Profoundity

Moving In - Part 2

2009-03-26T15:32:00.005-04:00

So I was going to give daily updates this week. I was going to take you along as I went through the process of moving into the new church.

Then I got a fever that lasted for 48 hours. It was no fun.

Now it is Thursday, and we are just 2 days away from our moving day.

Today I finished packing my office. I am surprised by how much junk I had accumulated. I wish I could tell you that I purged everything that did not seem necessary, but that is not the case. I am a pack rat. I am not looking forward to trying to unpack this junk.

Anyhow, here are a couple of pictures of my packed-up office, and a nice shot of my last day working with my office roommate.

Moving In - Part 1

2009-03-23T15:57:00.002-04:00

I haven't been posting recently. I have no excuse. I can come up with some weak excuses, but they really aren't worth it. Sorry.

But I am back, and I am determined to blog nonstop for the next 2 weeks.

In just 14 days, counting today, we will have our first service in our church building. When I started working here 6 years ago, I had no idea how intense this process would be. In fact, two months ago I probably had no idea how intense it would be.

There is much going on, and I am going to blog all the way through it. Writing helps me unwind and collect my thoughts, so this will be good for me, and informative for you. Maybe it will be entertaining. I make no promises.

Today, I am trying to get my furniture ordered. I have a Preschool and Nursery that need to be furnished, and due to the uncertainty of our move-in date, I haven't been able to order them until now. Unfortunately, the delivery window is very tight, and I am worried that I won't have them in time. Pray for speedy delivery trucks.

So, as it stands right now, I have only packed 1/3 of my office, I have no furniture purchased (for the record, I am not procrastinating that; I am currently waiting for a call from the sales guy), and I still have to finish all of my normal weekly tasks.

I am a bit nervous, but I am very excited about this whole process. I'll have more to tell tomorrow. Hopefully I'll have a good delivery date as well...

this is the title

2009-02-24T18:20:00.002-05:00

I am in a bit of a writing slump. I have had the worst time lately trying to keep my blog up to date.

As a result, I am just making myself write. This is the result.

Interesting? Probably not, but it's the only thing I can think of to get back into writing.

Do you remember those papers you had to write in school that had to be a certain number of pages or words? That's how this feels.

Speaking of which, I just thought of something to write about:

I am a pastor. I went to Bible college. B-I-B-L-E college.

And I cheated once. In Bible college.

Bible is in the name of the place I went, training to be a spiritual leader for the Bride of Christ, and I cheated there. Just once.

You see, when I went to school I was married with two preschoolers. My wife was also in school, and we both worked full time and took as many credit hours as they would allow. We were completely overwhelmed and running on fumes all the time.

So one semester, I had two classes that required me to write massive 14-page research papers in order to pass. I had very little time to do it. So, I wrote one really good paper, convinced each of the professors that the topic I chose fit the requirements, and I turned it in for both classes.

It was cheating, at least by the standards put forth by the school. I knew it was cheating. I worried every day until the papers were returned.

Today, I confess. It's Fat Tuesday, so it's a good day for confessions.

Every person does something wrong from time to time. Sometimes is just a mistake, and sometimes it is just a selfish choice. I cheated once in Bible college. It was shameful, and not really worth it.

Consequently, one professor gave me an "A" on the paper and one gave me a "B-". I never figured that one out...

be careful what you ask for

2009-02-03T16:05:00.004-05:00

For those of us who grew up around the church, it is common to associate prayer with the phrase, "Be careful what you wish for."

For whatever reason, we assume that God is going to give us things we don't want, just because we asked for them the wrong way. Kinda like when you ask the genie for wishes, and the results create more problems than benefits.

Growing up, I have learned that I should not pray for patience, because the only way to learn patience is to have God torment you on end. I have learned that if you don't want to be a missionary in Africa, you should never tell God that. Apparently He doesn't like that sort of thing.

Now, know these things aren't true, but when you grow up around church people, you hear all sorts of stupid things. Turns out that church people aren't always right. Go figure.

Well today, I've added a new one to the list.

Mikki is home taking care of a sick kid. I dropped about a dozen hints this morning to her about washing my dog. It's my job to wash her, but I really hate doing it. Because my wife is full of awesome, she gave my dog a bath. She even sent me this picture on my phone. Please forgive the graphic content:

Clever and witty guy that I am, I decided to have a little fun. First, I sent a complaint about the lack of bubbles. Daisy loves bubble baths.

Second, I texted her with the suggestion that Daisy deserved to have her nails painted. I was kidding. Again, sometimes you have to be careful what you ask for. Mikki later sent me this picture:

Not sure how well it shows up in the picture, but yes, they are now painted. According to my wife, Daisy's favorite color is pink. What a pretty princess I have.

we're praying for you

2009-02-02T15:36:00.002-05:00

We, the pastors, staff, leaders, elders, volunteers, etc., of Horizons Church are praying for you.

