louis Rams in last weekend's draft. However, as I've had time to research some of their selections, I think this might end up being a good draft for the Rams after all. Only time will tell. It kind of depends on what they do in free agency.

It was also great to see 2 University of Missouri players drafted in the top 10 of the 1st round. This should do wonders for recruiting. Go Tigers!!!

It's frustrating when you finally discover what it is you're passionate about and would like to pursue on a full time basis, but see absolutely no path to get there. What was that I said earlier about obstacles building character? I hate it when my own words come back to haunt me.

I'm really looking forward to Cornerstone this year and hoping I'm able to go. Some really great bands both old (classic Petra, Phil Keaggy, The Choir, Daniel Amos, Lost Dogs) and new (Anberlin, POD, Flatfoot 56, Josh Garrels, Photoside Cafe) and many I've never heard of, which is one of the greatest things about the festival, discovering new artists.

Speaking of music, for those that have not discovered the music of Mumford & Sons or The Avett Brothers, I would strongly encourage you to check them out. Amazing songwriters and musicians.

I'm looking forward to celebrating Mother's Day this weekend. I'm thankful God blessed me with a wonderful mother who has always supported and loved me. I'm also very grateful for my wife, who is a tremendous mother to our children. I can't imagine being on this journey with anyone else.

Even in the midst of difficult situations, God remains good, faithful, and trustworthy and His word remains true.

God Bless,
Dave

The Fastpitch Player

2011-04-18T11:52:00.004-05:00

I can't take credit for writing this. I found this on a softball blog by an unknown author and thought that it described my oldest daughter to a tee, except for the part about wearing pink and playing with dolls (she never was into that). Other than that this description of a softball player couldn't describe her more accurately. So this post is dedicated to her.

The Fastpitch Player
Author Unknown

At one time she looked cute as a button dressed in pink with ponytails. She had tea parties with her stuffed animals and dolls and helped Mom bake cookies. She has been, and will always be Daddy's and Mommy's little girl. Today the fastpitch player still has the same little girl attributes. The only difference is she looks cute in her sliders and shorts. If she's wearing ribbons in her hair, they are the team colors. She has become Mommy and Daddy's little hitter.

The fastpitch player is proud of how dirty she can get. On a normal family dinner outing, she takes up to an hour primping to get ready, and she still feels somewhat self-conscious. However, between tournament games she'll strut into any restaurant with a streak of dirt across her face, ratted sweaty hair, a dirt stained shirt, bloody knees, and brown socks (they used to be white) with sandals with a toe sticking out, and yell, "Let's eat!"

The fastpitch player typically has an extensive wardrobe. She has several old uniforms, which she has outgrown, but has not discarded because, well, you never know. She has several hundred tee shirts and boxer shorts from camps, leagues, and tournaments around the country. When her parents say wear something nice, she wears stuff from regional or national events.

The fastpitch player needs to get a scholarship, because her parents are broke spending thousands of dollars paying for camps, batting lessons, pitching lessons, catching lessons, hotel rooms, out to eat between tournament games, league fees, equipment, etc., etc....

The fastpitch player is a fierce competitor. She is willing to stand 40' away from a pitcher and take a pitch with a measured reaction time that even a major league baseball player would struggle to hit. She might only be 5'3" and 100 pounds (soaking wet), but she'll dig in at 3rd or 1st, 25 feet away from the batter and challenge them to drive one down her throat.

The fastpitch player has more spirit than any other sport. She'll go home hoarse from cheering and rooting her team on into the final innings. She plays the sport for all the right reasons, she loves the game. She could spend the weekend watching TV or out at the mall with all her non-sport friends, because all her sport friends are at a tournament somewhere, but she chooses to spend her weekend in the 100 degree heat, waiting to get in the game.

The fastpitch player is diligent and hard working. She knows the value of hard work. She understands that you get out of something what you put in. She is competitive and doesn't give up very easily. She learns teamwork and spirit. Most of all she learns to respect all, but fear none.

God Bless,
Dave

Vacation 2011

2011-04-04T10:12:00.013-05:00

Last weekend we got back from what was maybe the best vacation we've ever taken as a family. We decided that with our oldest starting college in 3 short years and the other 2 following quickly after, that this may be the last chance we'll have to take a big vacation for a long time. So with that in mind we proposed to the kids last year that our main Christmas gift be a family cruise to the Caribbean for spring break this year. They all agreed it was a great idea and it turned out to be the best decision we could have made and the trip came at just the right time. With our incredibly busy schedule being gone almost every night, this was the perfect opportunity to slow down and really spend some quality family time together. When you can get a teenager, pre-teen, and 9 year old to actually be excited about family time, it's always a good thing.

So off we went. We flew to Cocoa Beach, FL to spend the day on the beach before boarding the ship. The moment we got on the plane, it was like all the stress from work, sports schedules, activities, etc. was all gone, which is very unusual for me. It usually takes me a few days to unwind, but not this time. God truly blessed us as we left. It was like the whole family was able to take a long, deep breath and just relax. Florida was warm and beautiful, especially after a long, cold, snowy winter in Missouri. (I hate snow and cold weather by the way). We enjoyed our afternoon on the beach and had time to visit Ron Jon's Surf shop in the evening. Despite a minor issue with a small fire in another part of the hotel that had us in the parking lot for about 30 minutes in the middle of the night it was a good day.

The next morning we boarded our ship, the Norwegian Sun. This was my 4th cruise, my wife's 2nd, and the kids 1st. The kids (and adults) were very excited about the food and anxious to try new things and the ship did not disappoint. We're blessed with kids that are very adventurous, especially when it comes to trying new and unusual food. The food was wonderful the entire cruise. I think the teenager actually found enough food to fill him up, which is no easy task. One night he ordered 2 appetizers, 2 entrees, dessert and then finished what his sister didn't eat.

We visited 4 very different ports on the trip: Cozumel, Mexico; Guatemala; Belize; and Key West, FL and had 2 days at sea. Sea days were very relaxing basically just sleeping in, hanging out by the pool, and playing games in the Observation lounge and Las Ramblas Tapas Restaurant. Port days were much busier, but very fun. My wife and I have traveled internationally before, but this was the first time the kids had been to another country so they were very excited to see different cultures.

In Mexico, we decide to just catch a taxi from the pier and spend the day at Paradise Beach. It was a good decision. The beach was beautiful and had a lot of fun toys in the water. There was also a beautiful pool on the property and a good restaurant right on the beach that had some excellent guacamole. We headed back to San Miguel in the afternoon and did a little shopping, which gave our kids their first, but not last, taste of street vendors. They did a great job handling themselves in the craziness and it produced one of our favorite quotes of the trip, "I'm cheaper than my neighbor".

The next day in Guatemala we decided to take a river cruise up the Rio Dulce. While probably the poorest place we visited, this turned out to be our favorite port of the trip. We boarded a small boat from the pier, which took us around the coast to the mouth of the river, where we headed up river through a beautiful canyon. It was very interesting to see the local children in dug out canoes paddling up to the boat to sell us things and show us their small animals (turtles, crabs, etc.). We had about a 25 minute stop at a women's, Miss Silvia, house on the river, where we got to see how people live along the river and we got to make tortillas in a very rustic kitchen. Afterward we headed back down river to the town of Livingston. Our guide, who was outstanding on the whole tour, took us on a walking tour of the town and gave us an excellent history and cultural lesson along the way. While very poor, it was still a very lively place with very friendly people. It was a very eye opening experience for the kids to see the difficult conditions that other people around the world live in and to realize how blessed we are. But at the same time I was encouraged by the sense that these people were not living in despair. They may not have much, but they did not let that rob them of their joy. As I said this was our favorite port because we all felt like we got to immerse ourselves in the culture more than anywhere else we went. We also ran into the most aggressive vendors here, but the kids really handled it well and never seemed too bothered by it.

The next day we visited the Mayan ruins at Altun Ha in Belize. This was a really interesting site. It was a little smaller than the site my wife and I visited in Tulum a few years ago, but it was a little older and we were able to climb up the temples, which we could not do at Tulum. For the history buffs in our family this was a great excursion, though I think everyone enjoyed it. The only complaint was that we didn't have much time to explore on our own after a long, hot, bumpy bus ride from the pier into the jungle. The formal 30 minute tour was good, but we only had 20 minutes to see things on our own. Would have liked to have an hour or two. Afterward we headed back to Belize City and had lunch on the pier and did a little shopping before going back to the boat.

Our last port day was in Key West, but since we only had a half day there, we just visited the aquarium and walked around town a little and headed back to the ship for lunch. Nice day, but nothing too exciting.

Fortunately we decided to stay an extra day in FL after the cruise and enjoyed a day at the pool and the beach, while it was snowing back home. By the time we got home on Sunday, most of the snow had melted. Overall, it was an amazing trip. The best part truly was getting the opportunity to spend so much family time together and build memories that will last a lifetime. God has truly blessed me with an amazing wife and kids that are a blast to travel with. As different as the 3 kids are in their personalities and interests, they all love to travel and really do get along amazingly well. It was a great experience for everyone and really went a long way toward recharging my batteries. Now it's back to reality. But I find that reality is a little easier to take when I can look back and reflect on the great time we had. I'm glad the kids got to experience traveling internationally and hope that they get many more opportunities to do so in the future. It really broadens your perspective on the world when you realize that people are people no matter where they live. We are all created in God's image and traveling this journey together.

God Bless.

Dave

Strange Waters

2011-01-28T12:08:00.002-06:00

Have you ever felt like you had something to write about that is like a heavy weight on your chest that you want to get off, but you can't quite pinpoint what it is? That's where I've been since my last post. I've sat down to write a few times, but was never happy with what I wrote. I'm still at that point. I've been in a very strange mood the since the holidays. I have a lot of things on my mind that are all kind of swirling around in one great big jumbled mess. In spite of that, maybe because of it, I've decided to just forge ahead with this post and see what happens. There's no telling where this might go, which may make it kind of interesting or really pointless. It may be a bit more melancholy than usual, but I guess we'll find out.

Maybe the fact that I'm turning 40 this year has me a little freaked out. I don't feel like I should be that old, not that 40 is really all that old. In my mind I feel much younger, not what I pictured 40 to be like when I was a kid. I like to think of myself as a young, fun dad, but I realize more and more that my kid's friends see me as the old guy in the same way I used to see my friend's dads when I was their age. That's a reality check I was not prepared for and I have to admit is a little shot to my ego. It's that moment when you realize other people see you differently than you see yourself, especially the younger folks.

I admit that I feel very restless lately and find myself thinking a lot about what I've accomplished so far in my life. While I'm extremely busy between work, coaching, church, kids activities, and a myriad of other things, I find that when I do get a moment to rest and unwind, I can't relax. My mind is always going in a thousand directions and I feel like a lion pacing the cage (thank you Bruce Cockburn for the reference). I don't know maybe I'm just tired. Like Bilbo Baggins said in the Lord of the Rings, "I feel like too little butter spread over too much bread."

I find myself thinking a lot about my career and trying to decide if I really want to spend the next 25 years doing what I'm doing now. Don't get me wrong, I have a very good job and am not complaining. I know a lot of people are out of work and would love to be in my position, but I can't help but feel like I'd like to spend my time pursuing something I'm passionate about, not just going to work. At the same time, I know God has placed me here for a reason. I have a tremendous amount of flexibility in my schedule that allows me to be very involved in my kid's activities and that is extremely important to me so I'm not planning any changes that would interfere with that while they're young. I'm thinking more long term once they are all in or through college. But at the same time I'll be 50 when my youngest goes to college and am not sure that's the best time to make a career change so I'm feeling a little caught in the middle at the moment.

Truthfully, the thing I find the most energizing is coaching. I'm privileged to coach my daughter's 6th grade basketball team, assistant coach my son's 9th grade basketball team, and assistant coach one of my daughter's softball teams. There is something very exciting about working with young athletes and watching them progress and grow more confident in their abilities. It's a real thrill when that light bulb turns on and they really start to get it. It's a real joy to watch them play purely for the love of the game and I'm encouraged by their dedication, hard work, and time they are willing to commit. It's exciting to look back and see how far they've come. I'm humbled by the fact that parents would entrust their kids to me and hope that I can teach them about more than just sports. I hope that I can impart life lessons to them that will help them regardless of where their athletic career takes them. But most of all, I hope and pray that I would always model Christ to them in my words and actions. I look forward to seeing them move on to play in high school or some maybe even college and hope that the small part I played in their development helps them at some point along the way. You can bet I'll be following them all closely. Once you've played for me, you're always one of my players.

In the same vein, I've really enjoyed training with my son and teaching him how to prepare himself physically and mentally for football. I'm constantly amazed at how hard of a worker he is and how dedicated he is to his sport. But even more than the physical training, I've enjoyed the father/son time together at a critical time in his life as he moved from middle school to high school and as I mentioned earlier I hope he learned about more than just sports. As he enters into his sophomore year of high school, he's starting to do most of his training on his own or with friends, which is the way it should be. At 15 it's appropriate for him to start to pull away and be more independent and I'm extremely proud of him. I know I drive him crazy sometimes (and probably push him harder than I should) and hope that he forgives me for when I go overboard. The bond we formed during these last couple of years is very strong and while I miss spending that much time together I know that it's time for me to start letting go. It's hard, but I know it's time. As long as he occasionally agrees to play me in a game of one on one (of which I know I'll lose badly) and lets me run him though some drills once in a while, I'll be fine. He is and always has been in God's hands, which are much more capable than mine. I pray that through God's grace we've built a solid foundation for him to grow on as he continues to mature.

With all the things crammed into our schedule, we don't get as much family time as any of us would like. It probably affects our 8 year old the most. Sometimes I forget that she is as young as she is because she acts so mature for her age, but she really needs that time together and I need to be better about respecting that. I think she sometimes feels like she's in the middle of a tornado of everyone else's schedule. It's tough being the youngest, but I never want her to feel slighted and hope she knows how special she is to me.

I believe God is working on me and is probably the reason I've been so introspective lately. It seems as though He usually brings me to these places in my life to draw me closer to Him. I pray that I would be open to His voice and trust Him to lead me where I need to go to accomplish what He has called me to do. Whatever that is.

"Lord you've been leading me besides strange waters,
streams of beautiful lights in the night.
But where is my pastureland in these dark valleys?
If I loose my grip, will I take flight?" - Strange Waters by Bruce Cockburn

God Bless,
Dave

Merry Christmas 2010

2010-12-22T10:09:00.005-06:00

Merry Christmas everyone!!! We decided to do our Christmas letter a little differently this year and send it out electronically instead of on paper.

I hope this letter finds everyone healthy and enjoying the holidays. It’s been another very busy year (aren’t they all). In addition to all the kid’s games, programs, and activities, this was a big transition year for us with Caleb starting high school, Sarah starting middle school and Marisa in elementary school with no siblings for the first time.

In June we flew to Orlando and spent a week at Disney World with Mandi’s dad and stepmom. We ate at a lot of great restaurants, rode a lot of great rides, and had a wonderful time. I think everyone’s favorite was dinner at the California Grill on top of the Contemporary Resort overlooking the Magic Kingdom and watching the evening fireworks over the castle from the roof of the resort.

