From Foolishness to Final Forgiveness

September 28, 2006 at 4:10 pm · Filed under Devotional, Internet, Poetry, Spiritual Growth

I don’t often post e-mail forwards, but I enjoyed this so much, I just had to share it. I love alliteration, and this little story takes the cake!

The Final Fixing of the Foolish Fugitive

“Feeling footloose, fancy-free, and frisky, this feather-brained fellow finagled his fond father into forking over his fortune. Forthwith, he fled for foreign fields and frittered his farthings feasting fabulously with fair-weather friends. Finally, facing famine, and fleeced by his fellows in folly, he found himself a feed flinger in a filthy farmlot. He fain would have filled his frame with foraged food from the fodder fragments.

“‘Fooey! My father’s flunkies fare far fancier,’ the frazzled fugitive fumed feverishly, frankly facing fact.

“Frustrated from failure and filled with forebodings, he fled for his family.

“Falling at his father’s feet, he floundered forlornly. ‘Father, I have flunked and fruitlessly forfeited further family favors. . .’

“But the faithful father, forestalling further flinching, frantically flagged his flunkies to fetch forth the finest fatling and fix a feast.

“But the fugitive’s fault-finding frater, faithfully farming his father’s fields for free, frowned at this fickle forgiveness of former falderal. His fury flashed, but fussing was futile.

“His foresighted father figured, ‘Such filial fidelity is fine, but what forbids fervent festivities? The fugitive is found! Unfurl the flags! With fanfare flaring, let fun, frolic, and frivolity flow freely, former failures forgotten and folly forsaken. Forgiveness forms a firm foundation for future fortitude.’”

SOURCE: (according to the e-mail I got) Rev. W. O. Taylor, 91, was the oldest man attending the Southern Baptist Convention a few years ago. At the annual free breakfast for retirees, Brother Taylor rose and recited his own alliterative version of the parable of the prodigal son, which he entitled “The Final Fixing of the Foolish Fugitive.”

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Baby Luke’s Adventure at Kid U Ohio!

September 24, 2006 at 10:08 pm · Filed under Adventures, Children's Ministry, Family, Humor, Internet, Kidology, Leadership, Luke

Luke and Dad hangin’ out and roaming around the conference.

Well, it was a crazy weekend but a lot of fun. There are still lots of pictures to go through, but since Luke was so excited to go to his second Kid U, I thought I’d post some pictures of his adventures. I had NO idea how many of the attendees would be greeting him by name as they arrived. I guess more people read my blog than I knew! So, by popular demand, here are some more Baby Luke pics:

Too Sexy for my Shirt! (Kid U morning at the hotel)

Me and My New Bear! (Gift from Pastor Kim!)

Awana be in Awana! (Awana my diaper changed too!)

As you can see by Baby Luke’s Awana Uniform, he is a big fan of Awana. (This Commander uniform was hand made for him by Commander Teri at Village Church!) I think he signed up at least three new churches for Awana while working their booth!

Star Struck with Mary Rice Hopkins. (or is it the spotlights?)

Mary Rice Hopkins held him while singing a beautiful song about babies. He got a little star struck - it was rather funny - he stared at the spotlights the entire time. People have no idea how bright those lights are when you are up front!

BUT WHAT WAS LUKE’S FAVORITE THING!!??!!

Going down the giant inflatable slide while strapped in his dad’s backpack!

AT THE TOP!
That’s a looooooong way down!

READY TO GO!
(Hope Mom isn’t watching!!)

WHEEEEEEEEEEEEE!
(Can I go again? Head first?)

WHEW!
See, who says you have to grow up?

Missed Kid U Ohio? Live too far away? Like cheese?
Then come to Kid U - Appleton next month in Wisconsin!
Yes, Baby Luke will be there, but so will be Rob Biagi!!

