Friday's Fave Five

Hey...I am borrowing this idea from a friend.  I am going to TRY to post five of my favorite things from this past week each and every Friday.  Here it goes:


5.  Leading worship.  Since I taught myself to play the guitar, I have loved each and every time I get to lead worship (save the one time when I couldn't remember how Agnus Dei went in the Sunday A.M. service..lol).  What hit me this past Sunday night...was the impact of having live worship in the youth has accomplished.  There are at least 4 students that are playing instruments along with me on Sunday nights and sometimes on Sunday mornings!  It is crazy how God works sometimes. 

4.  The MLB Network.  Seriously, I love baseball.  I love watching it and taking a nap.  Watching it and being captivated by each pitch come October.  The MLB Network has enhanced the viewing experience.  Instead of having to pay hundreds of dollars to have a TV package that shows every MLB game, this network takes you live to games to see things that are happening.  I have watched a no-hitter and a couple of walk-off hits this season.  The insight into the game that they give is priceless and amazing! 

3.  My students.  This past Wednesday we played a game called Buzz/Fizz...it is a counting game where you replace multiples of 5 with the word buzz and multiples of 7 with the word fizz.  Our group couldn't do it...I couldn't stop laughing and we will definitely do this again.  I love the group of kids we have.  They are so unique and I feel blessed to have them in my life.

2.  Music.  The new Mat Kearney and  Needtobreathe album's are amazing and remind me how blessed we are as a civilization to have such ability to play instruments that make such beautiful noises.  And...the ability to sing.  To make a joyful noise...I just love music...making it, listening to it...feeling it!  There is not much more satisfying than rolling the windows down, opening my sunroof and jamming away to some great tunes. 

1.  Sarah.  I am so glad that I have found the love of my life.  Watching her go through this whole experience of being unable to conceive, then seeing the relief/excitement/shock/love in her eyes when we found out she was pregnant, to watching her be such an amazing woman under this stress has made my love grow so much deeper than before.  There is a song that goes, "and I thought I loved you then..." and I am so thankful that God has given me the chance to live this life with the most wonderful friend and wife that I could have ever found.  I can't believe that I get to wake up each day and find her right there beside me.  Our child is already blessed to have Sarah as their mother.  She is a Proverbs 31 kind of wife! 

 "A good woman is hard to find, and worth far more than diamonds. Her husband trusts her without reserve, and never has reason to regret it. " -Proverbs 31:10,(The Message)

Encouragement for a Friday Morning...

For who do you know that really knows you, knows your heart? And even if they did, is there anything they would discover in you that you could take credit for? Isn't everything you have and everything you are sheer gifts from God? So what's the point of all this comparing and competing? You already have all you need. You already have more access to God than you can handle.

-I Corinthians 4:7-8

Jellyland update 8.25.09

Hey everyone!  Thought I'd give you an update on this beautiful Tuesday morning.  I hope this finds you strong in your faith as we all learn to lean.


10.  I am loving the "Summer" of 09.  It hasn't really been hot at all.  I am ready for the cool breezes and leaf changing of Fall and the bone-chilling, snow falling coldness of Winter.  I know people really don't like the Winter but just think how boring it would be if the weather was the same all year round?  I mean, it would be like Florida.  I guess I'll have to retire somewhere else. 


9.  Sarah watched HG TV a lot.  So that means I get to watch it too.  I have grown accustomed to shows about people buying their first house or getting a new one and I've come to one conclusion:  People are crazy.  It is funny to see how people walk into a room and within 3-5 seconds have made up their minds about the room.  I can't stand it when people go in and say something about the paint or wallpaper and let that be a deciding factor.  That is like a lot of us who make some of our decisions based on absurd guidelines or standards.  I am just saying...


8.  Someone updated their status on Facebook the other day in the morning and said something about how frustrating life is and the usual tag lines that go with those words.  Then later on in the day, the same person said that things worked out and that God was good.  It made me kinda feel guilty because I do the same thing.  I am reminded of the southern Gospel song (I know right...childhood memories are like Jiffy mix...they just seem to stick around) that goes "the God of the good times, is still God in the bad times" and how human we are to doubt and sulk and stomp around when things are going wrong.  (read my blog from yesterday for more about that)

7.  As I am compiling my bucket list,  a wave of sadness I guess you could call it, swept over me.  If I could map out all the places that I have been over my 27 years of existence on this planet, my map wouldn't be that big.  The middle of Indiana from Anderson to Plymouth would be covered with lines.  I have been to New York, Washington D.C., along the eastern seaboard but much past Indiana to the West and the lines are few (Arkansas is as far west as I have ever been).  That is sad.  I am trying to talk Sarah into renting an RV-type thing and taking a road trip out west...however, it would take some BA Baracus type sedatives for Sarah to let me drive her and the kiddos in something like that!  :)  A man's gotta try right?

