Sunday, April 27, 2008

Tennis Season Underway

Today marks the beginning of the 2008 tennis season for me! I had the chance to hit with my double's partner today for about an hour and I'll have to say it was wonderful. I'm looking forward to playing doubles again this summer and hoping we'll be competitive in the top level in our league.

I also had the opportunity to watch a "classic" tennis match from the 1984 French Open between Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova. I was pulling for Chrissy but to no avail - she got crushed. But it was enjoyable to see a bit of tennis history.

What sports do you like to watch or play?

Tuesday, April 22, 2008

Home From Vacation

Wow ... it feels really great to be back home in PA after a long drive last night. We had a wonderful time in MO and as always - it's hard to leave. As we were driving away Joshua and Jenna were both crying and calling out for Amie's parents (Bill & Connie). It was a heartbreaking scene and in the moments following I found myself wondering why God has had us so far away from them and the rest of our family for these 10 years. I wish I had a ironclad answer but alas, all I have are guesses. At the end of the day all I can say is that I feel blessed to have such a great family.

Speaking of long drives ... I actually had to pay $3.55 per gallon at one stop - the most I've ever paid before! That was difficult to say the least. How much are you paying for gas?

As we were passing through the various states yesterday I had the chance to listen to numerous podcasts. Below are some of my takeaways ...

Catalyst - Nancy Ortberg was talking about her first book ("Looking for God: An Unexpected Journey through Tattoos, Tofu, and Pronouns") and in the interview she made mention that as far as we know Jesus never journaled. For a guy who has been raised in the church and told that journaling was the way to go that was quite a revelation. Why do we always have to add stuff to our lives to make ourselves feel more spiritual? Nothing against journaling ... but now I won't feel guilty for not spewing all my junk onto paper. I wonder, do you journal? If so, what do you journal about?

Then Nancy mentioned the fact that Mary would not have had access to a Bible and she may not have known how to read or write. If you think about that for a minute then it follows that she wouldn't have had the kind of "quiet time" that is always prescribed either. Interesting. And yet, she was chosen by God to be the mother of Jesus. Fascinating.

Later on in the day I was listening to Matt Chandler's message on Truth from The Village Church and he made some insighful comments that left me asking two questions: What is it that robs my affections toward Christ? and What is it that stirs my affections for Jesus? Wonderful questions. They address a deeper level than just a list of do's and don'ts.

Before I close for today I'd like to give props to my good friend Butch Wise. He is the Lead Pastor of Journey Church on the other side of Pittsburgh. Yesterday I listened to his sermon podcast and you can now listen to him online if you go to http://www.journey-church.net/ and click on Resources. From there you can subscribe to the messages through iTunes. Enjoy!

Friday, April 18, 2008

1st Post - Vacation!

Hi Everyone! I've been thinking about getting into this whole blogging arena for a while now and so this afternoon I've had some free time while we're on vacation so I've been working on getting it up and running. I'm not sure I'm the type of person who will blog often but we'll see. It will be a nice way to keep my random thoughts in a collected place.

I hope to be able to share with you my life and family as we journey through this life together. In addition, I'd love to pass on to you great ideas, resources and quotes from what I'm reading, hearing and reflecting on in my personal devotions.

Right now I'm sitting in Nixa, MO. It's day five of our vacation. It's been wonderful to sit back and relax and get away from the pace of the normal schedule! We've done a lot of "nothing" - just resting, eating, taking walks, reading and watching movies. In between all of this we've been to Incredible Pizza, went shopping, horseback riding, to the park, and to the go-carts. Below are just a few pics ...





So that's it for my first entry. Where are you going for vacation this year?