profile pic...who is it?

   

which one is which?  one is me, the other is eric.  

the similarities are pretty scary!!

boys and girls...are they different?

sounds like a stupid question, huh?  it is a stupid question.  of course they are different!  they are more different than any one man could ever imagine!

so, let me narrow my question.  as a father, do you parent them differently?  do you treat them differently with punishment?  do they have the same rules?  

honestly, i dont notice treating them any differently...most of the time.  my kids are 4 years apart so they are at different stages.  and they dont understand what one does the other one may not be able to.  i dont know how to accurately explain to them that they are in different stages and while it might not seem fair, it really is fair.  anyway, the following story will shed some light on my situation.  

well...tonight, i got my answer as to if i am treating them differently.  long story short, at dinner we told them both in order to get dessert they needed to try something new.  they didnt have to eat it all, they just had to try it.  eric did pretty good.  well, he stepped up and said he would try cooked carrots.  it took him 10 minutes to chew up the tiniest piece, but he did try something new.

kinley on the other hand wasnt having any of it.  this child does not eat but a hand full of things.  seriously, at day care they circle what she ate...most days NONE is circled on all most all things except bread and milk.  anyway, she would not try anything.  she cried and cried.  i put her dessert right in front of her face to try and bargain with her...still no dice. ONE BITE, i pleaded.  tears is all i got.

i admire my kids stubbornness.  i know where they got it, their mom! ha  so, i gave in and if she went outside to play with her mom and brother after dinner, then she couldnt have a dunkin donut like her brother, but she could have a piece of freshly made banana bread.

well, eric caught wind of this travesty and he had some words for his mom.  he asked kim, "how come sister doesnt have to always do what she is supposed to.  but she still gets her way when she cries.  IT IS LIKE SHE HYPNOTIZES YOU GUYS WHEN SHE CRIES!"   all we could do is laugh and say guilty.

let me know if you have any stories...or advice!

united...

reading in 1 corinthians 1 this morning.  i love paul's heart for the unity of the church.  although he begs everyone to agree, he doesn't beg everyone to conform.  he begs everyone to be together in mind and thought.  he begs everyone to agree on who to follow.  and it isn't some kind of whiny, pansy..."come one guys, lets just all get along".  it is manly!  it is implying that there is something at stake! 

he asks a few questions, and they are great questions.  they are rhetorical, but they are great!  v.13 he says, "Is Christ divided?  Was Paul crucified for you?  Were you baptized into the name of Paul? "  i love sarcasm in the bible!  

just one interesting thought here for me.  to Paul, unity is less about getting along with others and more about who we are following.

dont try and get along with someone today.  try to follow Jesus.  

or

my wife loves dunkin' donuts.  even though they dont know how to spell...she has found that she loves them!  this new found love was discovered when we were on vacation in florida this summer.  always before it was krispy kreme...i guess they cant spell either, lol...BUT KK's have the best "HOT NOW" doughnuts, that is with out a doubt TRUE, no room for debate.

i do however agree with kim that DD are all around better donuts.  

what does this have to do with anything?  fella's listen up!  when your wife is just not feeling it...when nothing is wrong, she just needs a little extra lovin...kk doughnuts wont do it!  get up early and drive to branson (no DD in springfield or ozark) and get her some of her favorite donuts.  she will thank you and you will be glad you did! :-)

btw...check out my friend eric's new blog.  it is very encouraging! you can find it in the blog roll on your right. grace is everything and everything is grace...

Story of Stuff

you have to go to this site and watch this video.  below is a link to an excerpt of the video to give you a little teaser for it.  the video on the website is 20 minutes or so, so block off some time for it and be prepared to feel a little uncomfortable.  

The Story of Stuff - extraction

enjoy....or something...

what is following like?

i love reading leadership blogs, books, anything related to growing me as a leader...i am into. so much so, that some times i forget what it is like to follow. more importantly, following Christ. you know some times it is just easier to do it on my own. i mean, for crying out loud...it is hard to follow an invisible God that seemingly is always throwing curve balls at you. or is he?

i read this great story in the old testament today, out of 1 samuel 15 , it is about samuel following God, hoping saul follows him and saul almost got it right. and he does what i do, he pretends that he tried to do the right thing. but instead, he disobeys the Lord. and the Lord says something that scares the hell out of me. he says he was sorry that he appointed saul as king of israel.

sometimes i have likened following Christ to working out. saying, it seems, from an out of shape guy, that before you go to the gym and look like an idiot...you ought to get in shape a little bit and figure out what it is your doing before you go in there with all those muscle bound, lean, mean, perfect people. but i aslo think it is like this aspect of working out...i want to be in shape. i want to look good and live a healthy life style...but at the end of most days, i have eaten way more calories than i have burned...and i just settle for the lifestyle and figure that i already have.
i dont know about you, but i never want to hear that the Lord is sorry he chose me for the plan that he has for my life. NEVER!

so, i took some steps to help me in this journey.

• i wrote out a covenant with the Lord. i was honest with where i am and i made a vow to move forward.
• i enlisted the help of an accountability partner with this covenant. putting flesh on a deal with God gives you someone to make it known.
• i am praying...constantly. in my thoughts, words, actions, etc...
• i am also saying that my physical life needs to be in-line with my spiritual life. somehow the two are connected i think. i started working out, while on vacation!, that is saying something. (kim helps with this, she has been working out for a while now)

not that this is a fix all for everyone, but it is right for me. how bout you? where have you been? have you ever forgotten how to follow? what did you do to help correct it?

san antonio

kim and i are in san antonio and have been for a few days. she has a conference for her work every year down here and this year, i tagged along with her. i have seriously done nothing this week. i have not answered my phone, or emails (except from a few friends), i have slept in, i have played golf once, and ate A LOT of mexican!! mmm..hmmm, there is some good mexican food down here. you would think we would get tired of it, but like my buddy shane w. says, mexicans eat mexican every day and they dont get tired of it. so, i might have me a little mexican in me.

i am trying to post some pictures but the internet connection is not working out too well for me. maybe later today??? this has been such a great trip for kim and i. i cant tell you how important it is for us to re-connect from time to time. it really isnt a great time for me to be gone, and she has a lot going on while down here...but it is important so, we made time!

ok, later has come and now you see a picture taken by yours truly. this is from 750 feet above san antonio in the tower of the americas. the tower was built in 1968, i think, for the worlds fair that was hosted by the city. this city does have a ton of history and it is pretty cool....

i am really a lucky guy. i have a great, fun, beautiful wife...and i do not know what i would do without her. i love you honey!