6.  Speaking of bucket lists...what is on your bucket list?  Do you even have one?  I don't know why this has come to the forefront but I find myself thinking about this list more and more often.  It is probably because I want Baby Jelly to see some incredible things when she gets here.  But what is on your list? I've only got one thing for sure on my list so far.  Help a brother out!

5.  I am not a parent yet...so though...but not yet.  It is frustrating to see parents with young kids (3-5) out in public like the scene yesterday in a local establishment.  This lady was speaking VERY loudly to her son.  She didn't do it once or twice...it was like every two or three minutes yelling about this or that.  It drove me bonkers.  Her's why:  trying to reason with a toddler seems like trying to reason with our two Boston Terriers.  They understand some things but you can't get into deep conversations as to why they shouldn't throw food and hit the old guy in the next booth.  Oh, my kids will behave...Sarah was already practicing her mean face during lunch yesterday, and there will be times when I get frustrated with them and try to reason with them...but Lex and Flash are dogs...so I treat them like a dog...a child is a child and we should treat them like a child and not an adult.  I know, I am not a parent...I know I know...but we can all have our pet peeves can't we?

4.  Football season is just days away...I am ready for some gridiron goodness.  I am also ready for Sports Illustrated to send me my Madden 10 game already!  There is a new store here in Plymouth that is going to have a Madden league.  Dude...I played in some leagues during my days at IWU but nothing since.  This is one happy fella'!  I need some male bonding over a good game of Madden.  I know, I am a geek...but I fully embrace my Geekness.  Deal with it...

3.  Images have more power over us than we know.  Point in hand, since Sarah has been pregnant, and since Sarah watching any show that deals with cake (seriously, you should see our DVR) every time she watches a show I will hear at least once, "OH...I want some cake."  Has she went and made any? Nope...every time we get near the cake isle I say something and she doesnt want it then.  However, if I get my way, last night during the "Andy, I am in bed and I can't get comfortable and fall asleep so you can't sleep either" stage of our evening, she was watching a show about Rice Krispy treats...and I think we (and by we I mean me) just might be scoring some ooey gooey marshmallowy goodness today.  But seriously, we must be careful what goes before our eyes...it has more power than we think.

2.  So every year we have a youth kick-off.  Every year I challenge the kids to get a certain number.  Each year I have some unsuspecting target that I get to offer up their hair for mine.  This year, things kind of spiraled.  At first it was my hair for one of the student leaders hair...simple.  Now it has turned into a gigantic hair affair.  It is the students hair vs. my hair, another sponsor hair and 'stache, another students hair AND eyebrows (I always try to get people's eyebrows...lol) and finally another sponsors CHEST HAIR!  Seriously...Sarah is super worried because she rags on how big my head is all the time...we've measured our heads and I do have a large melon (25 inches! Size 8 fitted hat) and she thinks I am going to look crazy...I will keep you updated...it is September 20th...pics to follow!

1.  Finally, baby update.  Sarah has had some issues with some blood pressure and them thinking she has pre-ecclampsia.  We went to the hospital sunday morning and missed church because the Dr. wanted her to come in and get monitored.  The BP went down and everything looks fine.  She is having some contractions here and there but nothing steady whatsoever.  We are taking long walks and doing our part.  Pray for her comfort the last few days as she is uber-uncomfortable right now and sleeping is an adventure.  Baby Jelly is due this Thursday (August 27th) so hopefully we have some new family pics soon!


"Be prepared. You're up against far more than you can handle on your own. Take all the help you can get, every weapon God has issued, so that when it's all over but the shouting you'll still be on your feet. Truth, righteousness, peace, faith, and salvation are more than words. Learn how to apply them. You'll need them throughout your life." -Eph. 6:13-16 (The Message)

September Newsletter article

Do you smell that?

I am different. Some maybe even think I am weird. I am picky about the food I eat and I like certain drinks in certain glasses. Weird, I know, but that is who I am. We all have weird things that we do or don't do. One of the semi-weird things that I do is burn candles. I don't know many guys that like to burn candles as much as I do. I really enjoy this one candle that is cinnamon and clove scented, it sets off a festival in my nose! It is a package of awesomeness that is rarely matched aromatically. In my office, I have a candle burner with four different candles that I rotate. So what you ask? Well there are two things I want to remind you of.


