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I Love Country Music! Sort of…

April 6, 2011 in Random Thinking, Thoughts with 1 Comment

Those of you who know me are aware of my viewpoint concerning country music.  I’m not sure why, but country music has never been my favorite.  Honestly, I did not watch the Academy of Country Music Awards on Sunday night but I did come across a clip from the show which was inspirational and since it is Wednesday, I thought we could all use some inspiration.  I have to admit that I was a fan of Hootie and the Blowfish in high school, but when I heard that lead singer Darius Rucker had “converted” to country music, I was baffled.  His voice is so unique and I wasn’t sure how he would sound singing country, but his vocal talent seems to overcome music genres.  However, what impressed me about his performance the other night was not Darius’ voice, but the emphasis on special needs youth.  I loved how they brought attention to youth with developmental disorders, but displayed their talent and value to society.  What I appreciated about these kids is that they didn’t care what others thought.  They were enjoying the moment uninhibited.  I have much to learn from them.

Enjoy the video.

My Best (Blogging) Moments of 2010

December 30, 2010 in Personal Stuff, Random Thinking, Shameless Self Promotion, Thoughts with 2 Comments

I’ve been on a blogging hiatus for the last two weeks of 2010.  It has been nice to take a break, but I have really missed it.  Writing is something I have always loved from a very young age when I tried my hand at writing scripts and making my two younger brothers/neighborhood kids perform them.  I’m going to recap the happenings/best moments of this blog over the last 12 months and I hope to take it to the next level in 2011.

I took the first 90 days of the year off from blogging in order to accomplish two things: read through the entire Bible in 90 days and lose some weight.  You can read the results here.  Later in the year, I wrote a little more detail concerning my weight loss.  You can read those posts here and here.

After finishing these two goals for 2010, I eased backed into blogging and only posted 60 entries through August when I decided to change my blog from Blogspot to WordPress.  Although it was a pain and a bit of a learning experience, I’m glad I made the switch.  You can read my thoughts regarding this here.  Since making the transition to WordPress in August, this site has welcomed nearly 23,000 visitors and has had close to 34,000 pageviews.  Most of the people arrive here looking for insights into Scripture.

This year was also a big milestone on this blog because I finally finished blogging through the New Testament.  To celebrate, I gave away a study Bible and you can read about that event here.  When blogging through the New Testament was completed, I debated whether I should begin blogging through the Old Testament; after all, it took me nearly 3 1/2 years to finish.  I decided to tackle it and I am already halfway through Genesis.  Follow my progress here.  Slow and steady wins the race.

I’m in the midst of revamping my blog for 2011 so look for a focus on content and maybe even some new features.  I’d like to take this chance to thank you for reading.  If you didn’t read, I wouldn’t write…at least I don’t think so.

Free Rambo Knife?

December 22, 2010 in Random Thinking, True Stories with 4 Comments

I was wandering aimlessly, yet purposefully (if that’s possible), around the store when I heard an announcement over the speaker system saying, “In three minutes, I will be at the back of the store giving away free cutting knives to all customers.”  Since I was already very close to the back of the store, I hung around to see if I could snag some free stuff.  I was thinking a Rambo type knife rather than a butter knife.  As I pushed my cart closer, I noticed that a line was forming and two elderly ladies were heading up the front.  There was a daring, younger (stupid) gentlemen who tried to meander his way to the front of the line, but the stubborn, older ladies said, “The line starts with us.”  They had obviously been at the front of the line before.  A crowd of about 25 onlookers had gathered as the free knife guy arrived and asked, “Who wants a free knife?”  The crowd grumbled.  They were not yet convinced.  I was still hesitant about what was happening, so I stuck around on the outskirts of the crowd and awaited the catch.  Free knife guy disappointed the crowd when he said, “If you stick around and listen to my presentation, I’ll give you a free knife.”  That was enough for me.  I pushed my cart away while listening to the groans of the crowd.  In my opinion, free knife guy only provided half of the truth in the beginning.  Yes, there would be something free, but only after listening to his spiel.

What’s your opinion?  Was free knife guy only telling half of the truth or is this a legitimate tactic?