It came to my attention this weekend that you may or may not know that.

We do our best to be a praying church, and we want you to know that we pray for you. Sometimes it is specifically you, and sometimes it's you as a group.

One way or another, we are praying for you, your kids, your homes, your relationships, your careers, your connection to God, and your health.

It's not always all these things. But these are things we are concerned about.

When you turn in a prayer request on Sunday morning, we pray about it.

When you submit a prayer need on our website, we pray about it.

When you talk to us and tell us about struggles in your life, we pray about it.

As a church, we may not do everything the way you wish. You may not always like the music, you may not laugh at all our jokes, you may not always feel moved by our videos or graphics, you may think we spend too much time doing some things or not enough time doing others.

That's fair. That's normal. That's just kinda how churches are. We're ok with it. We're banking on the fact that Jesus is ok with it. We can't be everyone's favorite. We wouldn't want to be.

But please know, when you walk through the doors of our church, we take it as our responsibility to lift you up in prayer. Even if we never get to know you, we will always pray for you.

Please pray for us too.

me and my wagon, pt. 2

2009-01-27T15:13:00.002-05:00

So, yesterday I announced my problem. My life recently has felt like a trip up a mountain, pulling a wagon which is constantly being filled with other people's rocks.

I have decided that I am going to get through this. I am down, but not out. I am not going to worry about all the rocks anymore. Perhaps I will even throw some of them back out. I will do my best not to hit anyone with them.

I have 2 things going for me right now. I have had 2 times in the past few days where God has given me encouragement.

The first was Saturday night. While I should have been a) sleeping or b) preparing for my heart for Sunday, I was sitting around thinking about things that made me mad. I wasn't trying to. I guess I just got something in my head, and I just couldn't stop focusing on it. Just after midnight every night, biblegateway.com drops a verse for the day into my rss reader. The verse that night? “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.” I guess God knew what I was up to. That set me straight quick.

The second was today. You see, yesterday's post was too long, so I had to delete something. I had to delete a paragraph about how I have been a little depressed every January here because we get cold and dreary, but we rarely get snow. I am from Michigan. I need snow like a fish needs water. Last night, I checked the forecast at 3am, and it said we might get a little flurries. I woke up a few hours later, and there was enough snow to keep everyone home. We had a great day of sledding with family and friends. I couldn't find something to complain about today if I tried!

So, despite my recent grumpiness, God is reminding me that He is here and that He is aware of my plight. That's pretty awesome.

me and my wagon

2009-01-26T15:44:00.003-05:00

I haven't been posting much on this blog lately. The reason is that every time I want to write something, I am in a bad mood.

That's been happening a lot lately. Every day brings something new to bother me. I know that sounds bad, but it is the truth. Some days bring big problems, and some days bring small ones. But every day brings a new one.

I once heard a speaker who used a great metaphor to describe this feeling. Because I rarely take notes when I listen to speakers, I will likely butcher the concept in the retelling.

Basically, it's like I am constantly pulling a wagon up a mountain. Every day, at a time and place that I never foresee, somebody runs up and drops a rock in my wagon.

Only a few of those rocks are heavy. Most of them are quite manageable.

But after a few days of people dropping rocks in my wagon, I am feeling overwhelmed and exhausted. The wagon is heavy and cumbersome. (do heavy and cumbersome mean the same thing?)

Right now, I am not sure how many more rocks can go in my wagon before I lose my grip and watch the whole thing just roll back down.

And just in case I haven't mentioned it enough, it really has been every day. January 1-January 25. Easily 25 rocks in there right now. Maybe more. Some big, some small. Quite cumbersome (new favorite word).

I haven't been blogging much, because I don't want my blog to be depressing. I am in a slump and I am down. I don't want that to be what I am communicating to the world.

But you know what? Today there have been no rocks added. Maybe it's because I've been watching for it. Maybe it just hasn't happened yet. Either way, I have a good feeling.

So, I am not keeping it to myself anymore. I am going on a journey this week. If you read this blog, you're going with me. I am determined to get up this mountain, and I am going to document what's left of it.

Maybe you are on your own mountain. Maybe you have jerks sneaking rocks into your wagon. You're going to make it. I am too. Come back tomorrow, because I am posting every day until I get to the top!

proud moments

2009-01-15T10:37:00.003-05:00

This morning, my 9-year-old son brought me a post-it note from his teacher.

It had written on it, "This is how many times I was told to stop talking today. Sign Here".

He was proud that it was only one time.

I was proud that I didn't snicker while I was signing and reprimanding him.

As a parent, there are so many moments in the lives of my kids that I know I will look back and laugh at. I just wish I could do a better job of noticing those moments when they happen.

