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A Weekend Without Labor

One of things God has been teaching me this past year is a new definition of “recreation” – something that once meant ‘fun’ or ‘play’ or ‘games’ has transformed into something much deeper and penetrating as I have discovered re-creation. Rather than something I do to “take a break” re-creation is now something I seek regularly, that refreshes and recharges me for the rest of “life.” This Labor Day weekend was a special opportunity for some extended re-creation spent with family. (reminder, click on any image for a larger view) The treats of the weekend began on the way to church. Now from this picture you might I assume I live out in the wilderness, but there are several forest preserves quite close. But as we drove down the road to church my tendency to be taking in everything around me I caught a glimpse of something through a break in the trees and through a fence! Sara was surprised as I quickly pulled over and put the car in reverse claiming to have seen something through the trees which appeared solid on the left… indeed, I had! My guess is an Elk? We have a lot of deer in…

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Reach for the Water

Sometimes a pictures says it best… Just wanted to share my current wallpaper which captures my son’s love for water. (click image for full size 876 kb) If I was ever stranded in the desert with no water, but had Luke with me, I’d be O.K. I’d just follow him! If there is any source of water… he can find it! He is drawn to water like a deer… wait, isn’t there a Bible verse about longing for water?  As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I go and meet with God? Psalm 42:1-2 I pray that I would be as drawn to the Lord as my son is to water. After all, Jesus is better than water,  He is the Living Water!  “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him.” John 7:37-39  Jesus is the Living Water who walked among us. “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give him…

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Luke’s First Rock Concert!

Saturday Luke got to go to his first live concert at Ravina. This concert venue includes a pavillion with ticketed seats like most concerts, but also includes a huge outdoor lawn area surrounded by restaurants. It is a favorite entertainment destination for Chicagoans. My last visit to Ravina was for the Music of Star Wars. Now it was Luke’s turn to join hundreds of other little tots for Ralph’s World live in concert! Daddy and Son Mommy and Son! Luke seemed a little overwhelmed at first. He kept looking around at allll the kids and people and lights, and finally noticed the band on the stage. It was so cute, there will little kids everywhere dancing in the aisles. The ushers quickly gave up trying to keep the aisles clear. Luke hesitantly joins the others jammin’ in the aisle. We had never heard of Ralph’s World, but the music was fun. It was all about lemonade, and sand boxes, and water, and chocolate cake. We were surprised to see all the adults sining along as well – one dad in front of me was singing along to a song about how his baseball dreams never came true because of his…

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We Found Heaven! In Mundelein!

NOTE: Click on any image to view full screen! As I have posted before, LUKE LOVES WATER! So we were delighted to just learn of a “Spray Park” only a few miles away this week! When we looked at it online, we knew Luke would be absolutely beside himself with delight when we got there! So when I woke Luke up in the morning and we did our usual talk about the plans of the day, I told him we discovered heaven, and it’s in Mundelein, and it only costs $2 to get in! It became our joke of the day that I repeated over and over and over, “we found heaven! and it’s in Mundelein! and it only costs $2 to get in!” And we were right! HE LOVED IT! (Dad loved it too) Since we don’t live in Mundelein, we pay double… but no complaints here! But we are a little envious of Mundeleinians who only have to pay $1 to get into heaven! We may just have to sell the house and move to save $1 every time we go here! We’ve already been there twice, and that’s $6 we could have saved if we sold our…

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New, Revised, Expanded! The Kidology Handbook!

Whew! It finally happened at 6:27 p.m. today! After literally years of work, the NEW, REVISED, and GREATLY EXPANDED Kidology Handbook is NOW LIVE for pre-order in the Kidology Online Store! Not only is the Kidology Handbook GREATLY expanded – it now includes a short but practical LAB ASSIGNMENT at the end of each chapter to help you put what you learn into practice so you will see the changes in your ministry as a result. And if that wasn’t enough, there’s MORE! The ALL NEW Kidology Handbook is ALSO an Audio Book! That’s right, you can download and print the 143 page PDF for your personal self study guide, but you can also listen to the book in your car, on your iPod, or while you are biking, cooking, doing laundry or mowing the lawn if you want! The entire book is read by yours truly (me) so you auditory learners can benefit as well. It’s practical training “on the go” for busy teachers! AND (yes, it gets better) because it is a dual-function CD with data and audio, you are not limited by the restrainsts of a print book! For an additional fee you can purchase the rights…

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