Hey look...I posted twice in one week....

So here it is:  My friday post. 
Currently listening to: Jimmy Eat World....Futures....fantastic album I had kind of forgotten about.
Currently Reading: Generation iY, Wilt(biography of Wilt Chamberlain), God and Football(a book about Church and football in SEC country.)

It's been a strange week.  Almost every moment that I've been in the office, I've been the only one here.  I've accomplished much.  The Sex and Dating series beginning Jan. 15th is basically put together, I'm ready for a one-off New Years Resolution message on Sunday, I switched all the Christmas lights back over to regular lights and added some lighting touches to the modular, i read a huge chunk of Generation iY, carried all the stuff we used from the modular Christmas eve and morning back to the modular, made some minor improvements to the modular sound system, and chugged water like it was my job.

We started this diet thing and it's fun to see it actually working because i'm actually trying.  And for once it's not about cutting something completely out of my diet(except maybe donuts....i just don't see the justification for eating a donut right now) it's simply portion control.  I don't eat nearly as much as I used to and ya know what?  I'm not starving.  Not at all.  And i'm down 15lbs......sweet.

We're leaving for the in-laws on Sunday after church.  I don't like the drive, but i always manage to get some relaxation and extra reading in while we're there.  It's nice to see everyone there, but nice to get away from here for a few days too.  I'm one of those people that struggle because I have trouble leaving the office.  I won't ignore my phone if someone from church calls, I insist on checking my work email from home, and given the opportunity, I do some of my best ministry brainstorming at home and won't ignore it when it comes to mind.  But when I leave the state, it gets slightly easier.  And that's what i need to do this coming week.  Refresh, relax, read, and just chill. 

And it just occured to me that i wanted to try to get my ipod battery replaced before we left and if I don't leave right now it may not happen.  And if they happen to be closed, it won't happen anyway. 

Let's Try This Blogging Thing Again...

So i really think it would be healthy for me to blog, even if nobody ever reads it.  But I think part of my problem in the past has been that I had no purpose or set agenda for blogging, which is fine for some people but probably not for my unorganized self.  Let me give you an example:  I've tried to diet/exercise many times in the last several years and it just doesn't work for me.  I don't stick to it.  But we started tracking our food and exercise on myfitnesspal.com and suddenly I've lost 15 pounds, have exercised every day, and am watching what I eat closely.  And like I said, 15 pounds in a couple weeks and keeping it off during Christmas is nothing to take for granted.  I think it's worked because I have to plug it in everyday.  I have set things I need to accomplish daily to track it.  So i think i'll apply that to blogging.

Here's what I'll try: 
I'm off Monday's, so Tuesday morning I will debrief the weekend services on here not only so someone else might see what we did, but so that I will metaphorically walk through our services step-by-step and see where we could've done better.  I'll also post what I'm currently listening to, reading, and any videos or stories I've found during the week that inspire me, make me laugh, or make it into my message for Awaken.  Then maybe on Friday I will review a book if I finish one or a movie if I watch one or even a TV show.  Sounds like fun and a healthy output for my thoughts. 

So here goes:
Listening to: A Random Playlist, but right this moment it's needtobreathe!
Reading: Generation iY by Tim Elmore

This past weekend was Christmas weekend.  We rocked the Christmas Eve services with Andrew Peterson's "Behold The Lamb of God."  I'm proud to say we had a banjo on stage for the first time(at least since I've been here).  We've heard nothing but great response to that service and our Sunday morning combined service.  More than 220 people in our sanctuary at once Sunday was definitely a stretch, but it was awesome.  The kids opened the service with Go Tell It On The Mountain and we did very updated versions of some classic Christmas songs.  Larry brought us a unique but very challenging message called "Christmas Number Two" where he reminded us that Christ will be returning and we must be ready.  Closing the service with a song from the Christmas Eve service added a fun element to send people out to enjoy the rest of their Christmas Day celebrations.

My parents left today so our house is back to "normal" but we leave for Stacy's parents Sunday after church.  Lots to do before then to prepare.

This Sunday is a one-off message for Awaken called "New Years Resolution." 

This isn't quite what my new format will look like, but either way, I'm back and going to stick to it!

Settled...Sort of...

Yesterday a wise man asked me if I was feeling some burnout.  For those of you who don't know, that's a word that evokes a lot of emotion and plenty of responses from most ministers because at some point most of us go through a season of burnout.  But I think I can honestly say I'm just a little tired.  We moved(and by moved I mean we are moving because the house sure isn't totally put together yet, but progress is being made.)  We're also expecting our baby boy Jackson in August(or earlier if Stacy has her way.)  This time of the school year is always rough because I'm working hard on summer details while also going through the last several weeks of school year programming.  We've been talking about Spiritual Disciplines at Awaken Teen Services and that deep topic has exponentially increased my study time for each message.  On top of that, Kate's nights of full sleep per week have declined steadily, whether because of the new house or new teeth or not feeling good.  Whatever it is, I hope she gets over it soon.  It's rough on me and rougher on Stacy because she insists on getting up because I have to work the next day. 

But we love our new home (and love not essentially flushing rent money down the toilet each month) and I'm excited for Jackson's arrival.  A busy summer including a weeklong CIY Trip(which Kate will spend at Grandma and Bumpa's...we'll see how that goes) and a week of Sr. High Camp(provided Jackson doesn't arrive before or during camp) and he will be here.  I'm still shootin for a Cleveland Browns themed room, but I dunno if it's gonna happen.  Which is unfortunate cause if Kate had been a boy, the room was already decorated that way.  But I also thought Kate wouldn't mind a Browns room so what do i know?  We love our Kate-Kate but I think God knew we needed one of each. 

We feel so blessed to be here in Virginia.  Life is busy, but life is good.