A Holiday Wish

November 16, 2010 in Random Thinking, Thoughts with 1 Comment

This past weekend we decorated for Christmas.  I know Thanksgiving is not here yet, but we have always been early decorators.  Don’t judge us.  Each year we decorate the tree together while the movie, Elf, is playing in the background.  Don’t get me started with funny quotes from that movie – “Code word is ‘Santa’s got a brand new bag.’”  ”You sit on a throne of lies!”  As we were placing the ornaments on the tree, the personalized and handmade ones always get me reminiscing and thinking about how quickly time passes.

1997 – our first Christmas (Leah and I)
2000- Ty’s first Christmas
2002 – Lexi’s first Christmas
2003 – Ty’s first handmade ornament from preschool
2005 – Lexi’s first handmade ornament from preschool
2006 – my family purchases me my first Duke Blue Devil ornament

I cannot believe it is already 2010.  Where did time go?

As we enter into this holiday season, let’s make the most of the time we have with family and friends.  Don’t allow petty differences and personal conflict to interfere with enjoying this very special time of the year!

My Election Predictions

November 2, 2010 in Current Events, Random Thinking, Thoughts with 4 Comments

My prediction for tonight’s election outcome: people will be angry.  No matter what happens in American politics, someone always ends up losing and their supporters will spend the next couple years griping about the outcome.  This same storyline seems to repeat itself following every election in recent years.  In my opinion, politics tends to bring out the very worst in people and often results in immature words being exchanged.  Don’t believe me?  Just switch on any of the major news networks right now.  Someone is probably yelling.  Listen…there is nothing wrong with being passionate about a candidate (or party), but if he or she loses, shake hands with the winner and return to the locker room.  No one likes a sore loser.

On the other hand, no one likes an arrogant winner.  If the candidate whom you voted for wins, by all means, celebrate; but there is no need to be obnoxious.

May all of us practice tact and decency regardless of the election results.  There is no need to turn Washington into a middle school for adults.  There was enough drama in middle school the first time around.

My Story of Weight Loss

September 21, 2010 in Determination, Leadership, Life, Motivation, Personal Stuff, Random Thinking, Thoughts, Transformation with 2 Comments

Yesterday, I wrote about the Secret to Weight Loss (and more) in a blog post and today I wanted to share a little of my story regarding the statement, “make daily decisions consistent with your future, desired result.”  I’m a firm believer in the power of faithfulness, hard work, and patience in many areas, but over the past few years I began to ignore my health.  My motto was, ” You only live once so why not enjoy it.”  Exercise and eating in moderation were not high on my list of priorities.  I slowly gained about 40 pounds  over the course of 11 years.  Although the extra weight bothered me, I continued to ignore it.  At the end of last year, I determined to change my overall health and made a new year resolution to lose 20 pounds by the end of March 2010.  The first few weeks of counting EVERY calorie and exercising 30 minutes daily was a shock to my system.  My body didn’t like it, but I kept telling myself that I wouldn’t quit.  By the end of March, I had reached my goal and I genuinely felt better in many areas; in fact, exercise and eating better has become a new habit.

I learned a lot about myself and the value of faithfulness, hard work, and patience during the first 90 days of this year and I wanted to share a few of those things.  Although these principles are related to my weight loss, I believe they can apply in numerous areas.  So, here is what I learned.

  1. Set goals that are challenging, but attainable. Although I needed to lose 30-35 pounds, I started with losing 20.  Also, I kept the time period short so I wouldn’t become frustrated by the length of time.
  2. Stay committed even when progress is slow. There was a period of 2 weeks right in the middle of the 90 days when I didn’t lose a pound.  Quitting was not an option.
  3. Set short term goals, but keep the end result in mind. Again, I wanted to lose 20 pounds so instead of striving to lose 20 pounds, I reminded myself that I needed to lose just a little more than a pound a week.  I celebrated those small victories, but kept my end result in view.
  4. Enlist someone to hold you accountable in your endeavor. My wife was a huge help.  She really encouraged me along the way.
  5. I can sometimes accomplish more than I think I can. At first, I wasn’t sure if I could lose the weight, but now I know I can.  This means that the next time a challenge comes my way, I have the confidence that I can do it.

I really hope this helps!

Crazy Ohio Drivers

April 20, 2010 in Random Thinking, True Stories with 0 Comments

Leah and I drive separately to church on Sundays.  I speak in the high school ministry at our church’s main campus before hopping into my car and making the trek north to speak at our Green Campus, The Summit.  She usually goes to The Summit early to help out and let the kids play in the gym a few minutes before church starts.  After church concludes, she follows me home.  This past Sunday Leah was about a half mile behind me when I received a call from her alerting me to a guy who was weaving in and out of traffic.  Sure enough…I looked in my rearview mirror and saw the silver sports car with a young whippersnapper behind the wheel.  He was driving erratic and tailgating people.  I love tailgaters because they help me test out my brakes.  During these times I often wonder, “Where are the police so they can pull this guy over?”