I knew this morning would be one of them, and I am proud of that.

what shapes us?

2009-01-14T10:59:00.002-05:00

I am in the middle of a sermon series in Kids Church called "Made by God". We've been talking about how God knows us before we are even born, and he has a plan for our lives. I've been using the life of Moses as an example.

I've been thinking alot lately about how we become who we become. Are we destined to be who we are, or do we just end up a certain way based on circumstances? How much does God know ahead of time, and how much is just an educated guess?

Did God know when he made me that I would move a dozen or more times as a kid, or that I would half-blind myself when I was ten, or that I would propose to my wife before I ever knew I liked her? All these things had a huge effect on who I am and what I do. Did he know about them ahead of time, or did he just roll with it?

What about the people who had the most impact on me? There are so many people that have made lasting impacts on how I think and behave. If I had missed the opportunity to befriend them, would God have found me similar friends to teach me those same lessons? Do all my friends have doppelgangers out there, just in case I hadn't been in the right place at the right time?

This post wasn't meant to teach you anything. It's just what's on my mind today.

And yes, I know that God knows everything, but that is too simple. I try to keep my faith simple when possible, but my mind doesn't work that way naturally. Plus, I am a big fan of free will. I like to think that my choices have meant something.

So that's what I'm thinking today. Oh, and Jesus loves you.

hello

2009-01-13T12:00:00.003-05:00

My wife, Mikki, hacked my blog yesterday. She said nice things. That's not how we do things here. Now I am forced to post just so that her post will be buried. How can I prove that I am super-duper humble if I let her use my blog to say how great I am?

So now I am back to posting.

My problem with posting lately is that blogging is sometimes hard to do. The purpose of it is to be open and personal and authentic. I can't always be that.

Don't get me wrong. I don't have a thought, idea, or emotion that I wouldn't love to write about. The problem is that sometimes I say things that reflect poorly on others, or put people in awkward situations.

For instance, I wrote recently about a great idea that I was trying to get approval for. I was fortunate that it was approved, because if it hadn't been, it would have made my bosses look like jerks to all my readers for not approving my great idea. That's not fair to them because they are awesome, and it's part of their job to keep me focused and to prevent my "good ideas" from becoming huge regrettable mistakes. That's a time when my openness is not appropriate.

Even more recently, my parents got divorced. It consumed me. I thought about it almost every second of every day. But I couldn't write about it. I was so angry and depressed. My writing would have been so filled with pain that nobody would want to read it. Plus, I probably would have written things that would be hard to take back. I am very emotional and moody for the most part, and that makes me say stupid stuff sometimes.

So I hope that those of you who read this thing regularly will forgive me when I go a while without a post. Sometimes in life, and even more often in professional ministry, we have things to say that we can't say. I've written many posts over the past few weeks that I've deleted instead of published.

So the lesson in this, if there is one, is that as much as our culture is moving towards sharing our lives online with openness and authenticity, we have to remember to respect the privacy of those people effected by our honesty.

Oh, and Jesus loves you. Don't forget it just because I don't take the time to write it here every day.

And I'm glad a married a girl who knows me well enough to know that I couldn't stand the thought of people visiting my blog and seeing her post at the top.

Today's guest blogger: the fabulous-est person ever! Mikki!!!!!!

2009-01-12T18:48:00.002-05:00

This is what happens when I complain that Jim has not updated his blog. He says things like, "Well, why don't you do it, then?"

I wonder if he remembers that I know his password.

I don't know why it matters to me whether or not he writes regular posts. I mean, I see him every day, right? It matters. I love his writing.

I understand why he hasn't been blogging lately, though. If my car and computer broke down unexpectedly in the same week, I wouldn't feel like writing either. (Poor Jim. Car's fixed and even the computer's doing better now, though. I know this because he's on Facebook playing a bowling game.)

Sooooo, back to how much I love Jim's writing. It makes me laugh, it challenges me, sometimes it makes me cry, it makes me happy, it brings back good memories.

Back forever ago, we wrote this skit together for Christmas. It was Jim as Santa, me as the mom, and then a handful of kids from youth group who were my children. I don't know what we called it, but I think it was something like "Santa Gets Saved." We play a poor family, and when Santa arrives, one of the boys thinks he's a robber, and so the whole family gets up. We end up reading the Christmas story from Luke and witnessing to Santa. It was quite adorable, if I recall. (and not just because we had teenagers dressed in footy jammies!)

Thanks to that skit, whenever I see a Santa with a really bad fake beard (the one Jim wore in our skit cost about $2), I think of my favorite line from that skit, the moment when my "son" first encounters "Santa": "FREEZE, fat boy!"

Since then, Jim and I've written a few things together, but they never seem to have that fine, high quality that our early days had. (Please tell me you picked up on the sarcasm there!)