Marisa started 3rd grade this year and continues to be involved in Girl Scouts and Kid’s Club at church. She started playing the violin in the orchestra this year and was invited to be in the math club at school. She also played volleyball for the first time this fall and really enjoyed it. She was getting pretty good by the end of the season and is excited to play again next year.

Sarah started middle school this year and is in 6th grade. She’s adjusting very well to middle school life and likes changing classes every hour and participating in after school activities. And of course loves hanging out with her friends and going to Crash (church youth group). She plays softball from March to October and her team (the Purple Sox) did very well this year. She loves to pitch and play third base and ended the season with a .667 batting average. She also plays basketball from October to March and is always a tough competitor. She currently leads the team in fouls.

Caleb started high school this year and is adjusting well to high school life. He really likes the block schedule and is doing very well in all of his classes. If you know Caleb, you know football is his life. He had a good season playing at cornerback and receiver with the freshman team. They had a strong season going 6-3 this year. When not playing football he spends a lot of time in the gym getting ready for next season and watching sports on TV. He’s also playing basketball this winter in a church league and enjoys going to Krew (church youth group).

Mandi stays very busy running the kids around everywhere and trying to keep track of everyone’s schedule (not an easy task). She also started a new job in November with the Liebe Company in the accounts payable department. So far she’s enjoying the change of pace. Mandi also keeps all the stats for Sarah’s softball and basketball teams so she’s busy at games.

My (Dave) schedule just seems to get busier and busier, but that’s the way I like it. I’m still working for Aon Risk Services in St. Louis as a senior account manager. I’m coaching Sarah’s basketball team this year, which is a lot of fun, and also assistant coached her fall softball team. Caleb and I enjoy going to the gym together a few times a week to lift and play a little basketball and I’m Sarah’s designated catcher when she goes to her pitching instructor (I have the bruises to prove it).

I hope everyone is able to spend some time with family over the holidays and take time to reflect on how God has blessed you over the last year. Even in the midst of difficult circumstances God provides hope and comfort. He sent His Son into this world as a baby to provide a means of salvation to all of us. This was truly the greatest gift ever given. May you and your family experience God’s blessing this Christmas.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!!

The McKay’s (Dave, Mandi, Caleb, Sarah, and Marisa)

Gridlock for President

2010-11-02T14:57:00.002-05:00

Well, it's election day again and those that have read this blog and know me personally know I have some very strong opinions on politics. However, as I have been thinking about this election over the last few weeks (and receiving several calls from Sarah Palin and even one from Betty White about puppy mills), I've grown more and more annoyed at both parties. I find myself more than ever voting for the lesser of 2 evils, which is really sad. There seem to be so few good candidates out there and I am of the opinion that both parties are equally at fault for the mess this country is in. They spend all their time tearing their opponent down, but none of them will ever tell us what they want to do to fix things. My favorite ad was one for Roy Blunt running against Robin Carnahan in Missouri, which simply stated, "Robin Carnahan, she's wrong on every issue." Seriously, every issue? No one could be wrong on every issue.

Which brings me to my point. I don't want them to fix things. In fact, I don't want the government to do anything except to defend me and maintain my roads. Other than that I want them to leave all of us alone. I want them to stop spending so much of my money on ridiculous programs, lower our taxes, and let us live freely as our founding fathers intended when they drafted the Constitution. I want them to stop over taxing and regulating businesses so they can be free to expand and create jobs and stop bailing out the ones that are failing due to mismanagement. Every time the government tries to fix things, we end with with higher taxes and more debt. And even with that the problems never get fixed. I am more and more convinced that the vast majority of our elected officials are simply incompetent and incapable doing the job they were elected to do. The only solution they ever come up with is to tax the American people and spend more money, even if it has to be borrowed. Our elected officials are supposed to enact the will of the people, but they have forgotten that mandate and are only worried about pleasing those that line their wallets and keep them in office.

Therefore, my vote this year goes for gridlock. Let both parties fight all they want to in Washington (as entertainment it's good stuff). As long as neither party can push their agenda through, "we the people" will be left alone to pull ourselves out of this mess. Despite what the folks in Washington think, we are smart enough and more than capable of fixing these problems ourselves if we are allowed to keep the money we earn and spend it where it most benefits our local communities and businesses. We couldn't do much worse than they have.

So I say bring on the gridlock. The more the better. As long as they are all occupied with each other, they are leaving us alone.

As as the founding and sole member of Americans for Gridlock, I approve this blog.

God Bless,
Dave

My Creed (well...sort of)

2010-10-12T15:26:00.003-05:00

As I was celebrating my 39th birthday over the weekend, I got to thinking about my core beliefs. Those ideas that I hold through which I view the world. I got to thinking about how the church creeds do such a great job of stating a core set of beliefs and how those core beliefs are the lens through which everything is viewed. So as I stand on the precipice of turning 40 next year, I decided to make my own list of core beliefs. My own personal creed if you like. My intention was for this to be a serious list, however, as I began brainstorming I found myself bouncing from deeply held beliefs to strong opinions and even to some lighthearted things. So I decided, instead of filtering the list, to just put it all out there. Both the serious and the not so serious. After all, that's a better picture of who I am and the lens through which I view the world is often a skewed mixture of both.

Keep in mind, these are in no particular order so the juxtaposition may seem odd at times, but that's me, an odd mixture of beliefs and viewpoints that don't always make sense and sometimes even contradict themselves. So here we go. You may want to get comfortable, it's a long list.

I believe that Jesus Christ is the eternal Son of God, who through His perfect life and sacrificial death atoned for the sins of all who will trust in Him, alone, for salvation.

I believe that I was born a sinner in need of God's forgiveness and that this gift of salvation is solely given to me because of His grace and that there is nothing I can do to earn it.

I believe the Bible is true as written in the original manuscripts and when interpreted in context.

I believe in the Trinity, however, I confess that I do not truly understand the concept.

I believe Bob Dylan is the greatest songwriter of the 20th century. I know he can't sing, but that's not the point.

I believe that mankind was created in God's image and that God created everything that exists. I believe creation took place over a very long period of time and thus don't hold to a literal 6 days of creation.

I believe that God has blessed each of us with certain talents and abilities and that He expects us to develop those talents and abilities through hard work and that we should use them to glorify Him.

I believe that everything we do, if truly done for the glory of God, is an act of worship.

I believe that sometimes you have to use strong language to get your point across.

I believe U2's Joshua Tree album is the most perfect album ever recorded.

I believe that the majority of politicians, Democrat and Republican, are only interested in looking out for themselves to get reelected and will say anything you want to hear to that end.

I believe our political system is broken.

I believe in term limits for all members of Congress, the Executive Branch, and the Judicial Branch. I believe all elected and appointed officials should serve one 6-year term with no opportunity to be reelected. This includes the Supreme Court.

I believe the journey is often more important the the destination.

I believe that just because I don't understand something, it doesn't mean it's not true.

I believe that sports are a great metaphor for life.

I believe that God sometimes allows us to struggle through difficult times to bring us closer to Him.

I believe that previous statement can really suck sometimes when you're in the middle of it.

I believe Jesus will return someday as He promised to restore all things to the way they were intended to be from the beginning. However, I have a real issue with people who tell you they know exactly how the "end times" will play out. I believe those that draw up timelines using Revelation and current events are foolish and are primarily out to sell you something.

I believe abortion is the greatest genocide of our generation and find it unbelievable that intelligent and educated people can support it. I find it even harder to believe that some Christians support it.

I believe that it is the church's responsibility to care for the poor, not the government.

I believe that the so called "prosperity gospel" preachers (Kenneth Copeland, Paul Crouch, Benny Hinn, Joel Olsteen, Oral Roberts, etc.) have done more to harm the Christian cause than further the gospel.

I believe the old Van Halen with David Lee Roth is far better than Van Halen with Sammy Haggar. I'm just sayin'.

I believe in a small government and a free market.

I believe high taxes are destroying this country. Didn't we fight a war against Britain for the same thing? Except our taxes are even higher than theirs were. Now I sound like a Tea Party person.

I believe football is the greatest sport ever invented.

I believe that John Lennon was significantly more talented than Paul McCartney. I love the Beatles, but really, listen to their solo work and it's hard to argue.

I believe that the times I spent fishing with my grandfather were a taste of heaven on earth.

I believe that a long hike in the woods can restore your sanity.

I believe being a father is one of the greatest joys in life.

Finally, I believe that I have been truly blessed in life with a truly wonderful wife, amazing kids, and great friends and extended family.

God Bless,
Dave

Youth Group Reunion - Thoughts on Friendship

2010-08-29T14:33:00.013-05:00

Once again I have to apologize for the long lapse in posts. It's been a crazy, but extremely fun summer and I just haven't made the time to write. Fall will be busy as well with 3 kids all in Fall sports, school, church, work, etc., so no promises, but I'll try to be better about keeping up with it.

I had the opportunity yesterday to attend a reunion of my high school church youth group. It was great to see people that in some cases I've not seen in 20 years, including my youth pastor from that time. I've occasionally run into some friends from time to time (and see a couple of people regularly), but this is the first time that we've been able to get most of us together all at once with our families. We had a great time telling old stories, looking at old pictures and videos, and watching our kids make fun of our hair and clothes.

But you see this was more than just a chance for me to catch up with old friends because these people were more than just high school friends. They were people that I shared my life with during those critical teenage years. Not just the normal high school stuff, although there was plenty of that, but these were people that I laughed with, cried with, prayed with, studied God's word with, struggled to understand God with. These were people that knew all my faults and I theirs and we still decided to love and support each other. These were people that saw me at my best and at my worst and were still my friends. These were the kind of friends that were unshockable and weren't afraid to confront you in love and dive into the deep dark places we sometimes go in life. These were the kind of friends that you get together with after 20 years and it seems like you were just with them yesterday. You just pick up right where you left off.

Did we always get along with one another? No. Did we fight and argue sometimes over silly things? Yes. Did we wound each other, sometimes deeply? Yes. We were human after all and even worse teenagers full of hormones and out of control emotions. But we truly cared about each other. Did we do this out of our own strength and wisdom? Certainly not. We were able to do this because our foundation was always Christ. The bond of our faith in Him is what our friendship was built on. You see, when you spend hours upon hours praying and worshiping the living God with one another, sometimes dealing with very serious issues, you grow close in ways that are hard to explain. This is what Christian community is all about.

We were also very fortunate to have a youth pastor that loved us unconditionally and modeled Christ to us. Talk about unshockable. He was always available night or day. He was always honest with us and was never afraid to tell it like it was. Whether we needed a strong reminder that we were drifting off the path or a shoulder to cry on, he was there. The man that I am today is due in large part to him. Thank you for your leadership, Rick.

We were also very fortunate to have parents that were willing to open their houses to us. We were always hanging out till all hours of the night (or morning) at someone's house. But they offered much more than their homes, they also offered their hearts, wisdom and guidance. Again Christian community with one generation passing it along to the next.

It was truly amazing to see all the people there that are serving God in some capacity in the church today. Missionaries, pastors, deacons, teachers, and servants in other areas too numerous to name. In my service to my church as a deacon, I've always tried to model the humble servant's heart that Rick always showed us in his time with us.

Sadly, there have been some that have drifted from their faith. However, I'm hopeful that they will once again discover God standing there with open arms waiting to welcome them home. That the good work that was begun in them so many years ago, He will see through to completion. Just as He's doing in all of us. We're all just at different paths on the journey and God's sovereign grace can overcome any obstacle.

I pray for my children everyday that they would have friends like the one's God blessed me with. I wouldn't be where I am today without them. I hope that I can pass this idea of Christian community on to them so they understand that none of us can do this alone. Thank you all for your friendship and let's not wait another 20 years to get together again.

God Bless,

Dave

Life is Crazy, Politics are Crazier

2010-05-11T12:14:00.003-05:00

Sorry to all my readers (all 3 or 4 of you) for the long hiatus. I didn't intend to take the last few months off from updating my blog, but the craziness of life has prevented me from taking the time to sit down and focus long enough to actually write something. It certainly hasn't been for a lack of topics to write about as a lot has happened, especially politically, in the last few months. The biggest thing is he healthcare reform bill that was finally rammed through Congress and passed into law despite overwhelming disapproval from the American people. While I don't foresee any immediate problems, I believe the long term effect of this law will be devastating to our nation as taxes will inevitably rise to pay for it and the quality of health care will inevitably decline. I believe this is only the first step in the process of dismantling our economic system as we slowly continue to move toward a socialist structure.

The bailout of the banks last year was also a step in that direction. The federal government now has even more control of our healthcare and our money. We've seen how well that has worked in other countries: riots in the streets, high unemployment, poor quality healthcare, bankrupt governments, etc. For some reason our liberal leaders seem to think what has failed in other countries will work here as long as we trust them. Their pompous elitism makes me nauseous. I can tolerate most traits in people, but arrogance is not one of them. They promise to take care of us as they slowly take away our freedom and choices in the marketplace. This is of course all done with our money, which they seem to think they can mange better than us apparently. Now I may not be the best money manager in the world (sorry honey), but when I look at the size of the deficit it's obvious that our government doesn't have a clue how to manage money.

The thought of giving them more so they can "take care of us" is frightening. I'd rather take my chances on my own and if I fail so be it. The problem is they will never admit when they fail, they only blame the "evil" corporations and ask for more money from us. They have always failed to realize that those "evil" corporations are who provide jobs and a stable economy, not the federal government. By the way I'm not just pointing my finger at the democrats, the republicans are just as much to blame. In fact, maybe more so as they claim to be conservative, but fail to stand up and fight for what they say they believe in.

Wow it feels good to get that off my chest. I can't go this long without writing again. It just gets too pent up and I start to get crabby. I could go on, but I don't want to bore everyone.

On a lighter note, I'm glad spring is finally here. School is almost out for the summer, we're in the middle of softball season (go Purple Sox), high school football camp is coming up in a few weeks (go Patriots), my youngest daughter's dance recital is in a few weeks, and our trip to Disney is getting close. I love summer. I just wish I had the summer off like the kids do. I knew I should have been a teacher.

God Bless,
Dave

I Always Liked Roller Coasters

2010-01-28T14:32:00.001-06:00

I'm finding it interesting the direction my blog has taken over the last year or so from when I started writing. My original intent was to spend most of the time commenting on current events and issues, however, as it continues to evolve, I'm finding it's taking a more personal direction. I still get into current events occasionally, but it seems lately this has been almost like therapy for me as I work through all the crazy stuff that floats around my head. That being said, the last few weeks have been a whirlwind. I wrote in my last blog about all the changes and transitions that are happening in the life of my family this year and how excited I was about them. I am still extremely excited, however, the reality of that much change combined with our incredibly busy schedule has really thrown me for a loop recently and I find myself struggling to trust God and let Him be in control.