Why is it that evil people always seem to be getting ahead without suffering immediate consequences for their wrongdoing? David wondered this same thing and wrote these words in Psalm 37:35-36, “ I have seen wicked and ruthless people flourishing like a tree in its native soil.  But when I looked again, they were gone!  Though I searched for them, I could not find them!”

Evil people will be held accountable, but not by you.

iQuit

April 14, 2010 in Random Thinking, Unspecific Ramblings with 0 Comments

Feel like quitting today?  Does giving up seem easier than facing another day?

You may want to try changing your attitude about today.  Instead of seeing this day as an obstacle, embrace it as an opportunity and maybe, just maybe, the day’s conclusion will overshadow its’ conception.

The Last 90 Days of My Life

March 23, 2010 in Personal Stuff, Random Thinking, True Stories, Unspecific Ramblings with 1 Comment

It’s been almost two months since I’ve posted here and in case you are curious, it was on purpose.

I determined to accomplish two goals by April 2010, so this meant that some “things” would need to be set aside for a couple months and this blog happened to be one those “things.” What two things are more important than my readers? Great question…if you were asking. This year I set out to read the Bible from cover to cover in 90 days and also drop 20-25 lbs. off of my weight. So how am I doing? Although the last 90 days have been very challenging in many ways, I am on track to finish the Bible by March 31 and have already lost 20 lbs.

Believe me, I am not informing you of these goals for the sake of my pride. I’m ashamed to say that I have not read the Bible all the way through in a couple years and over the last decade, I have ignored my health and eating habits.

There are many experiences I’ve had over the last few months that I wanted to share with you through this blog, but I was determined to finish what I had started without distraction.

As my 90 days draws to a close, I want to challenge you. Was there something you set out to do during 2010, but have already quit? If that unaccomplished goal was important to you a couple months ago, it is imperative for you to begin again. With a little determination and discipline, you can do it.”

“Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.” (Galatians 6:9)

Update on My Life

January 20, 2010 in Random Thinking, True Stories, Unspecific Ramblings with 0 Comments

As most of you can tell, I’ve been on a long hiatus from blogging. I just thought I’d give you a quick update on my life and why I’ve taken a break from writing. During the months of November and December, I was able to take a couple weeks off for vacation, which I really needed. Things seemed a little out of control with my schedule over the last several months, so it was nice to “withdraw” for a couple weeks.

Over New Year’s weekend, I was able to speak at a youth retreat in PA. It was awesome in every way and I believe God used that time to revitalize me. While I was at the retreat, I also began a plan to read through the Bible in 90 days, which is why I have not been blogging through the Bible over the last few weeks. After the 90 days are up (at the end of March), I plan to finish blogging through the New Testament in 2010. I only have two more books to go – 1 and 2 Corinthians, and I will have logged over 500 posts with more than 800 hours invested since April of 2007.

Another contributing factor to my crazy schedule has been the location change of our church’s second campus, the Summit in Green. I have served as the campus pastor at the Summit since September 2008, while also continuing my role as high school pastor at the main campus. As of January 17, 2010, the Summit moved from Regal Cinema to the Green YMCA. It was a GREAT move for us with numerous benefits. We were excited to see almost 100 people attend our first gathering at the YMCA.

Last, but certainly not least…I have been attempting to eat right and exercise in 2010. Although I’m only two weeks into it, I’ve lost 5 lbs. and feel better already. It’s probably all mental. I have been using an iPhone app called Lose It to keep track of my calories. Talk to me in April to see if I have reached my goal weight!

Other than this, I have been enjoying my family. Leah is an awesome wife who works hard and takes care of our family. She is my biggest fan. My kids are the best. They both started their own blogs – we are encouraging them to write, even though I think Lexi has written more than Ty. Stop by their blogs and leave a comment – they giggle like schoolgirls (and boys) when someone leaves a comment. Of course, I like comments too, but I’m pretty sure I don’t giggle like a schoolgirl when someone leaves me one, at least I don’t think so.

Peace out.

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