What a great guy you are, Jim. Thanks for being so Awesome.

I need your help!

2008-12-17T11:13:00.003-05:00

Hey Readers,

I am working on a video project for our January series. I need your input.

I am looking for scenes from classic TV shows (preferably black & white) that show someone giving out advice that is unrealistic.

For instance, Ward Cleaver giving advice to the Beaver on how to deal with fear. It only works if you can watch the clip and say, "yeah right!" I need the advice to be so sugar coated and cheesy that it makes your brain go a little numb.

I need clips for the following topics: fear/afraid, weakness, and failure.

Because everyone loves contests, I am going to award anybody who delivers a clip that ends up in the videos (there are 3 videos, btw).

If you come up with a clip that ends up in one of the videos, I will find a way to work a quick shot of you into the final video. This could be your big break! If you don't want to be in it, I can throw in a shot of your kid, or cat, or whatever (within reason).

This is the first time I have offered such interactivity in our church's videos. I hope it works!

Email your ideas to jimb@horizonschurch.com

mementos

2008-12-14T17:16:00.003-05:00

This Sunday at Horizons, I had the pleasure of being in a video used in Pastor Rich's sermon. I'm almost never in the videos since I am the main camera man. Also, the camera doesn't seem to love me as much as it does others.

Anyhoo, in the video, I shared some Christmas ornaments on my tree that have special meaning to me. It worked great because so many people have special ornaments on their trees at home. I really appreciate all the stories I heard today about Christmas ornament traditions. I don't appreciate that the Dallas Cowboys fans now count me as one of their own (you'd have to have seen the video).

I am a very sentimental person. I stash souvenirs and mementos everywhere in my home and office. Here's just a few of my favorite treasures:

I have a bag of dirt on my mantle in my man-cave. It came from the foul territory near 1st base of Tiger Stadium. My extra tall uncle leaned over the wall to scoop it up for me after the last game before they moved to their new park. Tiger Stadium is a special place for me. I want my ashes scattered there, if it still exists, when I die.

I always keep an Incredible Hulk of some sort in my office. It reminds me of one of the best days Mikki and I spent together. We rode the Hulk Coaster 8 straight times with no line. Mikki was blacking out a little on the loops, or else we would have gone for 12. It was fun and silly, and it was one of those days that I really knew that God made her for me. That's right, the Incredible Hulk makes me think of the girl I married.

There is a small candle in my desk drawer. It has the Horizons logo on it. My first year here we gave them out for Mother's Day. It was my idea. One of my first contributions to the church. The moms hated them. It was an awful idea. I never heard the end of it. Deb, my loyal secretary, points and laughs whenever she sees it. It's been 5 years. I learned many lessons from that one.

I have the Bible that my grandmother used when she taught my 2nd grade Sunday School class. It will be moved to my new office as soon as the church building is done. I still remember kneeling by her bed and asking Jesus into my heart. I'm not sure I would be a Kids Pastor without her influence on my childhood.

I have a really cool shiny rock in my desk that a friend gave me in high school. There was some really cool meaning that was attached to it. I wasn't paying enough attention to remember what she said that meaning was. Now it has a new meaning. It reminds me that God has given me a beautiful world to live in, which is filled with depth and meaning, and I'm going to miss out on it if I don't stop and pay attention once in a while.

good morning

2008-12-08T11:05:00.002-05:00

Good morning blog readers!

I almost never post on Monday mornings. I think it is because my brain doesn't work well this early in the week.

However, I had a thought yesterday that I had to share:

Families are awesome!

I know it's not the most profound thing I've ever shared, but it means something to me.

Lately, I have had family issues. Not my home family, mind you. It's the people who used to be my home family before I moved out and started one of my own. (How's that for dancing around naming names?)

But yesterday, as I was hanging around the church and observing people, I was just overwhelmed by all of the great families in our church. It was really great to see groups of people who clearly loved and needed each other.

I know these people. I know that they don't live picture perfect lives. I know that society, work, and busyness does everything to try and tear these families apart. I know that most of them are government and military people who have to deal with travel and stresses that would destroy most families.

And yet, they clearly love and need each other. I want that.

I'm pretty sure that I have that with my wife and kids. I am a worrier, so I spend alot of time afraid of screwing that up. I hope I don't.

So, I just wanted to use this post to thank the families of Horizons Church. You have inspired me. Family is one of the greatest gifts God has given us, and I appreciate all of you who model just how awesome a gift it can be.

Thanks.

things you don't know

2008-12-03T15:38:00.002-05:00

I have things to blog about, but I'm not gonna.