DISCLAIMER FROM LUKE: Just so no one panics, my daddy loves me very much and would never really go down a slide with me strapped to his back! These pictures were carefully posed to give mommy a heart attack when she reads my daddy’s blog! hehehehehehe I’m ok, and really safe in this family, really! (And I’ve never really drank Mountain Dew either, for those who think maybe I have… but I do reach out and try to grab daddy’s can often!) By the way, its not the first time my daddy faked some slide pictures!

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Baby Luke Headed to Kid U Ohio!

September 16, 2006 at 11:41 pm · Filed under Adventures, Children's Ministry, Internet, Kidology, Luke, Spiritual Growth

What is Luke doing?

Why, he is choosing his workshops for Kid U in Ohio next weekend! He’s excited about the preconference Creativity Blitz and all the awesome presenters that he can learn from. So he is studying the schedule, wondering where he will lodge, checking out the directions and planning to register soon! Don’t have a brochure? You can download one here! OK, now that my director of web operations is proud of all my shameless marketing links, what is the REAL reason Luke wants to go to Kid U? Because it is where he first met me!

Yes, it was at Kid U Chicago, this past March that I met this little baby boy for the first time, and as you can see, he loved me at first sight:

Well, ok, maybe not… but it is so fascinating to me that at the time of this picture, I had NO IDEA that I would be adopting this precious (screaming) little boy.

He wasn’t so excited about Aunt Meepa either! (at least not in this picture)

And he even cried for his mom-to-be, though, again, Sara had NO IDEA at the time of this picture that we would soon be taking this baby into our home!

But, he did warm up to me by the end of the day! And Sara too.

OK, and even Aunt Meepa. (Meepa? That’ my sisters nickname, see Luke on MommyMeepa’s Blog)

So, what are you waiting for? Time to choose YOUR workshops for Kid U in Ohio next weekend! Join us for the Friday evening preconference featuring Mary Rice Hopkins and Darcie Maze at the Creativity Blitz and along with the other awesome presenters we have invited. Need a schedule?, wondering where to lodge, or needing directions?

COME MEET LUKE! So register soon! Don’t have a brochure? Yes, you can still download one here! Now my director of web operations should be really proud of all my shameless marketing links! Go Google Ratings!

While I am taking a break from teaching workshops right now to focus on my new family, myself and Sara and Luke will be there and I am looking forward to seeing you and meeting many of you for the first time! Kid U is always such a wonderful time of fellowship with others who love kids and are passionate about reaching and teaching them for Jesus!

SEE YOU THERE!

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Luke, by popular demand!

September 12, 2006 at 9:35 pm · Filed under Family, Luke, Photography

And now for our greatest source of joy in life…. Baby Luke! By popular demand, here are some recent pictures of our little boy. Enjoy!

Mr. Smiles greets every day enthusiastically!

Luke newest feat…. sucking on his feet!

Yech! Must have been some lint between my toes!

Daddy likes to torture me with poses HE thinks are funny.

I’d be cute even if I was a girl, or a Bible character!

Daddy let me listen to a little of Star Wars Clone Wars on his video iPod!

Now the video iPod is MINE! MINE! MINE!

What’s better than one of me? FIVE of me!!

Hey! This is MY DEW!! Git yer own!!

YYYYYEAH! DO THE DEW! Cowabunga DEWd!

Please continue to pray for Luke’s adoption proceedings. We’ve now had Luke for over five months and as you can see, we’re crazy about him! The adoption is not yet final, and while there are some good signs, there are also some significant needs for prayer this month, so please lift this little guy up in your prayers! Luke appreciates it! (and we do too!)

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Dreary Day… until you look closely.

September 10, 2006 at 7:20 pm · Filed under Children's Ministry, Devotional, Leadership, Life, Spiritual Growth

Today was one of the hardest days of my life. For the first time in over 18 years I didn’t kick off a new season of Kid’s Church. To make it worse… of course, it rained.

The bleary view out my back patio door.