In the end that's what this is really all about, me trying to micro-manage everything, which never really works out all that well. You would think that I would have learned that lesson by now, but no, I'm just as stubborn about it as I ever was. Instead of looking back at how God has always provided and sustained me, I continue to worry at each turn and try to control everything. As I'm finding out, I really can control very little and that just adds to the frustration. Still, I believe God is using this to mold and shape me into the person He desires for me to be. As I continue to struggle, He is always faithful, even when I'm not. I've always found it interesting that in the Old Testament God named his chosen people Israel, which literally means struggles with God.

This journey is full of change and as much as I like to think I deal well with change, I really don't. I'm sure my wife will attest to that. It's funny, in the midst of all this anxiety, I caught the last 30 minutes of the movie Parenthood the other night and found myself completely identifying with Steve Martin's character as all the craziness of his life was overwhelming him. But in the midst of all that was going on, his grandmother comes into the room and starts telling this story about how much she always liked roller coasters better than the merry-go-round. Even though the roller coaster had a lot of ups and downs, shook you around, and could be quite scary at times, it was still a lot more fun and exciting than the merry-go-round that just simply went around in a circle constantly viewing the same scenery over and over again. What a great analogy to life. Yes, life certainly has its ups and downs and can shake you around a bit, but it's through those times that we grow and learn to trust God. We can appreciate the highs much more after having been through the valleys. If we choose to embrace the roller coaster instead of fearing it, when we get to the end of our life we'll be able to look back and say "what a ride!".

So, despite everything, I think I'll choose the roller coaster as well. It's just more fun.

God Bless,
Dave

Looking ahead to 2010

2010-01-11T17:32:00.001-06:00

Where in the world did 2009 go? I think that may have been the fastest year ever, at least in my lifetime. I really don't know where the time goes. But then again with 3 kids all involved in sports and other activities, work, church, etc. I guess I do know where it goes. I just wish it would go a little slower sometimes so I could enjoy it more. Everything except for work that is, I wouldn't mind that passing a little faster.

I know my wife thinks I'm a little obsessed with sports, especially when my children are involved, and she's probably right, but there are few things in life that are more enjoyable for me than watching them compete in their various sports. In an era when so many kids prefer to stay home, watch tv, and play video games, I'm really proud of my kids for spending time working out in the gym and on the track to prepare themselves for their sports. They all work very hard in the off-season and in practice and it shows when their on the field/court. I don't know where they'll end up going in their athletic careers, but the lessons of hard work and preparation will go with them in whatever they do.

I can't believe that my oldest child is about to turn 14 (not really a child anymore, he's almost as tall as me) and will be starting high school in the Fall. At the same time my oldest daughter will be starting middle school and my youngest will be the last one in elementary school going into 3rd grade. It will be a big transition for everyone come August and will be the first time we've had 3 kids in 3 different schools. We've definitely moved into a new phase in life and I for one am enjoying it, even though it does make me fell a little old and tired.

With all this change going on, I've been finding myself in a very reflective mood lately, thinking back to my high school and middle school days. I've found myself listening to a lot of 80's music and reminiscing. I think my kids are tired of hearing dad's stories of the old days, but I hope they have as much fun in middle school and high school as I did. Plus it's really fun to embarrass them by turning the old music up really loud and singing along when their friends are around. I've been trying to get them to appreciate this time in their life and not keep wishing they were older. This has been especially hard with my 7 year old, who just doesn't understand why she can't do everything her brother and sister can, even though she gets to do way more than they ever did at her age.

Of course the difficult thing is to not try and relive my youth through them and to let them be their own people and have their own experiences, both good and bad. Just because a certain thing was a great experience for me (or a bad one) doesn't mean it will be the same for them. It's also difficult sometimes to hold back on making decisions for them or telling them what to do, especially when you know the consequences of their decisions may not be the best for them. But you also can't just let them go out totally on their own, they're just not experienced enough and that would be abdicating my responsibility as a parent. It's hard sometimes to provide guidance without being controlling.

I'm excited about 2010. We're going back to Disney in June with my wife's folks. We had a great time when we were there 3 years ago and are already planning all that we want to do. This time though we have a little experience behind us, which should add to the experience. Looking forward to the 2nd half of my 10 year old's basketball season. She's done a great job for her 1st year and is really starting to play well. Once she's done with basketball, softball starts up right away and she's very excited (as am I). I'm looking forward to seeing how her pitching continues to develop. I can't wait to see my youngest's dance recital in June. She's been working very hard since September and always makes her daddy proud. My son starts high school football in August and I can't wait to watch him play the sport he is so passionate about at the next level. He's also worked very hard in the weight room and has come a long way from when he started playing in 7th grade.

I do have concerns about where were headed as nation and will probably write quite a bit about that this year. You know I'm good for a rant now and then. But I wanted to start the year off a note of hope. To quote one of my favorite songwriters, Bill Mallonee:

"there's a time for listening to the thunder
there's a time for cleansing all the sins
there's a time when i'm slowly going under
this time isn't one of them

there's a time when joy is so elusive
out of your grasp and three sheets to the wind
there's a time crying is conducive
this time isn't one of them

most of my life's been like a wedding
the moment where the bride and bridegroom kiss
sometimes i can believe all that i hope in
this moment feels like one of them"

I'm excited to see what else God has in store for my family this year that we haven't planned. There are always surprises along the way in this journey, some good and some difficult, but God is amazing through it all.

May God bless you and your family this year.
Dave

So This is Christmas - 2009

2009-12-22T11:53:00.001-06:00

It's hard to believe it's Christmas already and that not only is it the end of another year, but that the end of another decade is upon us. It seems like just yesterday that we were celebrating (and some panicking that all our computers would shut down) the new millennium and now we're already a decade into that new millennium. But the year's not over yet and Christmas is upon us in just a few days. Normally by this time, I'm very much in the Christmas spirit, but for some reason I'm having a hard time getting in the mood this year. Perhaps it's the stress of all I have going on at work and trying to get things wrapped up before the end of the year, or maybe it's the stress of the busyness of the season, or perhaps it's just my growing frustration with the rampant consumerism we all seem to get so obsessed with this time of year. I'm not pointing fingers on that last one. As hard as I try, I get just as caught up in it as everyone else. I miss the innocent days of Christmas as a child when there was no stress and it was just pure joy.

But it's not just at Christmas, it's throughout the year. In our obsession to always get more stuff we seem to have lost sight of what is truly important, our relationship with God and one another. Most of us relegate our relationship with our Creator to Sunday mornings, if we acknowledge Him at all, instead of living each day in communion with Him. As a result we've become self absorbed. We've lost our sense of community and what it means to really look out and care for one another. How many of us really know our neighbors? Instead of caring for the poor and needy, we're more concerned with buying the next big thing. Again, I'm as guilty as anyone and as hard as I've tried I continue to struggle with it. We've allowed our lust for more stuff to cloud the true meaning of Christmas.

However, the more I've thought about it, I've realized that this is why God sent is son, Jesus, into the world in the first place. Because when things are left up to us, we tend to screw it up pretty badly. Heck, we can't even celebrate the birth of our savior without letting sin enter into the picture. No matter what I do or how hard I try, I cannot break free from my own selfishness. I cannot do anything to make myself right with God and be the person He has called me to be. For that very reason Jesus gave up his place in Heaven to become a man in order to live among us, teach us a better way to live, and ultimately die a brutal death on a cross in order to provide a path to God that we could never walk on our own. His birth and death provide for us the hope of eternal life. And not only life after death, but our lives here and now as well. This is the beauty of Christmas that Christ, the Messiah, enters into the darkness and shatters it with light so that I am no longer a slave to my own selfishness and sin. This reality frees me to experience Christmas with the same joy I did as a child.

So while it's good to enjoy the gifts, time with family, Santa Claus, the pretty lights, parties, and Christmas trees as these are all good things God has blessed us with, Christmas is ultimately about a baby born in a stable over 2000 years ago. But not just any baby, the God of the universe lowering Himself to become a man and do for us what we could never do for ourselves. Knowing He would be despised, tortured, and killed, He came anyway, in fact for that very purpose. I admit that I can't fully grasp why God went about it the way He did, but I'm grateful that He loved me so much that He did.

Now I'm starting to get into the Christmas spirit again.

Merry Christmas and may God bless you and your family.

Dave

Thanksgiving 2009 - Joy in the Journey

2009-11-25T11:38:00.005-06:00

Happy Thanksgiving everyone. It's hard to believe that it's already been a year since the last Thanksgiving and that Christmas is only a month away. Time seems to pass faster and faster each year. The kids seem to grow faster and faster every year as well. As I reflect back on the last year with my mind already looking forward to celebrating Christmas I'm overwhelmed with how much I have to be thankful for. God has blessed me beyond measure. It's a shame that I don't take more time throughout the year to stop and thank Him. Instead it seems I too often spend much of the time asking for more.

Thanksgiving has always been my favorite holiday because it causes me to stop, take a breath, and realize how much I already have. It also gives me the opportunity to look back with a little hindsight and thank God for not always giving me what I thought I so desperately needed at the time, but as it turns out would not have been the best thing. God's sovereign grace is always amazing.

With that in mind here are just a few of the things that I am thankful for in 2009:

God's mercy, forgiveness and constant presence in my life.
My beautiful wife and children who are a constant source of joy.
My family's good health and comfort in times of health problems.
The teachers, coaches, pastors, etc. that have had such a positive influence on my children.
My extended family for the support and guidance they have given over the years.
My friends for their love and support.
My church for teaching the Word of God and loving me and my family.
My job and the amazing people I work with who make going to work each day bearable.
The struggles which God has allowed me to go through that have helped me to grow as a man, husband, and father.
Finding joy in the journey.

I pray that everyone would take time this Thanksgiving to reflect on all we have to be thankful for. Even in the midst of trials and difficult situations, God is working. The journey can be difficult at times, but God is always good and if we will put our focus on Him, we will realize that we are truly blessed regardless of our circumstances.

God Bless,
Dave

Music for the Journey

2009-10-30T15:41:00.004-05:00

As I was driving in to work today, on yet another rainy day, I was listening to a Mewithoutyou CD and a line from one of the songs really stuck with me and caused me to think a little deeper about what the artist was saying. This got me thinking (always a dangerous thing) about some of the artists whose music has influenced or impacted me in some way over the years either to think more deeply about my own beliefs, challenge me to look at things from a different perspective, or just inspired me in some way. With that in mind I thought I'd put a list together of some of those artists. You may have never heard of some of these, but I would encourage you to seek them out. I think you will find it worth the effort.

Bill Mallonee: Bill, as a part of his band, Vigilantes of Love, and as a solo artist is one of the greatest songwriters of the last 25 years in my opinion. Most of you have probably never heard of him, but his willingness to speak honestly about the dark side of the human journey while still offering the hope of God's grace has always been a great comfort in my own personal journey. Most of his songs deal with the struggles of everyday life while making much larger statements about the fallen world we live in. Favorite songs: Drunk on the Tears, Parting Shot, Numb, Welcome to Struggleville.

Bruce Cockburn: Another great songwriter and musician, Bruce never fails to challenge my thinking, especially from a political perspective. While we often come down on different sides of the political fence, he always causes me to think about issues from the other side's point of view. In some cases he has even caused me to change my perspective. Bruce's songwriting has an amazing way of describing a scene where you feel like you are there seeing things through his eyes. His music, while certainly not overtly so, has an underlying theme of faith and grace and often provides some very insightful spiritual musings. Most consider him a Christian Mystic and I would probably agree with that description. Favorite songs: Strange Waters, Lord of the Starfields, Pacing the Cage, Let the Bad Air Out, Wondering Where the Lions Are, Mango.

Over The Rhine: OTR write some of the most beautifully poetic lyrics I've ever heard, and Karen Berquist's voice is simply angelic. The sheer beauty of the music and lyrics is inspiring and I often write with their music playing in the background. Their music is full of deep insights and always leaves me thinking. Favorite songs: Latter Days, Born, Changes Come, The Trumpet Child, Ohio, Drunkards Prayer, My Love is a Fever.

Rich Mullins: Rich simply wrote some of the most amazing worship music of the last century. His songs describing the vast beauty of God's creation always pop into my head when I see the mountains or the ocean or a glorious sunset. He really had a way of putting words to my feelings and turning my eyes heavenward. Favorite Songs: The Color Green, Creed, Land of My Sojourn.

Bob Dylan: I can't make a list of songrwriters and not mention the master of them all. I know many can't stand his voice, including my wife, but his lyrics are always interesting and challenging. You may not know what he's talking about sometimes, but he always makes you want to dig deeper into the lyrics to try and understand. Maybe it's just my proclivity for unique voices (i.e. Victoria Willams, John Prine, Neil Young, Bjork, etc.) but I actually think his voice lends authenticity to his music. Listening to him as a kid is where I developed my love for folk music and good songwriting. His songs still make me think to this day and I often discover new things even in songs I've heard a hundred times. Favorite Songs: Every Grain of Sand, I Believe in You, My Back Pages, Groom's Still Waiting at the Altar, God on our Side, I Shall Be Released, Tangled Up In Blue.

Keith Green: If you're a Christian and Keith's music doesn't challenge you in your walk with God and cause you to look in the mirror, then I don't know what will. He was certainly not afraid to challenge the church and it's often lazy approach to the Christian walk. He always told it like it was without worrying about who he offended. Oh that we could all be this honest and courageous in standing up for our beliefs. Favorite songs: Asleep in the Light. ("Jesus rose from the dead, and you can't even get out of bed" - ouch!), So You Want to Go Back to Egypt, The Sheep and the Goats.

The Choir: Their music is difficult to explain, kind of a spacey, moody, alternative sound heavy on the reverb. But lyrically, they are always interesting and always make me want to dig a little deeper. I started to listen to them in college in the early 90's as I was expanding my musical horizon beyond hard rock and heavy metal and getting into more esoteric music. Sometimes the meaning of their songs is not always apparent on the first few listens. It takes a little more time for the meaning to soak in, which in my opinion is what makes them so interesting. Favorite Songs: Circle Slide, Chase the Kangaroo, About Love, Weather Girl, Wilderness, Sad Face, Yellow Skies.

Mewithoutyou: This may be one of the most unique bands I've ever listed to. I couldn't describe their music if I tried, but lyrically they are amazing. I find them to be a real divider of people, i.e. you either love them or hate them. As with The Choir, the meaning of their songs is not only seldom apparent on first listen, it's typically not apparent after multiple listens either, which is what really makes them intriguing to me. Most songs are based on ancient writings and parables from different traditions, some Christian, some not, and are always full of rich imagery and symbolism. Favorite songs: A Sweater Poorly Knit, The Angel of Death Came to David's Room, In a Market Dimly Lit, Timothy Hay, A Glass Can Only Spill What it Contains, Bullet to Binary, A Stick a Carrot and a String.

So, who are some of the artists that have influenced you or moved you in some way?

Oh, and in case you're wondering, the line that I've been dwelling on all day is, "a glass can only spill what it contains." I'll let you all mull that over on your own.