I am not thinking in complete thoughts today, so I don't think I could write an entire post worth reading. So instead, I am going to copy from other bloggers and give you 10 Things You Probably Don't Know About Me:

I never go to sleep before midnight.
My parents have married and divorced each other 3 times now. I love them anyway.
I have more action figures than my 9-year-old son.
I love watching classic comedies (Marx Bros., Chaplin, Three Stooges, Laurel & Hardy, etc.).
Veronica by Elvis Costello is the song that is almost always in my head. I can't come up with a reason why.
I have terrible stage fright. I think most people know that, but when people tell me how funny I am on stage, I wonder if they think I stammer and say stupid stuff on purpose...
I knew Mikki for 5 days when I proposed. We had only had a couple of conversations during those 5 days. The actual proposal was really just a way to get a piece of candy. It's complicated. 15 years later, I can't imagine what life would be like without a soulmate.
I like to fill my blogs with lists because I can't focus on any one thought for more than a few sentences.
I am terrified of turtles, frogs, mice, snakes, birds, fish, and most things found outside.
I am fun as a Kids Pastor, but quite boring as a dad.

thanksgiving post

2008-11-27T07:28:00.002-05:00

I'm not sure how I made it so long without posting this week. So now I am posting on a day when everyone is to busy to read it.

You know that thing families do where they go around the table talking about what they're thankful for on Thanksgiving? We don't do that. We are animals at best on this day. It's just football and feasting. Nothing sentimental or thoughtful.

So, I am using my blog today to share all the things I am thankful for this year:

I am thankful that my family doesn't do the "things we're thankful for" thing.

I am thankful for my dog. I am embarrassed by how much I love that thing.

I am thankful for Facebook. I have reconnected with alot of old friends.

I am thankful for Rock Band. It's the first game that gets our whole family playing together. We have put many hours into that game.

I am thankful for my wife. Her standards are ridiculously low.

I am thankful that I won't be a part of a church in a school at this time next year.

I am thankful for all things google. Gmail and Google Reader have made life so great for me.

I am thankful that my 6th grader still has some little girl left in her. I'm afraid of what she'll be like a year from now.

I am thankful that I discovered a website that sells comic books cheap. I have doubled my collection this year.

I am thankful that both of the major Kids Ministry events this year exceeded my expectations.

I am thankful that God is not limited by my expectations.

I am thankful that the Lions still play on Thanksgiving Day, despite the fact that they are awful and nobody wants to watch them. Like it or not, the original Thanksgiving game was their idea, and they shouldn't have to give it up. Plus, it's really all us Lions fans have.

I am thankful that my best friend from my childhood spent his first day with internet access finding me. We hadn't talked in about 15 years.

I am thankful for boy stuff. I have enjoyed watching my son get involved with Cub Scouts and football this year. I wish I had done that stuff when I was a kid.

I am thankful for the people I work with. They're like family.

I am thankful that I am out of things to blog about. The end.

I'm so sick...

2008-11-20T11:25:00.003-05:00

I don't feel well today, which means I shouldn't be blogging. I don't make words good when I'm sick.

Unfortunately, being sick makes it hard to get my work done, so I am using this as a distraction. I don't have anything great to say today, so instead I offer a list of things I would normally not share willingly. So authentic...

I am a sissy when I am sick. I am normally a sissy anyways, but it reaches stupid levels when I am sick. My wife enables it, and I love her for it. I like when she gets maternal.

Despite the fact that I hate Coldplay and feel that they are really just a U2 cover band, I think their new song, Lost, is one of the greatest songs I have ever heard. In my defense, I decided to love the song before I knew who sung it.

I feel like things in life are going too fast. I know that everyone says that, but I am ashamed to admit how frightened and anxious it makes me. Everything and everyone is changing around me, and I can't change fast enough to deal with it. A rewind button would be awesome, though right now I would be happy with a pause.

I have to make some big decisions in the next year or so, and I don't want to make them. I am expecting God to make them for me, although I am confident in my ability to make the process more difficult than it needs to be.

I feel bad about the fact that my blog is so melancholy lately. I need to lighten up. I guess I need a mute button too.

I stop and look at Christmas outfits for my bulldog, Daisy, every time I go to the store. I am ashamed of it. I should be better than that, but clearly I am not. She's going to look adorable!

I love my x-box so much that I got up an hour early yesterday so that I could download the new dashboard and make my avatar. I should go outside more.

I haven't planned a single sermon series for 2009. Last year I did it over Christmas vacation and things turned out great, but I still wish I was more ahead of things.

I love our church and I hope to work here until I retire. I'm not ashamed of that, but I just don't think I say it enough.

I'm jealous of people who can make small talk. I stink at it. I think it keeps me from having more friendships.

My kids are going to be out of the house by the time I turn 40. As much as I want them to stay my babies forever, I am sorta looking forward to it. 8 more years...

I don't read my wife's blog. I look at it whenever she posts, but I never read it. I scan the text for my name. She reads mine. She is clearly a much better person than I will ever be.