Change is difficult. I suppose I should feel some relief from my former hyperbusy hyperacheiver hyperactive hyperministry hyperspeed pace of life… and in many ways I do. But I still miss painfully the things I loved most… and have deep regrets that are still healing. I prayed for one phone call today from one person who might realize what today was and meant to me… but instead, God must have wanted me to feel the emptiness and loneliness of loss. My head understands and is accepting, but my heart is still catching up and has quite a ways to go. One day at a time. One relationship at a time. One prayer at a time.

I’ve not allowed myself much time to focus on what these changes in life have cost me - selfishness got me into the mess I got myself into - so I don’t feel entitled to focus on my own losses, but today, when I would have been doing Kids Church, I went ahead and sat out in the rain and just let God cry for me.

Then I went in, took a shower, got dressed, and set all that self-pity aside, remembering:

God’s a safe-house for the battered,
A sanctuary during bad times,
The moment you arrive, you relax;
Your’re never sorry you knocked.
Psalm 9:9 The Message

Yes, it was a bleary drab day… but then I decided to take my camera and look for some beauty in the rain. To focus my lense closely on the water that had created a pool on the patio table, and I made a discovery…. When you stand back and look out over a grey rainy day, there doesn’t seem to be much hope. But when you get closer and look at what God is creating… and allow for some color and detail to be studied, focused upon, and enhanced… beauty can be created out of the gloom. And that is the business God is in… taking gloom and transforming it into hope.

Enjoy these pictures I took this morning. Each, if clicked on, will open in a new window in wallpaper size. I put them all into a folder and made them my screen saver.

If you too are in the midst of a difficult time in life, join me, in looking a little closer at what God is doing. And in the midst of the grey and the steady rain you may find that He is doing a work of art in your life too. Adding detail and depth and color that can’t be seen from the casual pessimistic glance of the human eye. You have to look closer, within, and allow Him to bring focus and color into your soul. Most won’t see it happening. Most can’t see past the storm… but God isn’t only in the business of creating grand sweeping sunsets and glorious mountain ranges of beauty… He is into the small details too. And if we will allow Him, He will find and create beauty even in the midst of our gloomist days.

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I hate spiders…

September 6, 2006 at 9:16 pm · Filed under Bugs, Humor, Photography

I hate spiders. Well, ok. Maybe I don’t HATE them, but I am scared of them…. but fascinated at the same time. Even as a boy, I liked spiders best IN BOOKS! In real life… they creep me out. And yet… I am drawn to them. I will trap them instead of kill them. I kept a HUGE spider in a container in my office until it died in a fierce pose, and it took it months to die. (Kids checked on it each week to see if it was still alive, it was caught by a GIRL in Awana!) I had a HUGE funnel spider on my porch last week, and I was sad when I killed it… I was trying to draw it out with a stick and accidently gave it a mortal wound. Had the dumb thing just come out, it would have survived! But I’m happy to say a new one, even bigger has moved in! But I’ve yet to get him to come out for and pose for a picture. But below are some pictures of two resident spiders, one in the front yard, and one from the back yard. Do I dare say enjoy??

They say the best way to conquer a fear is to face it up close… so this is an experiment to see if looking at these fellows (or ladies) up close and personal might cure my fear…. you be the judge…

(oh, and YES, click on any image for a wallpaper sized view of each!)

Yes, that’s my house he is spying on…. Glad I’m not a bug!

In case you really wanted to see the other side…

My backyard buddy…

Did I mention I’m glad I’m not a bug?

I’m getting the chills….

In case you REALLY wanted a close up!

Are you cured of your fear??? me neither!

UPDATE: I got a picture of the huge spider on my porch. I hosed down his giant web and he came out to see what what was going on… the beads of water on his legs look cool: (click for the large image!)

Yikes! This guy is UGLY!

OK, one more… I think I found where this guy moved a day later… or else one of his kin:

and this will conclude my posting of spiders on my blog…. now I can’t go to sleep!

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