God Bless,
Dave

Not Quite 40, But Getting Closer

2009-10-15T15:24:00.003-05:00

Well another birthday has come and gone. I turned 38 on Saturday and took another step closer to 40. As I typically do around my birthday, I like to take a little time to reflect on the last year and on my life in general and contemplate just exactly how I got to this point in the journey. This year I am again reminded of how blessed I truly am. God has given me a wonderful wife, who constantly stands by me and supports me. He has given me 3 wonderful children who are growing into outstanding young men and women. He has placed us in a growing and vibrant church that constantly challenges me in my walk with God. He has given me great friends to walk this journey with. He has blessed me with a great job that is challenging and also allows me the flexibility I desire in my schedule to be involved in my children's various activities. I could go on, but you get the point.

It's interesting the path that our lives end up taking. It's seldom the way we picture it when we're young. If you had told me in high school or even college that I would end up being an insurance broker, I would have told you that you were crazy. In fact over the last year I've been wrestling with what God has called me to do from a career standpoint and have considered other career options that are more in line with the things that I'm passionate about. One thing I've always desired is to serve God on a more "full time" basis. However, as I've prayed and thought about it, I've realized that I already serve God on a full time basis if everything I do is for His glory. Whether that's being a husband, father, insurance broker, friend, etc. I've also come to realize that pursuing those options at this point in my life would take me away from what God has truly called me to do, being an involved and loving husband and father. This realization has brought me to a place of real peace and contentment in my life and made me more aware that I really do have a great job and work with great people, something not everyone has.

I don't know what God has in store for me in the future and, as I wrote a couple of weeks ago about pursuing your dreams, I'm not abandoning the pursuit of those dreams as I believe God placed them there for a reason. I'm just allowing God to take the lead and open the doors in His time. In the end, what He has planned for us is far greater than anything we could dream up. It's so easy to become restless, but in doing so we miss what God has for us now. Instead of always worrying and thinking about what's next, I'm learning to enjoy living in each moment. I'm slowing learning to enjoy today's blessings instead of always wanting more.

To quote one of my favorite Bruce Cockburn songs: "So many miles, so many doors. Some need patience, some need force. All fall open in their own due course."

God Bless,
Dave

Obama, the Great Peacemaker! Are You Kidding Me?

2009-10-09T12:19:00.005-05:00

I hadn't intended to write a political blog this weekend, but when I woke up this morning and read that President Obama had been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, I just couldn't help myself. In fact, I had been preparing my thoughts for my annual birthday blog, which I plan to write in the next day or so as I have a chance to reflect on the last year. But in the meantime, I had to comment on this news. As most of you who read this blog on a regular basis know, I'm fairly conservative in most of my viewpoints, but I don't consider myself a republican. There's just too much baggage with that label. That being said, it's probably fairly obvious that I don't agree with the majority of the President's policy positions. In fact, I strongly oppose many of them. But let me ask you to put aside your party affiliation and whether or not you like the president when answering the following question:

What in the world has President Obama accomplished in his career, either as president or prior to the election, that would earn him a Nobel Peace Prize?

The answer is very simple, NOTHING!

He was a "community organizer" before being a senator, whatever that is. He authored no significant legislation as a senator, in fact he spent most of his time campaigning. As president, his healthcare plan has met with significantly more opposition that he expected and has been a complete disaster, of which I am grateful and hope it never does pass. He was elected on the premise of getting our troops out of Iraq. We're still there and not leaving anytime soon. He promised to close Gitmo, releasing dozens of terrorists into the US prison system and granting them the same rights as US citizens. Gitmo is still open so he hasn't even come through on a bad promise. He promised to turn the economy around, however, unemployment is higher that it's been since the early 80's after President Carter ran the economy into the ground. And by the way he's won one too. He's promised to redistribute wealth, taking from the rich giving to the poor. How has that worked out so far? President Johnson promised the same thing in the 60's and guess what, we still have poverty in this country.

Oh, that's right, he did sign an executive order to allow for the release of federal funding to pay for abortions in foreign countries. That's a real humanitarian thing to do, fund the killing of unborn babies.

So apparently all you have to do to be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize is make a lot of promises, but not really accomplish anything. Since that seems to be the case...

I promise to end world hunger.
I promise to bring world peace.
I promise to make everyone wealthy.
I promise to you will always be healthy.
I promise whatever you'd like to hear so you'll elect me.

Do you suppose I'll win it next year? Oh, yeah, I forgot, I'm not the "messiah", just a lowly blogger here in the Midwest. This used to be a prestigious award, now it's just become a joke. We used to award excellence and achievement, now as long as we say the right thing we're rewarded, it doesn't really matter what we actually do. God help us.

God Bless,
Dave

Dream on...Dream until your dreams come true

2009-09-22T11:40:00.001-05:00

Well...I've sat down to write several times lately on several different topics and have just been unable to put my thoughts together for some reason. My mind has just been too preoccupied to really focus on any one thing. I suppose it's primarily due to my busy schedule, mostly revolving around my kid's sports schedules and work related items. I really enjoy the busyness with the sports. As I've said before, one of my greatest pleasures in life is to watch my children compete in their various sports and activities. Watching them pursue their passions using the gifts God gave them (whether it be sports, dance, or anything else) puts a big ol' smile on my face. It's that pesky work thing that just keeps rearing its ugly head and getting in the way, but I digress.

Sunday night my wife and I had one of those amazing conversations with our teenager about pursing your dreams and fulfilling God's calling on your life. As with most great conversations, we didn't start out to talk about this, the conversation just sort of evolved. You see, my son (13 and in 8th grade) has a dream of playing football for the University of Missouri, or at the least a division 1 college. Most of us at his age, probably had similar aspirations. Is this a realistic dream? I have no idea. He's an excellent athlete with a great work ethic, so who knows what God has in store for him. But that's not really the point. As we were talking and discussing all the possible options he could have for college and sports, I noticed a hint of disappointment in his face as he said, " but it probably won't happen." It's that moment when you see the innocence and hopefulness of youth replaced with the realization that life doesn't always turn out the way we would like.

We both, of course, encouraged him to pursue his dreams no matter what obstacles appear in his path and to never give up on a dream. I believe that God has given him this desire for a purpose. We may not know what that purpose is yet or exactly how things will turn out, but God has placed that desire there for a reason and it could take him in many different directions. In addition, I firmly believe that the plans God has for us are far greater than anything we could imagine ourselves. It's a shame that as we grow into adulthood, we too often give up on those dreams much to easily and settle for the easier path instead of trusting God and experiencing all He has for us. If we would just trust Him and not give up, I think we would be surprised at what God will do in our lives. Now that doesn't mean that we shouldn't prepare our son for the possibility that his dream may not happen in the way he has imagined it, that would be irresponsible as parents. But at the same time, it doesn't mean that he should give up on his pursuit of that dream. It just means that he should be open to wherever God takes him along that path. As we align ourselves with God and are in communion with Him, our desires align with His and we are able to do and achieve much more than we ever imagined in the first place. It's at that point that we truly fulfill God's calling on our lives.

I think we too often as Christians get focused on just surviving this life in anticipation of heaven, when instead we should realize that this part of the journey is meant to be full of joy as well. Yes, there are struggles here that we won't have in heaven and I'm not saying we shouldn't look forward to heaven, but we should view our earthly struggles as part of the process of growing closer to God. I'm always amazed when I talk with people that have visited third world countries and they come back talking about how the Christians there have this indescribable joy in spite of their dire circumstances. These people have nothing and yet have not given up hope. I believe it's because their hope is not in themselves and their own abilities or circumstances, but in the God of the universe. My prayer for my children and for everyone is that each of us would pursue the dreams God placed in our hearts, not relying on our own strength, but on God's and in doing so discover the joy of living in communion with Him. Eternity doesn't begin when we die, it began when we were born.

God Bless.
Dave

Random Thoughts From a Busy July and August

2009-08-11T15:17:00.005-05:00

Ahh, it feels good to write again. Sorry for neglecting my blog for the last few weeks. July turned out to be busier than expected. Every time I planned to sit down and write, something else came up or I was too tired. But that's life, I suppose. Not that my schedule is going to get any lighter with school starting next week, football in full swing for my son, Fall softball starting up for my oldest daughter, and dance class starting for my youngest daughter. College and Pro football are also starting and that always occupies much of my time, much to my wife's dismay. Between my son's obsession with football, both playing and watching, and my obsession with it, she is definitely a "football widow" from August to January. Not to mention that I do actually have work responsibilities as well. I wouldn't trade the busyness for anything though. I realize that someday all my children will be grown and there won't be any more games or dance recitals. Unless, of course, they all go pro and I can retire early and just spend my time traveling around to watch them. Now that would be sweet. Probably not likely, but a dad can dream can't he?

A lot has happened since I last blogged:

My wife and I just celebrated our 16th anniversary on August 7th (Happy Anniversary Sweetheart!!). It's amazing how quickly the last 16 years have gone. As we celebrated and reflected on our lives together, I was again reminded that there truly is no-one else I would want to spend my life with. The last 16 years have been wonderful. Sure there have been the usual good times and hard times, but we've always had each other, and most importantly God, through it all. I look forward to the next 60 or so. (I know that would make me 98, but you never know, people are living longer these days and I've had many relatives that lived into their 90's.)

To switch gears a little, this whole health care issue is really starting to concern me. (You knew I couldn't stay away from politics for a whole blog). I will probably write more about this in a separate blog in the near future, but this country is about to explode and this issue seems to be the spark lighting the fuse. Regardless of which side of the debate you are on, the division in this country has gone beyond debate and disagreement. There is real hatred on both sides. This is something we've not seen since the late sixties. A lot of it is probably the media blowing it out of proportion, but they do seem to be fanning the flames of the discontent that is already there. My two cents on healthcare: The system is obviously broken and in need of repair. However, I'm afraid the president's plan to fix it will only make matters worse and start us on a course from which we will not be able to reverse.

The president and his supporters want to take the country in a new direction (healthcare is just one component of the plan) and those of us that disagree with his policies are concerned that we won't recognize our country in 4 years. But instead of expressing our ideas in a reasoned manner it's turning into a name calling and shouting match, which will get us nowhere. While I believe his policies are harmful and will eventually bankrupt our country (financially and morally), I don't believe that he thinks they will. In other words, I believe that he really thinks his policies are the best course of action. Too many on the right have given in to conspiracy theories and paranoia, comparing Obama to Hitler and claiming he wants to destroy our country. This is obviously ridiculous and only makes the right look foolish. By the way, many on the left did the same thing to Bush and they looked just as foolish in my opinion. I believe most Americans are fairly moderate and lean to one side or the other. But we are allowing both parties to be hijacked and ruled by the extremists. This is a dangerous situation and the one's that will suffer the most are those of us closer to the middle. I pray that cooler heads would prevail and allow this debate to happen where both sides can be heard and a consensus reached. I know, I'm dreaming again.

Last week, my friends Dan and Rob from Speak Up Productions were in Kenya filming their documentary on world poverty, titled "Give A Damn?", when a small plane they were flying in to take aerial footage of the Kibera Slums crashed. Fortunately, Dan and Rob survived the crash. They had some serious injuries, but nothing life threatening. Unfortunately, the pilot, a local missionary, was killed in the crash. This is one of those difficult things that happen in life that are hard to understand and see the purpose in. But I do believe that God will use this tragedy somehow and in a greater way than their original vision for this project could have imagined. Please pray for them and for the pilot's family. I would also encourage you to visit their website at www.giveadamndoc.com to learn more about the project.

I've refrained from commenting on the death of Michael Jackson until now because there has just been way too much media coverage. But, as expected, all the greedy slimeballs are now coming out of the woodwork trying to claim their stake in his estate. It's really sad to see the lengths some people will to go for money. Especially those that are using his kids as a means to that money. Jackson was definitely a flawed individual with some serious issues, of which I'm sure we will never really know the full extent. And while it doesn't excuse it, let's face it he didn't exactly have a normal and happy childhood. I just hope everyone will leave his kids alone and let them grow up out of the spotlight, like he never had a chance to do. I know, again, I'm dreaming.

But enough of all the crazy stuff going on in the world. It's football season and I for one am ready. Go St. Louis Rams, Go Missouri Tigers, Go Parkway South Junior Patriots (C's team), Go Purple Sox (OK that one is S's softball team), and Go M's dance group.

God Bless.
Dave

Cornerstone Music Festival 2009

2009-07-05T16:57:00.005-05:00

I just got back yesterday from Cornerstone. For those that don't know, Cornerstone is one of the largest Christian music and arts festivals in the US. It's a five day festival that caters to all musical styles except for mainstream pop. In other words you won't find Mercy Me or Michael W. Smith there. But you will find folk, hard rock, alternative, hardcore, punk, metal, and a lot of great independent musicians. In addition to the music there are tons of great seminars and visual art. With over 500 bands there are concerts going on all day and well into the early morning hours.

I've been going since 1990 and this year was another great festival. I was especially excited that this is the first time my entire family has gone. I took my older two children last year for the first time and they were instantly hooked, but this year my wife and youngest daughter were able to join us. I think my youngest (7 years old) was a little overwhelmed at first with all the people who look a little different than what she is used to in her suburban life (lots of tattoos, piercings, and hippies). But by the end of the week, she had settled in and hopefully was starting to understand that not all Christians have to look and think alike to be Christians.

To me this is one of the greatest things about Cornerstone. It challenges us to step outside of our usual surroundings and enter what is essentially a different culture. It reminds us that God is a lot bigger and more interesting than the box we so often put Him in. It's a great reminder that we as Christians are part of a larger community of believers that extends around the world and is comprised of people from all different backgrounds and experiences. Cornerstone is a great celebration of the unity we have as believers. It's refreshing to listen to other perspectives on Christianity and the bible. We need to step out of our comfort zone more often and allow ourselves to be challenged by God.

I was especially challenged this year by the phrase, "don't go to church, be the church." Where you see suffering, be the church. Where you see injustice, be the church. Where you see your neighbor in need, be the church. It's so easy to be a cultural Christian, but it's much more difficult to be a biblical Christian. But that is what we are called to be.

So what about the music? Well, it was tremendous. Those that know me know that I have a very eclectic taste in music. I might listen to folk one minute and punk the next. We were able to see some of our favorite bands like Family Force 5, Reliant K, Anberlin, Josh Garrels, Michael Roe, and Los Lonely Boys while also discovering some new artists like Mewithoutyou, Copeland, Photoside Cafe, Shiny Toy Guns, and Flatfoot 56. It was also fun to see the Crucified reunite after 15 years. They are one of the grandfathers of Christian thrash/punk and played a great show.

Flatfoot 56 may have been the most entertaining show. They are a punk band that incorporates a mandolin and bagpipes into their music and actually had the crowd recreate the battle of the Alamo in the mosh pit (hard to really explain, let's just say it was entertaining). And by the way I came very close to reliving my youth and actually entering the mosh pit. Then I remembered that I'm 37 and wanted to be able to walk back to my campsite afterward so I decided not to. I think my 13 year old son was disappointed I didn't, just so he could've made fun of me.

After discovering and being amazed by Josh Garrels last year (a folk singer that incorporates urban and hip-hop into his music), I was truly blown away again this year by Mewithoutyou. Not sure how to describe their music other than to say it is some of the most creative music and songwriting I've heard in a long, long time. A very special band indeed.