One, whenever I leave a certain candle burning in the office for an extended period of time, after a while I can no longer smell it. If I pull the candle up to my nose, then the scent is there. But overall, the scent is missing even though the candle is burning. How many times in our lives do we just do things because that is the way we've always done them? I mean random things like cook a certain food or watch a certain news channel. Things we do without even really thinking about why we are doing them. Things that we don't miss until we can't do them anymore. I love traditions. I love having the warmth of the familiar in my life. I love even more knowing why we do what we do. More importantly, what it means for me to take part in this tradition or that act. It is of vital importance to, as Hebrews 10:25 says, to "not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing..." However, it seems to me that a lot of Christians have become Spiritual Bulimics. They come sunday mornings, maybe sunday night, definitely not Wednesdays and get their fill of everything God. They serve, teach a class, fill this spot or attend a bible study and then do nothing to advance their relationship with God the other days. They binge on the spiritual and starve themselves the rest of the week. This should not be so. Being a follower of Christ is a daily thing. Jesus said that we must take up our cross DAILY. Sunday morning for too long has been seen as the "filling station" to get you through the week. It should be seen as the celebration station where we come together and share our victories and our defeats. Our joys and our sorrows. Each day we should seek the strength for that day.

Secondly, every candle smells different. II Corinthians 2 talks about how we are all a fragrance to God. So, what do you smell like? Now I know that there are times in everyone's life that we go through tough spells. Times where things just aren't going right and there is no light at the end of the tunnel. We all will have our bad days. However, for some it seems like they are having a bad month or year or ... What I am saying is that we simply need to be aware of how we are "smelling". How do we react when things don't go our way? How do we respond to those tough days? How do we relate to those around us when we aren't in the best of moods? We only get today once. There are no do-overs. So if you are a mother...be the best mother and wife and daughter and sister that you can be today. If you are a father...be the best father, husband or son that you can be today. No one else can fill those roles for you. You will be the only father, husband, wife or mother to who God has gifted you with. Don't come out smelling like a black licorice candle when you could smell like...well...roses!

"Most folks are about as happy as they make up their minds to be." Abraham Lincoln

Baby update

Hey everyone...


We went to the Dr. yesterday for Sarah's week 38 appointment.  The heartbeat sounded great and Sarah hasn't been feeling too bad.  However, Sarah's blood pressure was higher than it has been throughout the pregnancy.  She has been having headaches and some swelling.  The Dr was worried a little about it being preeclampsia.  So that is causing some major concern for Sarah.  She just wants everything to be good and for baby and herself to be healthy.  We are trusting God that He is in control and it would be silly to stop trusting Him now after He has brought us to where we are now! 

"Then Samuel took a stone and set it up between Mizpah and Shen. He named it Ebenezer, saying, "Thus far has the LORD helped us."  I Samuel 7:12

How do you build a church?

So I got to thinking yesterday about this.  How do we build a church?  Christ's Church?  I know there are some people who have come to the conclusion that you can live a life that causes you to become more like Christ every day without being involved in a group of "Christians".  I believe that everyone needs to be involved with a group of believers, urging each other on towards shared goals and lifting each other up through Scripture, music and fellowship.  I believe that when people are not in a group that has the same shared goals, our priorities get out of whack and we start moving away from the model of Christ and start losing communion with His spirit.  You can feel free to disagree with me but that is not what this post is about.  That was just to say this:  I think that the Church is worth it.  The Church has its flaws.  The Church , or any "church", has never wronged anyone.  As Rob Bell said, "Churches don't wrong people.  People wrong people".  So with that said, how do we build a church?  How do we attract those who need Christ to come into our group or any group of believers? 

Is it with guilt?  Do we go after them and tell them that if they don't "turn" that they'll "burn"?  I've heard that one.

Is it with our services?  Does that bring people in?  Can they just not wait to worship together with other believers and feel God's presence? 

Is it with our small groups?  Do we grow our churches through spending personal time with people in small groups, house groups, pods, or whatever the new buzz word is?

Is it with more church plants?  Do we grow the larger Church by creating new churches that are more flexible and thus able to do the things that are reaching new generations of believers who have for decades been leaving the church?  The numbers are staggering. 

Is it with mega-churches?  Online services? 


I don't know exactly what works for you.  However, I have this uneasiness in my spirit that the church ,as it stands today, is too rigid and its traditions too powerful that it is causing us not to be able to reach today's young generations.  Church members who "pay the bills" feel threatened if things change and they feel as though they might get pushed out.  Is that biblical?  Isn't being apart of the body about sharing what Christ did, and is doing in us , with those around us?  Change is scary.  Taking risks and failing are heart wrenching.  Still, if we are not trying to do things that reach those who don't know love, who don't know Christ, who don't know the warmth and love that a community of believers can offer...whats more heart wrenching?  Being comfortable now...and watching those people get bitter and move farther away from love?  Or sacrificing some of our ways and opinions and traditions for the sake of reaching a base of people who need to know that they are loved by Jesus?  I vote for number two.  But maybe that is just me.