Apparently you don't outgrow feeling disappointed when people you admire fail. Maybe you do, but I guess I don't.

I went for a week in October when I ate a fast food cheeseburger everyday for lunch. I'm lucky to still be alive.

I am thrilled that I am not seeing any family for Christmas this year. Mikki and the kids are plenty.

I believe that Michigan is going to beat Ohio State this weekend because God does not let us suffer more than we can endure. I can't endure much more...

That previous statement was probably theologically flawed. I don't care. If God is going to be mad at me, I've given Him much better offenses to deal with. Maybe that's why Michigan keeps losing...

it all sounds the same

2008-11-11T11:27:00.002-05:00

It's Veteran's Day. My wife and kids are home from school honoring our veterans. When I left this morning, Annie was enjoying the freedom to do nothing, Jimmy was playing xbox in preparation for life as a space marine, and Mikki was watching classic war movies.

I was getting ready while Mikki was watching her movie, and I noticed something I never gave thought to before. It turns out that all actors from classic movies sound the same. Without looking at the screen, I was able to match up the actors' voices to John Wayne, Judy Garland, and Earnest Borgnine. Wrong, wrong, and wrong. It was just people who clearly sounded way too much like them.

What's the point of this clearly useless post?

Well, one point is to make you imagine a movie that would group those three actors together. I'm pretty sure it would be seventy kinds of awful.

The other point is that it made me think about churches, and how sometimes we all sound too much alike. It can be really easy to get stuck in a rut and think that there's a certain way that things have to be done.

This week, our staff is going to get away for a couple days to plan for 2009, and one of the things that we always focus on is, "how can we say what we say in a different voice?"

As a church, we will never be perfect and we will certainly make mistakes, but we try our best to never sound like everyone else. People are diverse and unique, and I am proud to be a part of a church that focuses on trying to match that diversity and uniqueness.

So, pray for us as we meet this week. We don't know what 2009 is going to have in store for us, but I am sure it will be exciting.

so much to say

2008-11-06T15:34:00.003-05:00

I have had a busy couple of weeks, which is why this blog has been so neglected. It just figures that as soon as my life is interesting enough to blog about, I am too busy to do so.

Here's what's new:

I voted. I won't say for who. I'm tired of arguing politics, though I am getting good at it. I will say that I believe that most politicians that make it to that level have the purest of intentions, and I have an idealistic faith in the human heart. I believe that both candidates are great people who love our country and it's people, and I would have felt hope no matter who won.

That said, despite the results, I don't think our nation has progressed as far as we like to think, and there's still way too much hate and fear in the world.

Also, I would like scientists to begin working on a way that we can choose the best qualities of our candidates and then morph them into one Super President. The bad qualities can be used to create the Anti-President, and then we will watch them do battle. I don't like violence, so the battle will have to be a competition of witty sarcastic remarks. That would be awesome!

A couple in my family is getting a divorce. I was really hurt and depressed last week. You haven't seen melancholy like that before. I feel a little better now.

Speaking of last week, the Fall Family Fun Fest was a bigger success than we ever could have dreamed. We packed out the school and had a ton of fun. I am so lucky to have so many people around to make my ideas work. Thanks

The Pistons are 4-0, the Lions are going to make history by being the first 0-16 team, and I am in the playoff hunt in both my fantasy football leagues.

I am homesick. I wonder how many times that comes up in this blog. Since most of us are not from here, I imagine that you understand how I feel. I just really miss my family. They are my favorite people.

I am sad that I won't see my family over the holidays this year, but I am going to see all of Mikki's family, which makes me feel a bit better. I lucked out and ended up with great in-laws.

I am on my way to shoot a video for this Sunday. I am going to be showing off the Nursery in the new building. I am a part of every video that we do at Horizons, but I am almost never in them. I am a little nervous. I am much better at writing than I am at speaking, so I would prefer to just send out a letter with some pictures.

Before I go star in this video, I realize that my hair is unkempt, I haven't shaved in 5 days, and my shirt is flashing more chesthair than I would like. Yup, that is what I am going to be thinking about the whole time we are shooting. Perhaps I'll just point and grunt like a gorilla. Should be fun!

things that make me smile

2008-10-27T14:53:00.003-04:00

I am supposed to be working on a schedule right now. Unfortunately, my brain isn't thinking too good right now. I have a lot of things in my life that are overwhelming my mind right now, so I am hoping this blog will help me clear it out.

I am not a naturally smiley person. I'm not unhappy, just not smiley. At church yesterday, I tried to keep a smile on my face whenever people were around. My wife laughed at me because it made me look pretty dopey. I don't think I will ever be a person who just smiles for no reason.