Well those are some of the highlights. If you ever get a chance to go, I would highly recommend it. It's a wonderful festival and if you go with an open mind, I believe God will speak to you. Can't wait till next year.

God Bless.

Dave

The Joy of Being a Parent

2009-06-10T16:22:00.004-05:00

Being a parent is really a lot of fun sometimes. Don't get me wrong there are certainly challenges and it's definitely not easy, but it is a real joy for me to watch my children grow and learn and mature in every area of their lives. As my children are getting older, it's been exciting to watch them each discover their passions and talents and come alive as they pursue those passions. This is what every parent wishes for their child. I've been fortunate to witness this first hand in the last week with all 3 of my children.

Football camp started last week for my 13 year old son and practices continue throughout June in preparation for a tournament at the end of the month. Then it's a few weeks off before practice starts for the season. For my son, football is his life. It's what he lives for. It was so exciting to watch his face just light up on the first day of practice. Even as tired as he was after a brutally difficult practice last night in the rain, he still had a smile on his face and was ready for more. I'm very proud of his commitment and dedication. He worked very hard in the off season to get bigger, faster, and stronger and now he's seeing that hard work pay off. Good life lessons are being learned and it's opened a lot of opportunities to have conversations with him on how pursuing the passions God gave him honors God and is an act of worship. As proud as I am of his commitment, I'm even more proud of the way he carries himself. He's respectful and listens to his coaches, he's a good teammate, and he keeps his grades up in the classroom.

My 10 year old daughter played in a double header on Saturday and really played her heart out. She's played softball for a couple of years, but this is her first year of fast pitch and she absolutely loves to pitch. Watching her face light up as she prepares to take the mound or when she steps up to the plate is just a real delight for me. She goes from being this very polite, mild mannered, sweet girl to a real bulldog of a competitor when she's on the field. She gets this very intense look in her eyes once the game starts. Her skills are really starting to develop in all aspects of the game and she has so much fun playing. I have to admit that I even got a little choked up during the second game on Saturday after she had a particularly good inning on the mound. I'm also very proud of the way she carriers herself as well. She's a very mature 10 year old. Watching her doing what she loves is such a blessing for me as her dad.

We're in the process of getting my 7 year old daughter into a new dance class, which she is so excited about she can hardly stand it. She is constantly dancing around the house and just comes alive when she talks about it. But even more exciting than her passion for dance is the fact that this past Sunday, she professed her faith in Christ and took her first communion. She has been asking for the last few months about taking communion, but my wife and I wanted to have a conversation with her first to make sure she understood what it meant and believed that Christ died for her sins. My wife was able to have that conversation with her and she professed her faith and was able to celebrate communion with us. She was so excited. It's such a blessing that all 3 of my kids have accepted Christ as their savior. Watching them grow in their faith has been very exciting.

But as proud as I am as a parent, just imagine how much God delights in us when we honor Him in everything we do. When we commit every area of our life to Him is when we truly find our joy and our purpose. When we pursue the passions and the calling that God places on each of us is when we truly connect with Him on a deeper level. God gave us each different talents and calls us to use those talents in a way that honors Him, whether it's playing football, softball, dancing, working in our given professions, or being a parent. When we truly understand that our whole life is to be lived in communion with God is when we get a little glimpse of heaven.

God Bless.
Dave

Random Thoughts at the Beginning of Summer

2009-05-29T16:53:00.001-05:00

It seems like ages since I've had a chance to update my blog. The last month of school is always extremely busy and I've been traveling quite a bit for work the last few weeks on top of it so as a result my blog has suffered. Since it's been so long since I've written anything I've decided to take inspiration from one of the greatest economists and political commentators around these days, Dr. Thomas Sowell (whose book, "A Conflict of Visions", was extremely influential on me in college), and write a series of random thoughts.

Ah, the end of the school year and the beginning of summer. My wife and I always have visions of time to relax, sit by the pool, and not have as much of a rigid schedule as we do during the school year. Then we take a look at the calendar and suddenly realize that between vacations, softball games, football practice (yes, they start practicing in June), church youth camps, etc. we are actually busier in the summer than any other time of the year. Oh well, at least it's warm and I love going to my kid's games and traveling so it's all fun.

Speaking of sports, my oldest daughter (10) moved up to fast pitch softball this year, she played slow pitch last year, and is really coming along as a pitcher. She's been working very hard on her windmill motion, which is more difficult to learn, and for me to teach, than I thought it would be. It's just not a natural throwing motion. She's such a tough competitor though, it's fun to watch her play.

Speaking of tough competitors, my 13 year old son starts football camp next week. He's been working very hard in the off season, running and lifting, and has really gotten a lot stronger and faster since last season. I can't believe how much he's grown or how much he eats. He plays cornerback and is really excited for the season to start. They start so early because they play in a tournament the last weekend in June with teams from all over the state of Missouri. It's a great trip to the University of Missouri in Columbia to play 3 games in 3 days. The boys have a lot of fun and so do the parents.

On to politics:

Let the posturing begin as we have the first Supreme Court appointment under the Obama administration. While I understand the importance of selecting good judges for the highest court in the land, did the Republicans really expect Obama to nominate a conservative? Especially since the justice that is leaving is a liberal. I believe the constitution should be interpreted strictly and that it is not a living document, but we don't know, at this point, the nominee's view. That will be answered as the process moves forward. But I'm already sick of all the personal attacks and of those calling her a racist. Let's just stick to her record and pray that the judicial committee will ask good, relevant questions to determine what kind of judge she will be.

These North Korean missile tests are really concerning me. I'm not so much afraid of an attack on the US by North Korea, but of the possibility of them selling a nuclear devise to some terrorist organization. I'm not sure of the solution, but somehow I don't think more threats of sanctions from the UN is going to have much effect. It didn't deter them during the Clinton or Bush administrations and I don't think it will work now. What's that old saying about the definition of insanity, doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result?

Did anyone else catch the big set up a few weeks ago from Obama? He came out and said in a recent speech that the government cannot afford all the spending programs that we currently have in place. Basically we are broke. Wait a minute, wasn't he the one that put many of those spending programs in place? Hold on to your wallets, I smell a tax increase coming next year. Do the 95% of you out there that were promised a tax cut feel like you've been hoodwinked?

Is anyone else sick of Nancy Pelosi? I mean how ridiculous is it that this women is the Speaker of the House. Even most of her fellow liberal Democrats have backed away from her lately. We all know that most politicians from both parties lie on a regular basis, but to be that blatant and change your story 4 times in a few days. I hope the people living in her district wake up at the next election.

That's enough politics, it's summer, 80 degrees and sunny outside. Let's move on to other things:

Cornerstone Music Festival is only a little over a month away and I cannot wait. It's the best Christian music festival on the planet with all different styles of music and art, catering mostly to harder music and independent artists. I've been going almost every year since 1990 and it's always a great time. Last year I went with my 2 oldest children and we had a blast. In fact my oldest daughter took her first communion there and professed her faith in Christ at a worship service with about 10,000 other hippies (yeah, even though I'm a conservative, I'm still a hippie). This year the whole family is going and the kids are very excited. It's my youngest daughters (7) first time.

I'm still amazed everyday at how God's grace meets me where I am. Even in difficult times, His mercy and grace are evident. Even in my sin or when I doubt, He continues to pursue me.

I'm not exactly sure when it happened, but I think my age is finally catching up with me. Until recently I was still able to play basketball, run, mountain bike, hike, etc. with relatively few injuries and little soreness the next day. However, since January I've broken one finger, sprained 2 others, and sprained the same ankle twice - all playing basketball. Not to mention that it takes me a day or two to recover from 2 hours of basketball or a really intense workout.

Too many good movies out this summer, too little time to go see them all: Star Trek, Terminator Salvation, Angels and Demons, Harry Potter, Up, etc.

That's all for now. Hopefully it won't take another month to update again.

God Bless,

Dave

Me?...A Right Wing Radical?...Who Knew?

2009-04-16T17:12:00.008-05:00

It's been awhile since I've written about politics, but I just couldn't hold it in any more after watching the coverage of the Tax Day Tea Parties that were held around the country on Wednesday. I never realized that I was a dangerous, radical, right wing, conservative nut job, but apparently I am. At least if you believe the news media, specifically CNN and MSNBC. You see, according to their coverage of these rallies, if you believe in small government, low taxes, personal responsibility, and are pro life, you are dangerous. They don't just disagree with you, but they actually believe you are dangerous. One CNN reporter, who was supposed to be there simply reporting on the event, which was held to protest the large spending bill recently passed and proposed tax increases, even went so far as to start arguing with one of the participants about his opinions. I'm sorry, but I thought reporters were supposed to report the news, not debate those they are interviewing.

The fact that the media and many pundits lean left is certainly not news to anyone, but the hatred that they seem to have for anyone or anything even approaching the right is just bizarre. I love a good debate with someone who I disagree with, but is it really necessary to hate the other side in order to debate them. I've found that usually means they don't have much of an argument. I consider myself fairly conservative as I strongly believe in a small government, low taxes, personal responsibility, and am fiercely pro life, but I also lean to the left on some issues, i.e. the environment, social justice, gun control, and I certainly would like to see us out of Iraq. So I think I'm fairly balanced in my views, but according to the media, the latter doesn't matter because the former makes me a dangerous radical that should be silenced or at least shouted down. But aren't these the same ideas that our country was founded upon? Wasn't the original Boston Tea Party a protest against high taxes and a large intrusive government forcing its will on the colonists? Is it really that crazy of an idea that the government should leave people alone and let them keep the money they've earned?

And why is it when anyone on the left is out in the street protesting, they are applauded by the media for utilizing their right of free speech, but if you have a dissenting opinion you should be berated and accused of having dangerous ideas? What is it that they are afraid of? I also found it interesting that the president claims he was unaware that these rallies were taking place. He's either even more out of touch with the American people than I thought he was or he is afraid to admit that some people actually don't agree with him. Well Mr. President I have news for you, there are a lot of us that don't appreciate the rather large amount of debt that you just placed on us and our children and we are not going to be silent, even if your cohorts in the media try to paint us as radicals. I suppose to the British the founding fathers ideas were radical as well. If following in their footsteps and holding on to what made this country great makes me a radical, then so be it.

God Bless.
Dave

Thoughts on Easter and Good Friday, that Beautiful Scandalous Night

2009-04-06T17:24:00.007-05:00

As I've written before, Thanksgiving is probably my favorite holiday of the year as I love getting together with family and reflecting on all that God has blessed me with. I also love Christmas and the joy that seems to be in the air as we celebrate Christ's coming as a child and God dwelling among us. But there is something incredibly special about Easter. It is a much more solemn, but no less joyful, holiday for me and a time of year that causes me to meditate on the incredible sacrifice Christ made for me. I like to take time each day on the Monday through Friday before Easter to read the Easter account in each of the gospels. I find it helps me to prepare my heart for a time of reflection at our Good Friday service and then the beautiful celebration of the resurrection on Easter morning.

Adam and Eve rejected God in the Garden and we all bear the burden of that decision. Of course we do a pretty good job of rejecting God ourselves, at least I know that I do and as I look at the world around me, I'm fairly certain that I'm not alone. Without Christ's death and resurrection, we would all be lost and still wandering around in our sins with no hope of salvation because there is nothing we can do to earn it.

But my hope lies in this, that Christ came into the world because He loved me and willingly gave Himself to be brutally beaten and die a gruesome death so that I could spend eternity with Him. He took the punishment that I deserved even knowing that I would continue to sin and fight Him at every turn. Yet He chose me anyway. Certainly not because I deserved it, but simply out of His incredible mercy and truly amazing grace. I'm still blown away that the God and creator of the universe would come and go through all that for me. And not only did He die to pay my debt, but He defeated death by rising from the grave to give me the hope of eternal life in His heaven. So not only did He provide a path for me to Him, but He pursued me even in the depths of my sin, forgave me, and then welcomed me into His house. But not as a guest, as a son.

My prayer for everyone this Easter is that you would realize that God loves you that much as well. We cannot be good enough or do enough right things to get into heaven. But that is the beauty of Easter and the cross. We don't have to earn it. God's grace comes to each of us and pursues us if we are willing to turn to Him and recieve it.

May God truly bless you this Easter.

Dave

Beautiful Scandalous Night by Derri Daugherty and Steve Hindalong

"Go on up to the mountain of mercy
To the crimson perpetual tide
Kneel down on the shore
Be thirsty no more
Go under and be purified

Follow Christ to the holy mountain
Sinner sorry and wrecked by the fall
Cleanse your heart and your soul
In the fountain that flowed
For you and for me and for all

CHORUS:
At the wonderful, tragic, mysterious tree
On that beautiful, scandalous night you and me
Were atoned by His blood and forever washed white
On that beautiful, scandalous night

On the hillside, you will be delivered
At the foot of the cross justified
And your spirit restored
By the river that poured
From our blessed Savior's side

Go on up to the mountain of mercy
To the crimson perpetual tide
Kneel down on the shore
Be thirsty no more
Go under and be purified"

Follow this link to watch a video for this song: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w3HmfiVQeww

The Blessing of Children

2009-03-24T10:45:00.000-05:00

We celebrated my youngest daughter’s 7th birthday last weekend and I was again reminded of how much a blessing children are and how much I love being a dad and hanging out with my kids. She is the youngest of 3, ages 13, 9, and 7. When I was younger, before I was married and had kids, I always assumed that someday I would have children, but I never realized how much having children changes your life and your perspective on things until my oldest was born 13 years ago. When they’re babies your entire life revolves around feeding, diapers, and lugging all kinds of baby stuff around everywhere you go (i.e. diaper bag, car seat, etc.). It’s a fun stage, but it is a lot of work. As they get older, your life still revolves around them, but there are bigger issues to deal with and it seems like you are always driving them somewhere.

However, what I’m finding as they get older is something that I guess I never thought about before I had kids or even when they were younger. But, my kids are now at an age that we can sit down and have real, sometimes deep conversations about all sorts of things. Topics like who God is and how do we as fallen and sinful people relate to the creator of the universe, politics, how movies that we’ve seen or books we’ve read affect us and finding deeper meaning in these stories are regular dinner conversation. Of course there is plenty of silliness to go around too and I’m always up for a good fart joke, which all 3 are always ready to deliver. My son had a friend over for dinner the other night and he commented on how much fun we have at the dinner table and he’s right, dinner at our house is often very entertaining.

It’s truly amazing to watch them mature and become their own person with their own very distinct personalities. The 3 of them couldn’t be more different from one another and sometimes it’s hard to imagine that they were all raised in the same house. But it’s neat to hear them express their own ideas and opinions about issues. They often amaze me with their insight.

God has truly blessed my wife and I with 3 amazing children. It’s interesting how He uses them to teach me and mold me into the person He created me to be, just as He uses my wife and I to mold them into the people He created them to be. I guess my point is that having children is more of a two way street than I ever realized. It’s not just about me being the parent (although that is an important aspect), but it’s also about being open to allow God to use them in my life as well.

