a family field trip...

I guess I should have posted our field trip to The Wilds earlier this spring.
Well, here ya go...

The Wilds is one of the largest and most innovative wildlife conservation centers in the world.

It was a little chilly, but the day was a lot of fun. We hiked, we learned, we painted a frog house (pardon me, we painted a toad abode).

We also boarded a guided Safari Transport to view rare and endangered animals living in natural, open-range habitats. It was an experience. I have included some pictures (yes, that bison has its tongue up its nose). Can you do that?

just checking in...

Just watching 24 and updating my blog. Jack in the man!

Anyway...
It has been more than a month since my last post. Lots going on, but even so, I have had more than enough time to post. Not sure why I haven't.

Many of you have emailed and/or asked about family nights...
No worries, we'll be back. It has been a little crazy over the last several weeks. We are hoping to resume Family Night this week.

Other than that I also hope to resume regular posts.

family night - rock band night

This past week we grabbed some guitars, a set of drum sticks, and a microphone and rocked it out. After dinner and a short devotion in Ephesians (4:32) we plugged in a lava lamp (OK, I plugged in a lava lamp), turned the lights down and the stereo up as we continued our rock band world tour.






We are taking the week off next week , but we will return the week after next with Dress Up Night.

Has anyone started their family night? We only have three or four ideas left in the box. I either need to borrow some of your ideas or brainstorm some new ones.

family night - rootbeer float night

This past Tuesday evening was Root Beer Float Night. How can you go wrong with a good root beer float? Well, you can't. We looked up Ephesians 6:1-2 during dinner and then enjoyed the floats for desert.

Next week...
Rock Band World Tour Night

family night - tour de fast food night

This past Tuesday evening was our latest installment of family night. The theme...Tour de Fast Food Night. I really enjoyed this one. We picked the three places we wanted to hit. From there we each determined one item that we wanted from each place. We hit the drive thru's and took pictures along the way. We brought everything home on picked a good movie for the night.

After four or five weeks I can honestly say that we have really enjoyed our Tuesday nights. We have actually had to say no to other things that have popped up in order to protect our Tuesday evenings. We understand that we may need to change the night every once in a while, but overall we really want to keep that night a priority.

Next week is Root Beer Float Night! Nice!!

family night - crazy hat night

Well, last night was family night. As you can see from the picture, last night was crazy hat night. The idea was to find and/or fashion a crazy hat and then wear it for the evening. Hannah's hat was made from scratch while Terri and Joel pulled from various other resources to pull off their crazy hat. OK, so my hat lacked what some might call...creativity. However, it was good enough to qualify for last nights festivities. Our Bible verse last night came out of Exodus 20:12.




Hopefully you have begun your family night journey. We have enjoyed ours.
Let me know if you have started and what you are doing.

OK, next weeks theme is one that I have been waiting for...
Tour de Fast Food Night (I'll explain next week).

family night - backwards night

Last night we spent the evening doing things backwards. (Sorry, no picture this week). This was much harder than I had anticipated. Upon walking in the door from the office I went upstairs and changed clothes. Mind you, I put the clothes on backwards. Terri and the kids also put everything on backwards. From there we spent the evening walking around backwards. This took some real brain power. The best part of the evening...We started with desert first at dinner (OK, then I had desert again at the end, but that's beside the point). Our verse for the week was Proverbs 15:20.

After three weeks of calling Tuesdays family night I wish we would have started this earlier. I would highly recommend starting a family night of your own. Pick a night and make it your own. I am posting our experiences so you can use some of our goofy ideas. If you happen to start doing your own version of family night and have new ideas please pass them along. I will eventually run out of ideas.

Next weeks theme...Crazy Hat Night
(I'll try and remember to take a picture)

family night - menu experiment night

Last night we continued our family night series. It was another successful and fun evening. Last nights theme...The Menu Experiment. Creativity was unleashed in the kitchen. We all put on aprons and prepared dinner. We knew we would eat a little later than usual so Terri bought a new DVD to watch while we prepared and waited. The menu consisted of a Crunchy Romain Tossed Salad (I made that and it was excellent). A loaf of Wholesome Oatmeal Bread went nicely with our main course...Herbed Chicken on Rice (different, but not too bad). We capped it off with a Chocolate Pudding Pizza (can't wait to eat the leftovers on that one)! We discussed our verse for the week (John 15:5) while enjoying desert. And yes, we also took a picture.

OK, to close out the evening we drew next weeks theme...
Backwards Night. Stay tuned...
I'll explain everything when I post next week.

family night - mix match night

Last night we began the first in what we hope to be a long series of family nights. Tuesday night is our night. We came up with a list of themes and put them in a box. Some of the themes came from the outside sources while others we developed. Each Tuesday during family night we choose a theme for the following week. It gives us something to look forward to and it allows us to prepare if necessary. Last night was Mix Match Night. Everyone put on the most obnoxious wardrobe they could find and wore it for the evening. Most of us are creatures of habit and so we also switched places at dinner from our normal seating arrangement. To top it off we threw in a couple of competitive rounds of UNO Spin.

Each week we will select a verse to read and discuss at dinner. The verse is on the theme card each week. Last nights verse was Proverbs 6:20. It was a really fun evening.