So, just to cheer myself up, and to kill time while I try to convince myself to finish my schedules, I am making of things that have made me smile recently:

Jesus, my wife, and my kids - in that order.

The fact that whenever I go to the "spam" section of gmail, it gives me a link to a spam recipe in the header.

I saw an elderly lady riding an atv in her front yard on my way home from work last week.

We are moving into our new church building in February.

The Fall Family Fun Fest is coming this Friday. I can stop worrying about it on Saturday.

I am already buying Christmas presents, and my family has decided to spend Christmas at home this year. We don't do that enough.

The Detroit Pistons begin their season on Wednesday. I need them to help me get over the Lions, Tigers, and Wolverines.

I saw a piece of flair on Facebook that says "I can't brain today, I have the dum." That's how I feel right now.

My wife put up new shelves in my man-cave. Yes, you read that right, she put up the shelves. I married the right girl.

My new shelves are covered in action figures, because I am a dork.

Despite not winning a single game and spending most of the time standing on the sideline, Jimmy still wants to play football again next year.

Annie still gives me hugs for no reason, even though she is getting older and cooler. I'll miss those hugs when she rebels.

About half of my regular TV shows are still holding my interest. Heroes is holding on by a thread.

http://stufffchristianslike.blogspot.com, although it might not be funny if you haven't spent a lot of time at church over the years. It might be even less funny if you have spent a lot of time in church but didn't spend a lot of time making fun of the people who were there with you. Either way, it makes me laugh out loud. If we can't laugh at ourselves, we're missing out on some funny material...

miracles

2008-10-23T10:19:00.002-04:00

It's budget time at Horizons Church.

Over the next couple of weeks, I need to plan my ministry budgets for next year. I am bad with money. Not bad in a wasteful irresponsible way, but bad in a "I don't know what stuff costs" way. I generally don't like to think about money, and I'd have to do some hard research to even tell you how much of it I even have. I assume it's not much since Mikki gives me that look when I want to go shopping.

This year's budget is hard to make for two reasons:

1. We'll be in our new building next year, and it is hard to predict what that will mean to my numbers.

2. Our new building costs lots and lots of money.

I hate talking about money. I hate thinking about. I don't enjoy having to ask for it, but sometimes it can't be helped. I'm not really going to talk about it here, though.

Actually, in the midst of the budgeting and building planning, it is clear that we need a financial miracle.

I am not one to expect miracles. I generally don't ask for miracles. I believe they happen, and I have had them happen to me. In fact, when Mikki and I were in school (with two kids), we had three major financial miracles happen. Each was so unexpected and amazing, that they could have only come from God.

The kind lady that lived next door used to watch Jimmy while we were in classes. When her husband graduated, we were left with nobody to watch him and no money for daycare. Mikki's mom called one day and offered to send us money for Jimmy to go to a daycare. To the best of our knowledge, we never even mentioned that we were in need.

One Christmas, we had no money, despite me working 60 hours a week stocking shelves overnight. We were informed by the apartment manager that there was water damage in a neighboring apartment, and we were forced to move out. Not only did we get to move into the neighboring apartment (they fixed the damage and put in all new stuff), but they gave us a month with no rent. Christmas was saved! Someday I might make that into really lame kids book...

In the summer before our senior year, we were out of money again. We got by before because I would work nights and Mikki would work evenings. We both were going to school full time, so sleep was only for weekends. When it came time for Mikki to do her student teaching, we decided that there was no way she could keep working. In order to make that work, there would also be no way we could both go to school. We were trying to decide which one of us would be a dropout when we received the phone call. I had been entered in a nationwide drawing for a free car. I was the one name picked out of every Toys R Us employee in the country. I didn't even know I had entered the drawing. As a result, we were able to get rid of a car payment, and we graduated and came to Stafford. (By the way, that is why I am a gray/navy blue guy driving around in a gold car. God gave it to me.)

The point is that I have to live every day trusting that God will take care of me, but it's not my job to tell him how. Everything that happened to us happened in amazing ways that I wold never have imagined. So, as our church is getting ready for this next step, I am trusting that somehow God is going to take care of us. Somehow God is going to do something amazing. We won't see it coming, and just like this post, we won't be able to talk about it without smiling and watery eyes.

God is awesome. His solutions to our problems are way cooler than anything we can come up with...

oops

2008-10-23T10:15:00.003-04:00

I had a major typo in yesterday's blog. I mentioned the new "prices" for the Fall Family Fun Fest games. It should have been "prizes". Very, very different. I'm glad I married a woman who is a professional error-checker. It's been fixed.

Fall Family Fun Fest

2008-10-22T09:56:00.003-04:00

I feel better today. Sorry about yesterday's post.

The bad thing about blogging is that sometimes I can be too open and transparent. The good thing is that I know that I have lots of friends that read yesterday's post and prayed for me. Thank you so much. None of my problems have changed for the better, but I do feel a peace about it all. I'm glad that God is awesome, and I just have to trust Him to make the best of all of it.