God Bless.

Dave

The Wilderness of Life - Tragic Church Shooting in IL

2009-03-09T17:13:00.001-05:00

As if I needed a reminder that there is evil in the world, Sunday at a local church a man walked in during the service, went to the front of the church, pulled out a gun, and fatally shot the pastor 4 times. Fortunately, the man was subdued by 2 men in the congregation before he could hurt anyone else. At this point there doesn't appear to be a motive. The man did not attend this church and no one had ever seen him there before. There's no apparent history between him and the pastor; he just simply, and premeditatedly, walked in with the intent to kill him. I admit, I'm having a hard time getting my head around this one. Making it hit even closer to home is the fact that I have family that attend this church. Fortunately, they were not there when it happened, but I'm sure they are devastated. I know I would be.

I fully believe that we are all born sinful and with the propensity to commit evil, all you have to do is watch the news on a regular basis to confirm this. But I also believe in the sovereignty of God, which is why I struggle with what appear to be random acts of violence like this one. I know God is in control and has a purpose for everything, but I'm struggling to find any purpose in this. Oh, I could write all kinds of theological arguments to explain it, and I do believe those arguments are true, but it doesn't really provide much comfort to those that are hurting and mourning the loss of their pastor and to those of us who watch the world continue to deteriorate.

It's interesting that the sermon my pastor preached on Sunday, while this was happening only about 25 miles away, was about how all of us go through times of being in the wilderness of life and how God is always there with us in those times. The sermon was based on the passage in the Gospel of Mark where Jesus is baptized and immediately is taken into the desert for 40 days where He was tempted by Satan. As He struggled there in the wilderness, the scripture says He was comforted by angels. If there was ever a wilderness, the congregation of this church and the pastor's family are in the middle of maybe the darkest they will ever experience. What comforts me the most in these times is not the theological arguments, but remembering that God is always with us just as He was with Christ in the desert. God does not promise we will not go through suffering, in fact He clearly states that we will, however, He does promise that He will always be with us when we do. God sent His only son to earth to suffer and die for our sins so He is fully able to understand our grief. In fact, I believe His heart is broken every time He sees the evil mankind commits against our fellow man.

Could God have prevented this terrible tragedy and all the other terrible tragedies that happen every day around the world? I believe He could have, but for reasons beyond our understanding, He chose not to. In the end any explanation of why will be insufficient. The fact is evil exists and in the present time has been allowed to run its course. We are guaranteed to see it rear its ugly head again. However, we are not without hope. God has promised not only to comfort us now, but that someday Christ will return and restore and redeem all things to the way they were intended to be from the beginning. No more violence, pain, and suffering.

I'm sure the people of this congregation will go through all the emotions of anger, fear, and grief in the coming days, months, and years. All of which are appropriate. Please pray for each of them and the members of the family as they work through these emotions. Pray that God would comfort each of them and that He would use this in some way even if we never fully understand. Lord, please come back soon and rescue us from ourselves.

God Bless.

Thoughts on Eternity

2009-02-15T17:51:00.002-06:00

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about eternity and what heaven will be like. I’m not really sure why and it’s not really been so much thinking about my own mortality or anything like that. It’s been more a sense of wonder and curiosity than anything morbid. Perhaps it’s because I’m getting older and can look back and see where life has been a struggle and realize things are not as they should be and the promise that God will restore all things gives me hope.

But also, I can look back and see glimpses of heaven in this life. Things like the close bond I have with my wife and kids, watching the sunrise over the mountains in the pure silence of nature, listening to beautiful music, etc. These are only small glimpses of what is to come and I can only imagine how much more beautiful those things will be when they are not tainted by the blackness of the fall and sin.

I play basketball with a group of guys from church every Thursday. A couple of weeks ago as I was driving home I was struck with the idea that not only are we friends now, but we will be friends throughout eternity. I realize that our bodies will only allow us to play basketball for so many years and we will eventually have to stop, but that someday we will be able to play again and share our love of sports and competition throughout eternity.

I also thought about my small group bible study at church, where my wife and I have shared so much of our lives and built relationships that have helped us grow and given us a sense of community. We’ve laughed and cried together for a lot of years, sometimes at the same time. We’ve celebrated and mourned together through all that life has thrown at us. It’s exciting to think that those relationships will continue for eternity and only grow stronger and deeper as the shackles of sin fall off.

Lately I've been able to connect with old friends through Facebook that I've not seen in a long time. It's been a lot of fun catching up with those people that have touched my life in one way or another throghout the years. Perhaps another glimpse of heaven.

Finally, I thought about my wife and kids and the joys and trials we've been through together and will continue to go through. It's comforting to know that our relationship as a family will continue into eternity and only grow stronger. I believe God put us together for an eternal purpose.

I don’t know exactly what heaven will be like, but the fact that we will be able to experience the fullness of God is truly amazing and is my source of hope when life is a struggle. When I was younger I always pictured heaven as kind of a dreamlike state of mind. But the more I think about it, I think it will be more real that this life could ever be.

God Bless.

This Train is Bound for Glory

2009-02-10T11:54:00.010-06:00

I'm a big movie buff and an even bigger music fan. As I’ve gotten older, I’ve become especially interested in Folk/Americana music. That being said, I watched a wonderful movie last night on the early life of Woody Guthrie, called Bound for Glory (released in 1976). For those not familiar with his life, Woody grew up and spent the early part of his adult life in the "dust bowl" in Oklahoma and Texas. I won't go into too much detail, but during the Great Depression in the 30's he left Texas and hopped on a freight train headed to California with other migrant workers looking for work, along the way he found his voice as a songwriter and become an advocate for the poor working class, of which he was a part.

I was really impressed by how, once he began to gain notoriety as a musician, he stuck by his principles and refused to give in to those, including his own wife, who wanted him to tone down his message in order to make him more marketable to the general public. This ultimately cost him a regular, good paying job at a time when jobs were very hard to come by. He could have become a very rich man, but instead stayed true to his convictions and continued to speak out against the oppressive land owners and others that took advantage of the migrant workers by grossly underpaying them. He continually risked his own life to help them unionize and to provide them hope by being their voice when they had none.

As all of us born under the curse, however, he wasn't a perfect man by any means. In addition to numerous affairs, he would often take off for weeks or months at time to "ride the rails" and connect with those he was an advocate for, abandoning his wife and kids without notice and leaving them with no means of financial support.

Still, I understand the tension that he felt between pursuing his passion and being the husband, father, and provider for his family that he should have been. As the movie portrays, this was something he wrestled with as well, ultimately choosing, however, to go his own way. I found myself rooting for him to find a way to strike that balance that we all strive for, but he never could.

Despite his flaws, he did provide a voice of hope to many and was an agent of change for the oppressed in his time. It’s amazing how God uses flawed people to accomplish His purposes. (I always think of King David from the Old Testament. Talk about a flawed individual (adultery, murder, etc.) and look how he was used by God.) The movie reminded me of how easy it is to just give in and go with the flow and how difficult it can be to stand up for what you believe in and fight injustice. I pray that God would grant me the strength to do the latter, but also give me the ability to be the husband and father that He has called me to be and that I desire to be.

This journey we’re on is seldom easy. But the struggle is often what makes us better people and what God uses to help us grow. When our focus is outside of ourselves, that’s when we truly find our voice.

God Bless.

Does the Freedom of Choice Act Provide a Choice to the Unborn?

2009-01-27T17:10:00.008-06:00

So many things to write about, so little time. I wish I had the time to update this blog more often because I seem to have so much on my mind lately, but, unfortunately there just never seems to be enough time to sit down and do it. So I’m finally getting around to commenting on the executive order that President Obama tried to slip in late Friday afternoon when no one was paying attention. As everyone knows, if you want to do something in politics that you don’t really want noticed; announce it on a Friday afternoon when everyone is distracted with wrapping up the work week and preparing for the weekend.

For those that don’t know, the president signed an executive order on Friday that reverses Bush’s order to deny government funding to international organizations that provide abortion services. I believe this is just the first step in Obama’s promise to push through the Freedom of Choice act, which would take away some of the current restrictions on abortion, such as parental consent and waiting periods. For those of us who believe that life begins at conception and that all people are created in the image of God for a purpose, this is truly frightening and will set the pro-life movement back decades.

I know some will argue that it’s not clear when life begins. However, in an age where medical science is so sophisticated that we can see organs forming at just a few weeks and where we have shown that a single cell contains a person’s complete DNA, I believe it is ridiculous to argue that life begins at some later time. But even if we want to put aside the scientific evidence; if we aren’t sure when life begins shouldn’t we take the most conservative view just in case? Do we really want to take the chance that it is a child we are disposing of and not just a mass of cells?

I’m truly saddened by the fact that a society as educated as ours has allowed this to become legal. But I’m really disturbed by the fact that there are some out there that are so dogmatic about it and want to make it even easier to obtain. I truly don’t understand the pro-choice position and the anger and hatred toward those of us who believe life is a precious gift from our Creator.

Obama is not the first pro-choice president, but he is in the driver’s seat right now due to his large majority in congress and will be able to push through his agenda with ease. He made his position very clear in the campaign and his record speaks for itself. I don’t believe he is an evil person, but if he gets his wish and this bill passes, the impact on the unborn in this country may be devastating.

I know this post will piss off a lot of people, but I believe this is one of the defining issues of our time and one on which I just cannot be silent. It is critical that we take a look at where we are headed as a nation and decide if we want to live in a culture that upholds and values life or one that disposes of life in the same way we do our garbage. God help us all if we choose the latter.

God Bless.

Look Out....Government to the Rescue!

2009-01-13T10:39:00.004-06:00

Well, for those of you who still think Obama is not a socialist at heart, I challenge you to listen to the “Only Government” speech he made last week and still try to defend that position. For those who didn’t hear it, essentially, Obama stated in a speech on the economy that only the government can fix the economic problems we are currently facing in the US. He emphasized this phrase several times throughout the speech to make his position very clear.

Really, only the government is capable of fixing this problem? So instead of relying on the foundations this country was built upon, private enterprise working in a free market, we are to believe that only our “wise and benevolent” federal government will be able to fix things. We are just mere children that couldn’t possibly understand what to do with such a complex problem. We must be taken care of and told what to do.

Have you ever actually seen how this government fixes things? Their answer is typically to throw more and more money at a problem without really looking at the root causes. I’m reminded of the definition of insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result. Keep in mind also that these are the same people that helped get us into this mess in the first place through failed policies. Seriously, what rational person forces banks to loan money to people that cannot afford to pay it back? Then when the bank inevitably ends up in financial trouble, decides to give them money with no strings attached. This is our money mind you, not the government’s. Kind of sounds like hush money to me. “Please don’t tell anyone we strong armed you to do this, oh, and by the way here’s $700 Billion of someone else’s money for your trouble.”

I was initially encouraged when I saw who Obama selected as his economic team. It appeared as though he was moving to the center. However, after hearing this speech, I’m beginning to wonder if he was just throwing a bone to those of us in this country who are more conservative, but really plans to govern from the left. I happen to believe that what he said in this speech is what he really believes based on his record in the Senate and other speeches he has made. I suppose it’s possible that he was only stating it in this manner to appease the Left, but I have my doubts.

Only time will truly tell if he will choose to govern more from the center or to the far left. I’m hoping the team of advisors he has in place will influence him to stay in the center and keep the government out of our lives. If not, we may not recognize this country in four years.

God Bless.

Is it really 2009 already? Where is my Jetson's car?

2009-01-01T14:21:00.007-06:00

It's really hard to believe that it's the year 2009. I can remember as a kid in the late 70's thinking that the year 2000 seemed so far away, let alone the year 2009. I grew up watching movies like 2001 and TV shows like Space 1999 and the Jetsons and it seemed like that was so far in the future and that we would surely be traveling the stars and have flying cars by then. I've always wanted a flying car. While we have made some incredible technological advancements, we haven't quite made it that far yet.

I do find it interesting that throughout the thousands of years of human history, there was maybe one or two significant advancements a century, but in the last two hundred years there have been sometimes one or more a month or even week. We almost seem to be advancing at an exponential rate. But while we are advancing technologically, are we really advancing from a sociological and spiritual standpoint?

While the beginning of each year brings a new hope, I was reminded first thing this morning that we are still a fallen and sinful people who continually find new ways to hate and harm each other. As I turned the news on this morning (my first mistake) and saw the news of the bombings in Gaza, that hope was almost dashed. Here we go again, the same old story. But at the same time I was reminded that God is sovereign and has provided us a means to salvation and has promised that He would return to restore all things to the way they were intended to be from the beginning.

While God has given the human race the ability to advance technologically through the study of science, He has also given us the ability to grow spiritually by trusting in His Son and the sacrifice He made on the cross. As long as our hope is in God, we need not be discouraged. None of us know when Jesus will return, but we know God keeps His promises and therefore, no matter how bad things get, we know He has a plan and sees things from an eternal perspective rather than our limited view.

In the meantime we should enjoy the world He created and the technology He gave us the ability to create. I pray that we never lose that childhood hopefulness of the good things we dreamt about when we were young as I believe those are from God as well. Who knows, perhaps someday I'll get my flying car. You never know.

God Bless.

Merry Christmas Everyone!

2008-12-24T13:14:00.006-06:00

I love this time of year in spite of all the rabid consumerism (which I get caught up in too) and the endless silly arguments about whether this should be a non-religious holiday to celebrate winter, or whatever anyone wants to celebrate other than the birth of Christ. I'm actually not sure why anyone would want to celebrate winter as I hate cold weather and snow, unless I'm sledding or skiing (which I've actually never done, but it sounds like fun).

No, I love this time of year because I'm reminded again that God sent His son into this world to live among us, teach us a better way to live, and to eventually die on a cross in our place for the sins we committed in rejecting Him in the first place. I think Bill Mallonee said it as well as can be said in his song "On to Bethlehem":

"God wrapped Himself in human skin for those who want to touch and God let them drive the nails in for those of us who know way too much."

We had made our decision back in the Garden that we thought we knew better than God and before anyone thinks they would have made a different decision examine the decisions you have made in your own life. I likely would have given in a lot quicker than Adam and Eve did. But even in light of this rejection, in fact because of it, God continued to pursue us to the point of becoming a man and dying on a cross. That still blows me away.

So as we celebrate Christmas by opening presents, visiting with friends & family, and eating way more than we should, I hope you take the time to read the Christmas story and reflect on the true meaning of Christmas.

Merry Christmas and God Bless.

Some thoughts on the economy

2008-12-06T15:39:00.004-06:00

I was saddened to hear the other day that the steel mill in the town I grew up in was being "temporarily" idled due to the current economic conditions. I grew up in Granite City, IL, a small steel town in southern Illinois. When I was a kid, a very large number of people in Granite City, a town with a population of only about 30,000, were employed by the steel mill. My grandfather worked as an electrician at the plant for over 40 years and his father, my great grandfather, had also worked there his entire career. While the plant has been scaled back in recent years, it still employed a lot of people in town and provided significant tax revenue to the city. The impact of this shutdown will have a devastating impact on a city already in decline.

