Well..........

Well, it is the Monday before Thanksgiving and I am sitting in my office, preparing for a lesson in a couple of weeks. I am really excited about the Advent season! It is always fun (plus we are starting to use Lectionary for Sunday gathering times which should lend itself to fun).

I am also getting ready for our trip this week. It is going to be a lot of fun. Caleb and Cully are home now watching Polar Express, getting ready for our train ride. It is going to be nice to get away with the family for a couple of days and see part of creation that I have yet to see.

We had a good Sunday yesterday. Sunday's are always a busy day, usually the craziest day of the week. But, we made it and I think overall it was a good day.

I am working my way through The Gospel According to Starbucks by Leonard Sweet. It is a really good book. I think it makes a lot of good points and I will look to implement some of it in what we are doing here at Crossroads. It is the first book that I have read by Leonard Sweet, which seems odd to me.

Overall we are doing good. Maybe I will have something better to post tomorrow!

Grace and Peace!

Imagination

Caleb and Cully have a great imagination! I remember when I had an imagination like they have. It was a lot of fun!

*People could jump from building to building...
*A lion could talk and a dragon was real...
*You could be in space one minute and in the depths of the ocean on a submarine the next...
*Everything somehow became a gun...
*You could make the world whatever you wanted it to be...
*Superman could actualy fly...
*Spiderman could actually climb up walls and swing with his web...

I want to get back to having an imagination like that. So often in our world today, we seem to grow complacent and believe that the world is always going to be like it is today and there is nothing that we can do to change that. We lack the ability to see how the world was (Gen. 1) and how God created it to be (tob=good, appropriate) or see how God intends to be and is doing whatever He is able to do in order to get the world there. Some might say, "if God wants it like that, why doesn't he just do it?" Great question, but I think he is having a hard time because those who believe in Him struggle with imagination. They think that God doesn't really care about what happens here...we are just getting ready to leave this place and go to heaven. All the time God is looking for a group who could imagine what this world has potential to be and living a life that tries to make the world more like the place God created it to be. We are His plan to make that happen...there is no plan B.

I want that type of imagination! I want to be able to be a part of God's redemption of the world! I don't want to be one who says, "things will always be like this, so why bother?" I wonder what might happen if we all reverted back to our childhood again and tried to see the world for what it could be and not what it is? "If you want to be my disciple, you must become like these little kids..." (my paraphrase) I am not so sure it was a suggestion, but maybe he really meant that.

A little heavy today, but I have been thinking about this a lot. I am doing a teaching on it with our Jr. High in a week. Not sure why I wrote this...maybe it was for me!

Grace and Peace!

Caleb's Kindergarten Shots

Well, I (Jeremy) just took Caleb to get his Kindergarten Immunizations and let me tell you it was fun.

He made a friend when we first arrived, which I thought was going to be good. They played outside while we waited, then sat next to each other trying to out do the other with the best shot story (I think Caleb won with his hospital stay for a couple of days a few years ago). Then they moved to other important things like how much Cully cries when he gets shots, how much each other writes, and Caleb went on and on about how "excellent" of an artist he was. It was great! I thought for a brief moment that this might not be that bad.

Then, they called our name to go back and get the shots...that is when things got crazy. He was totally fine until we sat down in the chair...but as soon as my butt hit the seat and his butt hit my lap, it was over. After we were done, the person giving the shot said, "You did an awesome job of holding him down". I said, "Thanks, this wasn't the first time." Caleb walked and is still walking around like he is a body builder...arms straight out you know. He will be fine but it was quite the adventure. At least he is done now until he turns 11!

Well, tonight Caleb and I are going to watch a middle school play "Alice in Wonderland". Tomorrow I will share some more thoughts from Arizona!
Grace and Peace!

Getting Older

Well, today I (Jeremy) on the calendar am offically another year older. It is kind of crazy to think about. I am offically in my third decade of living. Now I know that this is troublesome for a lot of people. My wife is dreading the big 30, however, for me 30 wasn't that bad.

I was trying to think back over this past year and remember some of the big things that took place. Here are a few:

1- ran my first 1/2 marathon
2- moved across the country
3- changed jobs
4- watched my firstborn go to kindergarten

That is just a few of the things that have happened this past year. It has really been an awesome year of life! I am in the best shape I have ever been in and feel great, I have two awesome kids who are fun to be around and most of the time do what they are supposed to do, a beautiful wife who loves and supports me, a God who is faithful and a job that I enjoy doing. I can't think of much more a guy could ask for as he is turning 31!

I hope that all of you (well, the two people that actually read this) have a good day!

Grace and Peace!

Our Thanksgiving Plans

Well, life is pretty good. We just decided yesterday that for Thanksgiving we are heading to the Grand Canyon. It should be a lot of fun!

On Wednesday, we are going to a place called Flagstaff, which is about 3 hours from Chandler I believe. Wednesday evening we are going on a Polar Express train ride, complete with a visit from Santa, treats and a trip to the North Pole. On Thursday, we are going to get up and go see the Grand Canyon. I have never been there before, so I am pretty excited. I have heard it is amazing!

At some point on Thursday, we will find a place for Thanskgiving lunch or dinner and then either head back or maybe stay another night.

We will take plenty of pictures and if I can learn how to post them, I will put some of them up after our trip.

Things that kids teach you

This will probably be a constant posting here on this blog, as my boys teach me a lot of things about God and life and even about myself. Here is something that happened yesterday.

Caleb asked me, "Dad, can I go and do something in my bedroom?" I of course didn't mind, wondering what exactly he was going to do.

He came out about 5 minutes later and there wasn't any marker on his face or arms, all of his clothes were still on and nothing seemed out of place. Of course I didn't see the bedroom, but he looked like he did when he went back there.

A few minutes later, he proceeded to tell me what he was doing back there. I hadn't seen it, but he had taken a Bible with him (a real Bible, not a kids Bible), and told me that he was spending some alone time with God. He asked if he could go back and spend some more alone time with God...it was pretty awesome! I almost started weeping right there.

This was quite convicting to me. He learns more than I realize and hears more than I realize. I am going to do better, because of him, to make sure I spend some "alone time with God" each day. Thanks Caleb!

Grace and Peace!

Welcome!

If you are reading this, I am not even sure why I am doing this (thanks Mark). I will write from time to time with stories and updates on what is happening in Arizona. Honestly, I am not sure that anyone is interested in reading what is taking place in Arizona, but we will try it and see what happens.