Last night we drew the theme for next week...
Experiment in the Kitchen Night. We pulled out the cookbooks and selected the menu for next weeks dinner (stuff we've never eaten before). Should be interesting.

I'll keep you posted.

knock. knock. knock.

Well, here we are (again)…
We find ourselves knocking at the door of a brand new year.

It’s usually at this point we find ourselves resolving to do things differently in 2009 from how we did them in 2008. It’s what everyone wants...it’s a clean slate; it’s a fresh start. What is it for you? Is it financial, is it physical, is it a relationship? Put together a plan to make it happen.

Here’s another question to ponder as you set goals (or think about setting goals) for the new year…
How can you help make a difference in the life of someone else? Not only does God have a special plan and purpose for your life; He is equipping you to make a difference in this world. Ask God what you can do to bless others. Ask Him how you can do it. Ask Him to show you who to bless with the gifts, abilities, and talents He has given you. Make an investment that is guaranteed to multiply. Invest in the life of someone else.

That’s it. Resolve to make this year better than last and resolve to help someone else do the same.

Knock. Knock. Knock…are you ready?

What have you resolved to do in 2009? It’s worth thinking about.
Have a Happy New Year! Make 2009 your best yet!

Christmas EVE 2008

Ed Young Jr. wrote the following as his church (Fellowship Church) prepares for Christmas this year...

Christmas is s big deal. That may seem like an obvious statement, but not for the reason many might think. Yes, it's a big deal in our culture—it's the centerpiece of the winter holiday season. Yes, it's a big deal for retailers—it's when they typically go from red to black in their financial forecasts. Yes, it's a big deal for kids—they wait with bated breath for the arrival of Santa and Christmas morning. And yes, it's a big deal for families—when loved ones get to spend lots of quality time together (for better or for worse).

Christmas is the new Easter in the church today. The poinsettia and lily crowd is becoming just the poinsettia crowd. For one reason or another, people who give church just a passing glance all year long will brave the elements and attend a Christmas service. They might get warm fuzzies about “peace on earth, goodwill toward men.” They may have nostalgic memories of attending Christmas services as children and hearing the story of that special baby born in a manger. Whatever the reason, they will come.

My prayer is that, when they do, I will be ready and you will be ready to introduce them to the Savior. When they step into our Christmas services this week, we need to prepare their hearts for Christ to step in and rearrange their lives. That's why it's so important that our message at Christmas doesn't stop with the traditional story of Christmas. You can't talk about the Christmas story without talking about the Easter story. In reality, it's all one message. Christ was born to die. He was destined to step into time and space as a baby so He could walk that long road to the cross as a man.


That is why we are so excited about the upcoming event at the Performing Arts Center in New Albany on Christmas Eve. I hope you will decide to join us.

It's not just the story of Christ's journey on this earth. It's the story of everyone's journey to, or away from, the Savior. We all have a monumental choice to make—to take a step toward Jesus or away from Him. The wise men made that step; the shepherds made that step; Mary and Joseph made that step. And men, women and children throughout history have been making that step.

Will you take that step? If you would like to do that please leave a comment and I would be happy to touch base with you to talk.

Join Emerge at the Performing Arts Center in New Albany as we Rock the Season in celebration of the birth of our Savior. You won't want to miss this highly anticipated night of worship.

Visit www.emergecolumbus.com for more information.

Merry Christmas!

twas the nightmare before christmas...

Here is a poem the creative team (Chris, Tommy, Brian, and Chris) at Jersey wrote a couple of years ago in preparation for a Christmas message series.

Twas the nightmare before Christmas, and all through the house
Everyone is screaming, yes, even your spouse
Uncle Fred in the corner with his evil stare
While Aunt Georgia eats fruitcake without a care

The children are fighting and banging their heads
With screaming of newborns who haven’t been fed
And mamma in her kitchen has just burnt the meal
I may just start running for her wrath I may feel

When out on the lawn there rose such a noise
I could barely hear it but recognized the voice
Away to the window I flew like a flash
Tore open the shutters and stepped on the cat

The moon shone down on the newly fallen snow
A large someone lying there who we did not know
When what to my wandering eyes should appear
It was just Uncle Steve wearing on his face a dreadful sneer

He must have fallen and hurt himself plenty
Seems Uncle Steve had thrown back one too many
I ran to help him and was met at the door
By a small group of carolers singing for the poor

I had no time for song, for the poor, or for cheer
I needed only to get Uncle Steve into the clear
And when on the lawn I was met by red and blue lights
Twas the police who had heard of our house full of fights

With tears in my eyes and no hope in sight
I fell to my knees prayed with all might
“Oh Jesus, my want is to leave this behind”
“Take my heart, take my soul, and please calm my mind”

Twas as if all my worries were no longer a care
And yet with my opening eyes I would share
None of my circumstances had really changed
It was just how I saw them, they are now rearranged

This Christmas will be different and not just for me
But to all who come to Jesus and receive what is free
Twas a nightmare before Christmas before He saved my life
And now He is waiting to be a part of your life.
Seek Him and it is Jesus you’ll find
And then it will be a Merry Christmas to all and to all a goodnight.