This just brings how bad this economy really is close to home for me. While I don't think things will get anywhere near as bad as they were in the Depression, I don't see any signs of improvement in the near future. I've never been much of an alarmist, but the unemployment numbers released by the Labor Department on Friday were scary, now approaching 7%. As I hear from more and more of my friends and family that have been laid off, I am very grateful to have a job.

Unfortunately, the people in the government that helped get us into this mess are the ones that are still in power. While they are all promising to fix things, the only thing I see them doing is handing out more money to the other people who helped get us into this mess by making poor business decisions, the large corporations and their executives. And just exactly where is the government getting the money to do this? Well, there are only 3 sources: raising taxes, borrowing form foreign countries, or printing more money. Raising taxes only further hurts the American people by taking money out of their pockets and hurts small business by increasing their costs, which gets passed along to consumers. Borrowing from foreign nations only further increases our national debt, which our children will eventually have to pay back. And printing more money further devalues the dollar, causing inflation.

While there is not much we can do as individuals to improve the economy, I would encourage all of us that are able to lend a helping hand where we can. Even if it's just in small ways, it can make a big difference in someones life. As we approach the Christmas season, let us not get too focused on all the busyness of the holidays, but instead let us focus on what we can do for others. God gave us the most incredible gift ever given when He gave his son. I pray that we would reflect that gift as we give to others.

God Bless.

Thanksgiving Thoughts

2008-11-27T12:03:00.008-06:00

Thanksgiving has always been my favorite holiday for a variety of reasons and this year is no different. As I normally do, I took the entire week off from work and have had time to just enjoy my family and reflect on all the things I have to be thankful for, and there are many. I realize the economy is in bad shape and there are many things going wrong in our country and around the world, but God's grace and mercy are always present in good times and bad. So with that in mind here are just a few of the things I am thankful for.

First, I thank God for the precious gift of my salvation and that I, a hopeless sinner, can have a personal relationship with the God of the universe. Though I certainly did nothing to deserve it.

I am extremely thankful for my wonderful and beautiful wife. She is my best friend and soul mate and has been my greatest supporter over the years. She has put up with my impulsiveness and endless rambling about politics, work, and sports for over 15 years now. I am thankful that she is now healthy again after a difficult year and praise God for bringing us through it and making us even closer than we were before. I am thankful for her wonderful and silly sense of humor and her tenderness and compassion for others.

I am grateful to God for the gift of our 3 precious children. It still amazes me to watch them grow more and more each year and to witness them becoming the person God created them to be. They are each unique individuals with their own talents, tastes, and passions and I look forward to see where God is taking them in their lives. It's interesting how God teaches us about ourselves through our children.

I am thankful for my church and the community of believers that we worship with. They are an incredible source of strength to me and my family. Our small group bible study in particular has been a place where we have cried and laughed together over the years and I appreciate their prayers and encouragement.

I am grateful for my parents and grandparents from whom I have gained much wisdom. I am also grateful for my wife's parents and grandparents who have always made me feel like I was a part of their family since day one.

I am thankful for my job, my house, my health and that even when we have struggled financially, we have always had food on the table and a roof over our heads. I am thankful I live in a country where I am free to worship and live how I choose. I am thankful that I have had the opportunity to travel both in the US and internationally.

Finally, I am thankful that God continues to work on my heart beyond just my salvation and that He continues to help me grow as a person, husband, and father. I am thankful that the work He began in me He will see through to completion and that He is not done with me yet. I am thankful for God's grace when I stumble into sin or even when I charge in head first. His grace continues to overwhelm me everyday.

Happy Thanksgiving and may God's grace overwhelm you today as you reflect on all that you are thankful for.

God Bless.

Random Thoughts Since the Election

2008-11-18T16:29:00.009-06:00

I've been too busy to post anything over the last 2 weeks, so here are some of the things that have been on my mind since my last post. It's somewhat random, but that's how my mind works sometimes.

The results of the election have finally sunk in. It's taken awhile, but I think I've come to accept the fact that our country is going to make a big leap to the left over the next few years and there is very little I can do about it. I've actually taken a break from politics for the most part since the election, but I think I'm now ready to get back into the fray.

I find it interesting that the economy has continued to decline since the election. I was actually expecting a little bit of a rebound once the election was decided, regardless of who won. I guess Wall Street isn't jumping on the "hope" bandwagon just yet. I wonder how quickly others will jump off once they realize they aren't likely to get a tax cut, but instead see government spending continue to go out of control. With an unchecked liberal Congress and President, you better hold on to your wallets. Although the Republicans haven't been any better in recent years.

I also wonder which industry will be the next to go begging for a hand out from the government once the US auto industry gets theirs. You know they won't be the last.

I've also been thinking a lot about my responsibility as a Christian to help the poor. I've posted on this topic several times as it is a very important issue to me and it continues to weigh heavy on my heart. With all the suffering around the world, people dying of starvation and preventable disease, children being sold into slavery, etc., it just seems like there is more that we in this country can do. Even with the difficult economic situation we are in, we are still better off than the majority of the world. How many of us live in an 6x6 shack with mud floors and don't have access to clean water?

Organizations like Compassion and Food for the Hungry are great places to start, but I can't help but feel like there is more I'd like to do. I continue to pray that God would reveal to me how I can be more involved and how I can encourage others to get involved.

I'm looking forward to Thanksgiving next week as well. I certainly have a lot to be thankful for and this has always been one of my favorite holidays. I get the joy of spending time with family and reflecting on all that God has blessed me with, but none of the stress of Christmas shopping, endless holiday parties, etc. As I usually do, I'm taking the entire week off and am looking forward to some quiet time to reflect on the last year. Don't get me wrong I love Christmas as well and my wife and I really try to make an effort to focus on the real reason we celebrate, but Thanksgiving is just a more peaceful time for me and because my job is rather high stress, I look forward to it every year.

This year has gone by way too fast and there have been many great times and some very difficult times. But God has really infused me with a new joy this year that I've not had in a long time. In spite of some very difficult circumstances, I can truly say that God is good and faithful.

I warned you that it was kind of random, but this is how most days are for me, a dozen things going through my mind at the same time. So today you get a glimpse inside my head. (Scary!) Hopefully, my next post will be a little more focused and I'll try to stay on one topic.

God Bless.

Election Results

2008-11-04T22:27:00.006-06:00

Well, I guess the American people made their decision. I am extremely disappointed and concerned, but from a purely historic standpoint, it is an amazing thing that an African American would be elected president, considering the civil rights movement was only 40 years ago. From that perspective, I am proud that we have come so far as a nation to so overwhelmingly elect an African American. I do hope that his election provides hope to people of all races that they can achieve their dreams no matter the obstacles. I only wish that the first African American president would have been a conservative.

Obama has promised to be a "uniter". I can only hope this is true as he has never been a "uniter" before in either the Illinois State Senate of the US Senate. I can only hope that he will moderate some of his positions and will be willing to listen to and work with those of us that disagree with his vision for the country. However, with a majority in the House and Senate, I'm not holding my breath. I hope the American people are prepared for a large shift to the left in this country because that's what is coming.

I do hope that I'm wrong and that Obama is an extremely successful president who is able to turn the economy around, protect us from terrorism, and provide strong leadership to move us forward as a nation. In the end my faith and hope are not in our president or any government leaders anyway, but in Christ. I believe God is sovereign and has placed Obama in this position for a purpose, even though I may not understand that purpose; and it is now our duty to pray for him and ask God to give him wisdom. I pray that he will put his trust in God above all else and look to Him for guidance. It is also our duty, however, to stand up and make our voice heard. It is imperative that we not let our ideals be shoved into the background and marginalized any further than they already have been. Just because we lost this election, we cannot give up fighting for our beliefs.

Tonight the American people got what they asked for. Now I only hope we can all live with it. May God have mercy on us.

God Bless.

A few thoughts the day before the election

2008-11-03T10:29:00.008-06:00

It's been awhile since I have posted anything. Not because I haven't had anything to say, I've just been so incredibly busy with other things. But, with the election tomorrow, I felt it was time to make a little time. I am very concerned with what I believe is going to happen tomorrow. As those of you who have read my blog before know I am a McCain supporter. Not so much because I love McCain, but more because I'm afraid of the direction Obama wants to take the country.

(To be quite honest, I'm not sure who I really would like to see be president. I wasn't particularly thrilled with any of the options from either party in the primaries. This country is in such a financial and moral mess, I'm not sure anyone can fix it at this point. And president Bush sure hasn't been the conservative leader we thought he was going to be. His bailout plan was just the latest evidence that he is not a conservative. By the way, McCain's support of the bailout concerns me as well.)

However, while I think that McCain's economic plan has some flaws, I'm willing to live with those flaws compared to Obama's plan, which I am fairly certain will only make matter worse. The money is simply not available to do all that he wants to do, unless he raises taxes or drives us further into debt. He has been very upfront about his socialist leanings, though he doesn't use that term. I don't know about you, but I really don't want the government involved in every aspect of my life and I certainly don't think it's the government's responsibility to redistribute my money that I have worked very hard for to others that they deem are more worthy. I believe that it is my responsibility as a steward of what God has blessed me with to give to those people and causes that He leads me to give, not the Federal government. If I fail in that mandate, I have to answer to God. The first century church is the perfect model. They did not give money to some governmental authority to give to the poor. They gave directly to those that were in need.

So the American people have a fundamental choice to make on Tuesday. Do we want to further move our nation in a socialist direction or uphold the economic principals of our Founding Fathers and what made this nation an economic power in the world? I know the economy is a mess at the moment, but it will rebound if we hold steady and don't panic. Now is not the time to abandon ship and completely change the structure of our economy.

I would encourage everyone who supports Obama to please think about the type of country you want to live in. If you really think socialism is the way to go, then by all means vote your conscience and we'll have to agree to disagree. If Obama is elected, then I suppose those of us who disagree with him will have to live with it and find a way to make our voices heard at a local level. I just hope we can live with the consequences.

God Bless.

Reflecting on the last 37 years...

2008-10-13T14:42:00.013-05:00

I'm sure I'm not the only person that does this, but every year around my birthday I like to reflect back on my life. You know, the typical where have I been, what have I done to make a difference in this world, where am I headed type stuff. This year has been no different. I turned 37 last Friday and just really can't believe that I'm actually 37. I truly don't know where the last 20 years have gone? I can't believe I've been married for 15 years to the most wonderful woman in the world, who truly is my best friend and soulmate. Still not sure what I did to deserve her. I'm also amazed that I have 3 absolutely wonderful children, the oldest of which will be 13 in January. Thirteen? Are you kidding me? There is no way that I feel old enough to have a teenager. It feels like just yesterday that I was in college trying to figure out what I wanted to do with my life and now I have responsibility for 3 children, a mortgage, car payments, and a job where people actually come to me for my advice on business issues. Sometimes it all just feels like a dream and I'm going to wake up and be back in high school again.

Time really does fly by the older you get. In the last several months, however, I've really been trying to focus on enjoying every moment, especially with my wife and kids. This is something I have always struggled with in the past, always worrying about what's next on the agenda. I'm now realizing that before I know it my kids will be off to college and starting their own life and I don't want to regret how I spent my time as they were growing up. I was really struck this summer with how much they have already grown up. In July, I took my oldest 2 kids to Cornerstone Music Festival in Illinois. Cornerstone is a big 4-day Christian music and arts festival held every year in the middle of Illinois farmland. It's an amazing event that I've been going to since I was in college, but this is the first time I have taken the kids. Besides all the incredible music, it was amazing to have 4 full days of uniteruppted time with my kids. There were no schedules, no stress, just time to talk about what's going on in their lives. We had some wonderfully deep conversations about big issues and also plenty of just plain silliness and laughing with one another. I got to pray with my oldest daugher (9) as she took her first communion and was really moved by her compasison for those around the world who are suffering in poverty. And I got to watch my son (12) really begin to mature in his relationship with God. It was wonderful to truly delight in my children. I only wished that my wife and youngest daughter could have been there with us. That would have made it perfect.

I've been reminded again and again since then of what a wonderful glimpse of heaven that time was. I believe this is how God intended for us to live, in communion with Him and with one another. Enjoying each and every moment God has given us in this life and not worrying about what may happen tomorrow. Because whatever happens, God will provide. It's also made me really appreciate my children for who God created them to be as individuals created in His image with their own ideas, passions, and talents. They are no longer the little babies I once rocked to sleep at night. They are growing into young men and women. (Perhaps a little faster than I'd like) I am immensly proud of each of them and look forward to watching them continue to grow and mature.

So as I look back over the first 37 years of this journey, I realize that I have been extremely fortunate. I've been able to do and pursue many of the things I love. But as I get older the things I cherish most are my relationship with God and my family. Though the jouney has not always been easy, in fact, sometimes it has been quite difficult, He has truly blessed me. I am looking forward to the next 37 years (or more, hopefully) to see where God will take me. If the first 37 are any indication, the next should be pretty interesting.

God Bless.

The 2nd Presidential Debate

2008-10-07T22:22:00.005-05:00

Well, that was disappointing. It sounded more like both candidates typical stump speeches. Nothing really new was disclosed and no real details were provided. I'm still a McCain supporter, basically because I think Obama's economic plan will only further drive the economy into the ground and because of Obama's position on abortion, but McCain did nothing to get me excited to vote for him. In fact, he seemed to drop a rather large bomb by implying that he would put forth a new plan for the government to buy up all the bad mortgages to the tune of $300 billion. The way he presented it was as if this would be in addition to the $700 billion bailout already passed. I thought McCain was the conservative candidate? He sounds more like a socialist to me on this issue.

As I've written in a previous blog, I am totally opposed to the bailout. It was supposed to prevent the economy from tanking, but, as I predicted, the economy tanked anyway. The last thing I wanted to hear was that we could expect more of those types of policies with a McCain administration. I still think McCain is the better choice, but this does concern me.

This election, as with all elections, is critically important to the future of our nation. We are on the edge of an economic disaster, we are in the middle of a war that has been mishandled from the start and have no clear way out, and government spending continues to grow out of control. We need a strong leader and I'm not sure either of these candidates really fits the bill. Perhaps our focus should be on the local and state level. We need people at all levels of government that are willing to tackle these issues from a common sense standpoint.

Hopefully the next debate will be a little more enlightening. McCain needs to strike a knockout punch if he hopes to win in November. He certainly didn't do that tonight and in fact he gave some of us, his supporters, cause for concern.

God Bless.

The Bailout, Economy, and other Exciting Issues

2008-10-01T20:27:00.010-05:00

Sometimes I don't recognize this country anymore. When did we become a socialist nation? When both Democrats and Republicans in the federal government are willing to back a bill that will "loan" $700 Billion to failing business and buy bad mortgages, we no longer live in a capitalist nation with a free market. I realize that the bill failed the first time around and am glad that there are some people in both parties that refused to vote for it, but we all know that it will eventually pass. Capitalism is not a perfect system by any means, but socialism has proven again and again that it does not work. It's a nice idea that makes people feel good, but in the end it only results in high taxes and government controlled programs that are inefficient and expensive. It not only fails to bring the poor up on the economic scale, but it brings everyone else down. There is no incentive to achieve, because it only means more will be taken from you.