What is your church doing?

Jellyland update 8.07.09

Hey everyone!  I hope this letter finds you well and counting your blessings.  Not a ton of stuff has happened since the last installment of Jellyland update.  But I had a nagging need to update so here goes:


10.  I love fishing.  We took the youth group fishing last Wednesday and had a blast.  It is always better when you go fishing and actually catch some fish!  I caught a couple nice bass and a few other fish.  It is fun until you get them up on shore and have to take them off.  I hate getting stuck by those spiky fins.  But then again, if someone had a piece of metal in my lip, I probably wouldn't go quietly either.

9.  Our softball season ended last Saturday in grand fashion.  We were down by 3 heading into the last inning where we scored 2 runs, got two outs then had a man on second when one of our guys hit a two run home run!  We led by 1 heading into the bottom of the inning.  We quickly got two outs, they got a runner on and we got two strikes on the next guy.   Now if you hit a two strike pitch foul in our league you are out, the guy hits it down the line and it HITS THE LINE!  They score two runs and win the game.  Wow...it is no fun to lose but I would rather have lost that way than most other ways.  It was a fun season.

8.  We go for our baby "birthing" class tomorrow.  I will probably have a few new life experiences to share with you!  :)

7.  Due to some oddities in the schedule, I have been able to preach a lot more on Sunday mornings lately and I am loving it!  There is just something about being able to speak into peoples lives and have God speak through me that revs my engine!  Is it weird that I almost find the giving of a sermon fun?  If so, I am weird! 

6.  I am ready for some fantasy football!  It is my second favorite fantasy sport to play (I only have two of them so...).  If you want to join in on the action, there are a couple of leagues to join.  One, the Monsters of the Ministry league on Facebook.  The second is the Indiana North Youth Leaders league on Yahoo.  Or the third league is for all my old friends who used to play in the Cabbage Bowl on New Years Day forever ago, it is on Yahoo as well.  Let me know soon if you are interested.  Spots are filling up fast.

5.  I think my favorite TV show is Big Brother.  I love the dynamics of the game and watching the different people interact is incredible.  It makes me wonder a lot about how we take things and actions by others in real life.  To constantly know that you are being watched changes people in the house and they can't be who they are in real life.  Plus, I like to root for anything...I am just that competitive.  Any other Big Brother fans out there?

4.  I am curious today.  Who reads my updates?  However, I don't know who they are.  Would you do me a favor and comment me if you read this...just this one time...I am just curious who is reading my ramblings.  Thanks.

3.  Do you go through musical stages?  I find that throughout the years, my taste for types of music has changed.  Growing up, it was strictly Southern Gospel with a slim dose of country (thats why I can sing most every Garth Brooks song).  The first non country song I can remember liking was Bon Jovi's "I'll Be There For You" and Bryan Adams (thanks Kerry).  Then the 90's hit...from Boyz II Men, Mariah Carey (before she went all nasty), and others to the explosion of Christian Contempory...DC TALK (SPEDS 4 LIFE), Audio Adreniline and Third Day.  Then came my season of Frank Sinatra, Louis Armstrong and Josh Groban (thanks IWU and Jones).  Then during college John Mayer hit me hard, I liked a lot more diverse music than before.  Then after college ended and I started playing guitar, I tend to favor music that has a strong guitar influence to it.  NOW, being married to Sarah, and her taking control of the air waves, country music has started to fill my brain cavity.  Not the George Strait/Toby (Goatman) Keith/Kenny Chesney country.  The Sugarland, Taylor Swift and Darius "Hootie" Rucker type country.  The stories are where you are at and if you can get past one of the most annoying instruments in the world (the steel guitar) it is some good stuff.  Anyways, how about you...do you go through stages? Does it change monthly, yearly, seasonally?

2.  We feel very blessed to have so many family and friends support us with the 4 showers that we've had.  We know that you will all continue to pray for us and baby jelly in the coming days and months.  Pray that she says daddy before mommy for me will ya?  Just kidding...pray for health and wisdom...for happiness and safety...for wishes granted and dreams realized.  20 days to go...maybe less because:

1.  Sarah is about to POP!  She had three people tell her yesterday that she doesn't even really know, that she won't make it to the August 27th due date.  She is going to go sooner...she wants it, I want it and the Blueberry Festival Blueberry Donut makers want it!  Thats right, if she comes earlier, we can DEFINITELY make the Blueberry Festival over Labor Day weekend.  If you've never been, you are missing quite possibly Indiana's best fireworks display, wonderful food...crap booths (I mean craft booths) galore...and did I mention Blueberry donuts?!  Anyways, we have everything we need to get started with baby other than a years supply of diapers.  :)  We can't wait! 

Some pics from the summer