Getting by with a lot of help from my friends

Today was one of those days were you wake up and say "There is no way I can do this!" I have not been feeling that great. So I do not have that much energy. I got a call yesterday from Home Depot telling me they had a bunch of stuff to be picked up. I had to get it. Did not know how I was going to do it. Somehow, it all worked out. The next thing I know is there are about 10 people helping unload everything. I can't tell you how thankful I am for the help. It never ceases to amaze me how God will just provide everything that we need.

I just wanted some air

Last night, after moving some things at church, I went to my car and looked at my tire. The tire was just not round. I had an air tank in my trunk. Did not have much air but it was enough to make it round again. So I thought that I would be smart and fill it up to make my morning a lot better. So I drove down the road to a gas station. Found the air compressor. It had a "Out of order" sign on it. Argh. So I went to another gas station. Put in 50 cents. It turned on, but no air came out. Argh. So I went to another gas station, "Out of order." Argh. So I went to another gas station. Tried to put the quarters in it, it was jammed! Argh. So finally I went to Sheetz, where the air is free. It worked! Finally.
I guess the moral of the story is, don't mess around, just go to Sheetz!

How I beat the winter blues

I used to get extremely tired in the winter. The winter blahs is you will. I did not like that. So a couple of years ago I figured out what works for me to beat the winter blues. Running! I guess it does not have to be running, any exercise outside will do. Sledding with my kids counts too. But obviously for me running is my favorite. So I am looking at some crazy winter races just to keep me motivated to train and run harder. Any one else have way to beat those winter blahs?

Long lasting ministry

Here is something that I am learning. When you invest your life in to people, you will not see results for 10 years. Most people are not willing to wait those 10 years. I think the last time I heard, the average length of a youth pastor is 6 months. The average length of a pastor is a year and a half.
I then look at Jesus, he took 3 years to disciple the disciples. Now I am thinking that it was a much more intense ministry experience then what we experience today. I also am thinking that Jesus was probably a little better then any of us will ever be.
So with that being said, invest yourself for the long term. It is then that you will see results. I am always amazed at my dad. He has been in the same place, investing himself into people lives for 33+ years. I get to see what he accomplished. But it is only because of the number of years he has invested.
Today we went out to eat for supper. Our server happened to be a kid in our kids klub about 8 years ago. Really cool catching up with him. He is doing good. Man that makes me happy. It makes me want to keep on doing what I am doing.

Christmas

Wow! Christmas, is amazing. So much fun with little kids. Just to see how excited they get. I was amazed at Isaiah. He was just so overwhelmed. Poor guy on Christmas night was crying about everything. He just was too tired.
Just like last year, Santa showed up at my house again. I still don't know how it is. However, I think I have some clues. I am going to figure it out. You just wait an see.
Now what I am seriously contemplating opening and assembling every toy before I wrap them. It is a huge pain to sit there and try to open the present while your son is hovering 2 inches away from you saying "daddy is it ready yet?" So in honor of fighting with toy packaging here is a hilarious song.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M1t90Bg9wAw
Not my family or me -- but very similar!

Ode to my laptop

Dear Laptop,
I have missed you so much. These pass 2 weeks without your power supply have been tough. I could not use you. You sat there, just waiting for me to use you again. My first attempt to order a new power supply went wrong. It was wrong cause I ordered the wrong one. You would think that I knew you better then that. So when I ordered then 2nd time, I made sure you were the right one. To my amazement, when I got the mail today, the power supply was there. I quickly opened up the package, ran to the room, plug you in. It worked! I was so happy. To be able to use you again. I just felt right. Surviving these two weeks using Heather's was tough. (to Heather's credit, she shared really good). But it is great to have you back old friend!

Feeling Tired

I will admit that this last couple of weeks have been very long. I knew that they would be. It is Christmas time. Of course it is going to be crazy. But I know it was going to be crazy so I have been doing a couple of things to help.

• Try to get enough sleep. It is amazing what 8 hours can do for you.
• Eat healthy. Though I am not the expert, stuff like normal food at normal time and not a plethora of cookies (aka dieting made simple)
• Exercise -- clears the mind
• Dwell on the things of God. I like to take a thought and ponder it until my ponderer is sore.
• Take moments to remember why your are doing what you are doing.
• And look for those tiny glimpses of what we are working for -- and hold on to those.

Just a couple of things that are getting me through this craziness.

How to fix a problem

Today was dishwasher install day. I know, that doesn't sound too fun, but trust me it is. We just purchased a brand new commercial dishwasher at the Lighthouse, so we had to install it. Now of course we hook it up, do everything that we were supposed to do and of course it does not work. Argh. We look at it for a while. Could not figure it out. Then we walked away. At that point, there was a great "I got it" moment. We figure it out. So we run back to the dishwasher look at it, think through the theory, and sure enough, that is the solution. So then we execute the plan. Run back down the stairs, turn on the breaker, then turn it on. It works! It works! It works! Yippee!
Sometimes, it is better to walk away, think through a situation, then tackle it.

My 2 hour trip that normally is 7 minutes

This morning I get a call from a friend telling me that he was stuck at the local store. So I hurry up get a shower and head out the door. While walking down the stairs I am thinking "boy it is a little slippery out here." So I carefully start to drive up the road thinking "hey its a little slippery but not to bad. Then I get to the main road. Sheet of ice! I start heading up a hill and I see that there are two cars that were not moving. I start to go up the hill and quickly realize I am not going to make it. So I stop and wait. I am not that good at waiting. Mean time, I hear about a bunch of accidents, so I start thinking, yeah this is not too bad. Eventually a salt truck went by and salted the road. I was able to get up the hill, and get to my friend (2 hours later).
I don't understand why, but I enjoy the adventure! I am weird like that.

My poor laptop

Sorry that I have not blogged in a while. My laptops power cable broke. Yes, this is the 2nd power supply that broke. Oh well. The good news is the new power supply on its way. I will survive. Sorry no blogs.