I'm all for programs that help the poor. In fact I believe it is our mandate from God. But we need to help them by providing education and opportunities to get them out of poverty, not just giving them handouts. Or in the case of the mortgage crisis providing loans they cannot afford to pay back for houses they cannot afford. How does this help them? Within a few years the bank has to foreclose on their house and they are then worse off than when they started. They not only no longer have a house, but now their credit is damaged.

Because of the pressure from those on the left, the very poor business decisions of those that gave into that pressure, and those who invested in mortgage backed securities (which appears to be almost everyone in the financial industry) our economy is in complete disarray. I've never been one to push the panic button and I do believe the economy will come back, with or without the bailout, but this situation has gotten very serious and is going to be very ugly for years to come. In the long run I believe we will be worse off with the bailout. The only way to pay for this is to raise taxes or borrow more money from foreign countries, further increasing our national debt. Neither is a great prospect. If we would have just ridden out this storm, the market would have taken a hit in the short run and these companies that were run so poorly would have failed as the market dictated. But in the long run the economy would have come roaring back because these companies would have been weeded out of the mix.

As it turns out the economy is taking a hit anyway and there are apparently no consequences for those who caused this mess, only for those of us who had nothing to with it and are left to pay for it. Now, instead of the economy roaring back, we will be paying for this "loan" for years to come, not only in taxes, but in our 401(K)'s and other investments while the CEO's and corporations at fault will still be around making the same bad decisions and we will go through the cycle all over again at some point. In the meantime the federal government will own more and more private enterprise, slowly and steadily controlling more and more of our lives.

What country is this again?

Welcome to the Socialist United States of America.

God Bless.

Compassion International

2008-09-23T16:14:00.007-05:00

I had the great privilege on Sunday night to work at the Compassion International booth at the Robbie Seay concert in St. Louis. For those not familiar with this organization, they are a Christian, child sponsorship organization that provides funds to assist children living in extreme poverty around the world. Individuals can sponsor a child for a monthly donation and the money goes to provide food, clothing, education, and other needs of the child and their family. It's a little different than some similar organizations in that you are able to regularly correspond with the child you sponsor and develop a relationship with them. It's an outstanding, reputable, and very well run organization.

My family and I started sponsoring a child living in Columbia in July and it has been a wonderful experience so far. As I've discussed in a previous blog, God has really been causing me to think a lot about the church's role (and my role as a part of the church) in the world, especially as it relates to this issue and other areas of social justice. So when I had the opportunity to volunteer at an event to talk about Compassion and to assist others in sponsoring a child, I jumped at the chance and I'm so glad I did.

It was so exciting to see people's hearts moved and to talk with so many people about Compassion and the work they are doing. We ended up signing up 15 people to sponsor a child, which is incredible. But it was also hard to look at all the packets of children that are still waiting to be sponsored. There is just so many people around the world living in such terrible conditions, that it almost overwhelms me to think about it.

Sometimes I wonder why I spend my day and so much of my energy at a job that just feels rather pointless at times. I feel like I could be putting my skills and talents to use doing something more to further God's kingdom and help those in need, but I just don't have the time because my job keeps me so busy. Don't get me wrong, I like my job and have no plans to leave anytime soon, however it's just not where my real passion lies. I do believe God has me where I am for a reason, but I can't help but wonder if the direction God has been stirring my heart lately is leading to something else. It's difficult to be patient and unsure of the future, but God's timing and plan is always perfect.

So for now I will try to be available when other opportunities like this present themselves. Perhaps that's what all this is about anyway, learning to be available when God calls, no matter how big or small the calling seems to be. Perhaps God is more interested in our hearts and our response to Him than anything else. In the end it's really the work of Christ in peoples hearts and lives that makes the difference anyway, not our actions.

God Bless.

If your interested in more information or would like to sponsor a child, please visit Compassion at www.compassion.com.

God's Provision

2008-09-20T22:39:00.005-05:00

I was reminded again today of how merciful God truly is to us. It's amazing how He provides us with what we need even in the small things in life. We were on our way to my son's football game today, which happened to be an away game about 20 miles from our house, when we ran over something on the road and ended up with a flat tire. By God's grace, his coach happened to be in the car behind us and saw what happened. When we pulled over, he pulled over with us. It turned out that at that point the tire was not flat, but had a large screw in it. We decided to head on to the game and get the tire fixed afterward since the hole seemed to be sealed by the screw. However, just in case it went flat on the way we decided it would be best for my son to ride with his coach figuring that if something happened he could still get there in time for warm ups.

This turned out to be the right decision since we got about another mile and the tire went completely flat and we pulled into a Walgreen's parking lot. When I got ready to change the tire I realized that my jack was missing (still not sure what happened to it). Again God provided. My wife went in to see if anyone in Walgreens had a jack we could borrow. While she was inside, a young girl, who had had a flat a few days before, came over and offered for us to use her jack. Shortly after that my wife came out with someone else who also had a jack and offered to help. Between the whole group, we had the tire changed in about 5 minutes and we were on our way to the game. We even ended up getting there 15 minutes before kickoff. Had my son stayed with us he would have missed 45 minutes of his warm up.

After the game we found an auto and tire shop that was open and had the tire fixed in about 20 minutes. I know this was not some earth shattering event in the whole scheme of things and we've certainly dealt with some much bigger issues over the last year, but it was just so evident to all of us to see God's provision every step of the way. I'm reminded as I write this that if God is so faithful in these small things in our lives, how much more so in the larger things.

This certainly doesn't mean that things always turn out the way we would like or that life is not difficult, because it certainly is very difficult at times. Sometimes we wonder why God allows bad or even terrible things to happen to us and often there is no explanation. But God does not promise us that we will never go through hard and painful times, in fact the Bible clearly states that we will, but He has promised that He will always be with us as we go through the dark times of our life. When we go through these times we should remember back to the times when God provided in the past and trust that He will provide for us again. God is always faithful even in the midst of our doubt.

God Bless.

More Thoughts on the Election

2008-09-20T22:18:00.002-05:00

The bickering continues. The Left seems determined to destroy Sarah Palin simply because she is a conservative, Christian woman and the Right seems determined to destroy Obama simply because he is a liberal. I don't have a problem with challenging someone on their position on the issues, but when one side starts going after the others' family or simply making stuff up about the other candidate, that just shows they don't have any ideas of their own. A candidate should give you a reason to vote for them, not against someone else.

Remember how the Left loved McCain when he was running against Bush in 2000 because he was a maverick republican. Now the same people state a McCain administration will be another 4 years of failed Bush policies and they suddenly don’t like him anymore. This strict adherence to a political party drives such hypocrisy it’s no wonder nothing ever gets fixed in this country. I just want to see both sides have an honest debate about what they truly believe and present their plan to the nation without all the personal attacks and rhetoric. Then let the American people make a reasoned decision based on that.

Unfortunately, I think many Americans are more interested in the celebrity gossip and name calling than an actual discussion of the issues. If both candidates and their spokespeople would agree to not engage in this kind of rhetoric and simply stick to the issues, I’m sure the ratings of all the network and cable news shows would decline, but at least we would know what they really believed and then those that voted would be the people that are actually familiar with the issues and have made a reasoned decision.

I’m really disturbed by the fact that many people will vote for Obama simply because he is a great speaker or that many will vote for McCain simply because of his military service and the sacrifice he made for our nation. These are fine qualities to be sure, but not a reason to vote for someone. I love to listen to Obama speak and it would be refreshing to have a president that can put two sentences together. And McCain’s story is amazing and I would be proud to have a man like that as president of the United States. However, we should never vote for someone without truly understanding their position on the issues and unfortunately we just don’t get enough of that.

The hundreds of millions of dollars that are wasted on this kind of campaigning is just sickening. What I would like to see is both candidates travel around the country together engaging in civil debates where people from all sides of the isle are invited to participate. Some could be more formal debates, while others more of a town hall format. Eliminate the personal attach ads and simply produce ads that state the candidates position on issues and their vision for the country. Campaigns could be run on a third of what they are now and that money could instead be better spent on things that would actually help people.

I realize this may just be my idealism talking, but I can’t help for longing for something better than we currently have.

God Bless.

AIG Bailout

2008-09-18T10:14:00.004-05:00

Since I work in the insurance industry I’ve been following the recent financial problems of AIG and Lehman very closely. Being in the industry and doing a lot of business with AIG, I completely understand the ripple effect on the economy, and the insurance industry in particular, if AIG would have been allowed to go down. From an economic theory standpoint I understand why the Fed did what they did. However, since when is it the federal government’s responsibility to bail out a company in financial peril due to their management’s incompetence?

I realize it’s been done before, i.e. the S&L’s in the 80’s. But if the government is willing to bailout AIG, why not all the small businesses that go under everyday in this country? The founding fathers are surely rolling over in their graves. It's not as if there was some natural disaster and the government is helping them get back on their feet. Their problems were solely caused by poor management decisions, nothing else. Yes, it would have effected the economy in the short run, but in the long run the market would have adjusted and been in a much stronger position than it is now.

Don’t get me wrong, I feel for the people on the front lines who could lose their jobs in cost cutting measures because of their management’s inability to understand their own business. But it’s sickening to me that the CEO’s and senior management of these companies will leave with multi-million dollar “golden parachutes.” What exactly are they being rewarded for, running their company into the ground? If we did our jobs that poorly, we would be fired and certainly not receive a bonus on the way out. In addition, now the American taxpayer has to foot the bill to the tune of an $85 billion loan. Do you suppose if AIG becomes profitable and pays back the loan and interest that we’ll see some of those profits? I’m not counting on it.

God Bless.

World Poverty and the Church

2008-09-14T22:30:00.008-05:00

The older I get, the more and more amazed I am at how God works in our lives. This last summer has been, in many ways, a very difficult summer due to some family health issues. Yet at the same time God has been really stirring my heart and causing me to look at my life from a different perspective. I'm finding that things I seldom gave much thought to now move me emotionally in a way the never used to.

God has really softened my heart to the plight of people living in extreme poverty and those suffering through tremendous atrocities like war, terrorism, and genocide and horrendous natural disasters like the recent hurricanes. It's much stronger than just even feeling sympathy for these people; it tends to weight very heavy on my heart. I'm still working through just exactly what it is God is doing and wrestling with why this has become such an emotional issue for me in the last few months, but I'm trying to respond when situations arise that give me the opportunity to do something to help however small it may be.

I feel stronger than I ever have that the church, especially in America, with all the resources that are available to us should be on the forefront of these issues. Yet we often get too wrapped up in our own lives to even give it a second thought. I am just as guilty of this as anyone else so I am not pointing a finger, but something needs to change. If we fail to help those truly in need, we have failed to keep the commandment to love thy neighbor as thyself. Jesus spent most of his ministry healing the sick, feeding the hungry, and loving people where they were at. I think about what I put my energies into and it's seldom any of those things.

At Cornerstone Music Festival this year, I was really challenged by this and, at the urging of my oldest daughter, we decided to start sponsoring a child through Compassion International in July and even though it's not much and it's only one child I feel that God will use it and who knows what impact one child could have.

I have also been presented with an opportunity to help support a documentary an acquaintance at my church is making on the subject of world poverty. The name of the project is called "Give a Damn?" and is currently in production. The filmmaker will be traveling through Africa trying to live on a dollar a day, which is the average daily wage in many third world countries. I would encourage everyone to visit their website at www.giveadamndoc.com for more information on this important film and please consider supporting this project.

The church's mission is to spread the gospel. But spreading the gospel is much more than preaching the salvation message. Our mandate is to care for the poor and suffering. God has truly blessed us in America, but we are called to be good stewards of his blessings and do all we can to care for those here and around the world that are in need. I pray that God would continue to work on all of our hearts and never stop challenging us.

God Bless.

The Election

2008-09-10T17:08:00.003-05:00

Well, the election is in full swing and I'm tired from staying up too late every night the last few weeks watching the convention coverage for both parties. I was already tired from staying up late watching the Olympics every night and then we went right into the conventions. Part of my problem is that I not only watch the speeches, but I also love all the pre and post speech discussions. I know it drives my wife crazy when I keep flipping from Fox to CNN to MSNBC, but I'm simply fascinated by the political process and love all the debate.

Unfortunately, most of what's going on now is just silly personal attacks between the candidates and no real discussion of issues. This is what turns most people off from politics and is really sad. I am a McCain supporter, but I don't have anything personal against Obama, I just simply disagree with him on many issues. Actually, in many ways, I don't completely disagree with where he wants to go, I just disagree with him on how to get there. There are a few fundamental issues like abortion and higher taxes that would prevent me from voting for him, but I believe that overall his intentions are good and that he really does love this country.

I consider myself an independent conservative with a few liberal leanings, i.e. gun control and the environment. I just can't call myself a republican as I feel they have drifted too far from the idea of small government and really have done nothing about the issue of abortion in this country, which are supposed to be core beliefs of the party. I also have trouble with the so called "Christian Right". I am a Christian and my relationship with Christ is the most important thing in my life. But I can't understand how the Christian Right can be so gung-ho for war and care so little about the issue of poverty around the world. Seems backwards to me, but that's a topic for another day.

The thing I like most about McCain is that he isn't and has never been a typical republican. He has always been a maverick and is not afraid to buck the system. This is exactly the kind of person we need in the White House. Let's hope he doesn't change if he gets elected.

My First Blog

2008-09-06T22:17:00.000-05:00

Welcome to my blog. This is the first one I’ve ever written and I’m excited to join the blogosphere. I have many interests and look forward to sharing my thoughts and opinions on a variety of topics. The topics will likely be all over the map depending on what’s on my mind on any particular day. Some may be deep, serious issues; others may just be mindless or random thoughts.

Here is a little background on me that will give you an idea about my interests. I’m 36 years old and live in the St. Louis, MO area. I’ve been married to my college sweetheart for 15 years and we have 3 wonderful children. I have a bachelor’s degree in Economics and an MBA. I’ve been in the insurance industry for the last 12 years and am a commercial insurance broker, primarily working with large general commercial contractors.

I’m a Christian and have attended a Presbyterian church for the last 12 years. I was raised in the Assemblies of God, but as I got older I found myself moving away from the doctrine of the AG and toward a reformed theology. I now consider myself a Calvinist for the most part.

I tend to be fairly conservative politically, but consider myself an independent since I don’t completely align with the Republican Party on every issue. I am a total political junkie, much to my wife’s dismay.

I am very interested in social justice and environmental issues and the church’s responsibility in these areas.

I’m a huge sports fan, especially football and any sport my children are involved in. My son plays football, my oldest daughter plays softball, and both of my daughters are involved in gymnastics. I love to play basketball, tennis, hike, run, mountain bike, and train with my kids in their various sports.

I also love travel, music (all kinds), movies, theology, reading, art, history, nutrition, and hanging out with my family. I’m sure there is more, but that’s enough autobiography for now.

I hope you enjoy reading my thoughts and I absolutely love to debate, so please feel free to leave comments.