As of today, we are just 9 days away from the Fall Family Fun Fest. Things are coming along nicely. Deb is working on the event this year, and she has been awesome. If you see anything that makes you think, "Wow! This is so much better than what we've done in the past", that's because of Deb.

We've changed almost all of the games and prizes for this year, and we've added Treat Street so that kids will already have candy and fun before they even get through the front door.

If you have not yet signed up to help, it's not too late. We need all the help we can get. Here's what you can do:

Treat Street - We need people to decorate the trunks of their cars. Our theme is cartoons. As the kids arrive at the event, they can visit each car, check out the decorations, and get some candy. If you were going to hand out candy at home this year, consider this a fun alternative. Plus, we are awarding a Wawa card to the best decorated car.

Games - We have lots of games this year, but we can only do them if there are adults to run them. All the games are easy and fun. So that nobody has to miss out on the event, we are only asking people to help for 1 hour.

Clean-up - We've got lots of people setting up, but we will need people to hang out and tear it all down. It shouldn't take long if there are lots of us.

Candy - Please bring candy to church this Sunday. I know parents don't like this part of it, but I want to send the kids home with way more candy than they could ever eat. The event is successful when the kids get more candy than they would get walking the neighborhoods. We have been really pushing this event, so who knows how many kids could show up. We need lots and lots of candy to be prepared.

If you can help, send me an email (jimb@horizonschurch.com).

I admit I am nervous about the Fall Family Fun Fest, but not as much as usual. I have great confidence that this is going to be the best kids event our church has ever done. Please don't miss it.

rough morning

2008-10-21T10:26:00.003-04:00

I am down today. People in my life are finding ways to change the way I see them.

I can't say why or who, unfortunately. I would love to share because I need someone to agree with me or tell I'm wrong.

So, sorry this is not as entertaining a post as you'd expect. I tried to come up with something better. I suppose this will help dispel those rumors of me being funny.

I know I come off as melancholy sometimes on this blog, and I try to temper it. I'm generally not as down as I sound.

Today I am. I am broken by people who are making decisions that I can't control. At this point I don't even think I can influence their decisions anymore. I'm not sure that I can find enough words to explain how much despair I am feeling right now.

Funny thing is (not really funny, but it's a good transition), September-December is the part of the year that I need to be on top of my game. My work, my schedule, and my family are all the busiest right now. In Kids Ministry, the Fall is full of more decisions, planning, and preparation than the rest of the year.

So, while I am not so full of myself to believe that the devil is controlling other people in order to mess with me, I do believe that I need to be relying on God much more right now than I am. If I am going to give myself fully to God, and have to give him my crap too. Too strong? I've said worse today...

Please pray for me. I don't expect my problems to go away. People are selfish, and hurtful, and dumb, and free to make decisions that I don't like. I can't control that.

I can control how I respond and how I cope. That's what I need prayer for. I am going to give myself an ulcer or start spontaneously crying or just go catatonic, and I'm pretty sure that's not the way God wants me to deal with my stress.

Thanks.

appreciation, part 4

2008-10-17T09:30:00.002-04:00

Today is my last day of being appreciative. I'm sure I will still appreciate stuff, but I probably won't go through so much trouble to share it. As it is, I may not have anything nice to say to anybody for a while, since I have used up just about all of my kind words these past few days.

I've already written about how great our pastors are at Horizons, but I don't want to end the week without taking time to mention the rest of the staff.

At Horizons, we have three ladies (Diana, Laura, and Deb) whose job is to make us look competant (for the record, I just mispelled "competent". Great, now I misspelled "misspelled". This is why I need someone to make me look competent).

Each of our administrators offers something great to our team.

Laura is fun because she does not think like me. I pride myself in trying to look at problems from every angle, yet Laura always manages to find one I've missed. I appreciate it because she keeps me on my toes, and she helps me see things in ways that I usually don't. Plus, Laura is a very caring and compassionate person, which is good for a church office.

Deb is the secretary to me and Andy. She is extremely cool, and we like hanging out with her. She's great because she knows how we think, which is important since we are bad communicators sometimes. Plus, she's like a ninja or something, so I know she can protect me.

Diana is the boss around here. She keeps us all in line and out of trouble, and she takes none of our crap. Of course, that said, she is also the sweetest lady in the world, and we'd all jump in front of a bus for her. She is the toughest person I've ever known, and when we agree (which is most of the time) she is a great ally, and when we disagree she is a worthy adversary. Plus, Diana is a great mom, and since my mom lives 600 miles away, it's nice to have a backup handy. She's pretty much a combination of Rambo and Aunt Bea. You can't tell me that's not a fun combination!