Just What I Needed

We have different stages in life. Those stages vary in all sorts of ways with all sorts of people. During one of the stages, we begin to understand more the difference between what we want and what we need. As a kid, you think you need all sorts of things you don’t actually need. Whether it is a certain toy or candy you think you need, it is stuff you don’t actually need. As kids we don’t always have the ability to think rationally. Even as an adult, I catch myself thinking I need something that I actually just want and don’t need. In my current stage of life, the lesson of need versus want continues. The fact is I need Jesus. I need God’s power. I need his Holy Spirit. It is unfortunate, but for a while I was just relying on myself and not God. I was looking to myself for all the answers. I was looking to myself to do things. What I encountered is this: I can’t do it. I’m not good enough. I’m not skilled enough. I’m not strong enough. The most important thing I realized though is I can do it, I am strong enough, good enough and skilled enough with the help of my Savior. So, I have made a point in my life to need God and to seek him out for help and direction. I am asking him for help in so many areas of my life. I believe when we realize that we need God, we become who we are meant to be. We are meant to be followers of God. If you don’t agree with me, that’s cool. I’m not here to persuade you. I am here to share how my life is changed by my Savior. You and I both need God whether you have figured it out yet or not. I hope that you do. I hope you do because your life will change for the better.

Pigskin

            I am a football fan. I would like to say that I am more of a football fan. Football is kind of a part of me. That statement may sound weird and crazy but it is true. After my love for God, my wife, my family, and my job as a youth pastor, football is probably the thing I love the most. I love to play football, I love to watch football, I love to coach football, I love to play football video games, and I love to play fantasy football. I am really looking forward to this upcoming season of football. I am entering my second year as an assistant football coach. I have really enjoyed getting to be around the game more through coaching. I’m looking forward in being in 2 fantasy football leagues this year. Along with coaching and fantasy, I am excited for college football this year. I’m hoping Missouri fairs better this year than they did last year. But more than coaching, fantasy football, and college, I’m really excited for the NFL season. I am a St. Louis Rams fan, and they are looking to be a good team this year. They have a chance to make the playoffs for the first time in a while, and that excites me. I have NFL Sunday Ticket so I get to watch ever game, and I can’t wait. Football is great, but it is always so much more fun when your team is good. So I look forward to football season this year. I hope the Rams do great things and make the playoffs. I hope Mizzou can be a much better team than last year. I hope for a successful season for our high school team I coach, and I hope to defend my crown as fantasy football champion. I hope you have successful football season as well. If you don’t care about football, that is just too bad. Go Rams!

TV Families

There is a show I watch called “Parenthood”.  This show is easily one of the best shows on television. The show is about four adult siblings and their individual families. It goes through the ends and outs of the family along with some drama, laughs, and even some tears. It is a great show that you should watch.  What I enjoy most about this show is that it brings family into perspective for me. I am a really blessed individual when it comes to my amazing family.  The show makes me appreciate my family that much more. My family is simple.  I have one brother along with my mom and dad.  My family was not “Leave it to Beaver.” (If you don’t know that reference, that’s unfortunate.) We had our problems; we had our fights, but in the end I was always loved in my family. We still are there for each other and would do anything for each other.  Family is important, and it is an amazing gift to have. My family has grown in the last 7 years. My brother is married and now has 4 boys, and I have gotten married and have a whole extended family that is awesome as well. Family is great. I don’t know if I said that yet. What I want you to know is don’t take your family for granted. They are all we have at times. Cherish your family. If you haven’t talked to a family member in a long time, quit being prideful, stubborn, or a flat out big baby and settle the disagreement. They are your family and that is a special bond that you just can’t find around the corner. Make family a priority. I love my family, and they are special to me.  I love little reminders like the TV show “Parenthood” that helps me remember how special mine is. Seriously, watch “Parenthood”.

Just Write It

I have terrible handwriting. It is pretty bad. I haven’t advanced on my handwriting skills since the 2^nd grade. The good thing is my handwriting is still somewhat readable.  You can make a major impact with your handwriting whether it is super sloppy or the best handwriting the world has ever seen.

A couple of years ago my father-in-law, Rusty, sent me a handwritten letter. In the note, he encouraged me and just said things that made me feel good. Even though he said all these wonderful things, the best part wasn't what he said; it was the fact that he wrote it himself- pen and paper style. He didn't type it. Rusty’s handwriting isn't much better than mine, but, you know what, it didn't bother me. The words that he wrote meant so much to me.

Being a youth minister, I try to express to my students that I care for them and love them. I do that in a number of ways. One way I have attempted to care for my students recently is by writing students handwritten letters. A handwritten letter can truly show someone that you care about them. If you are a youth minister reading this, I encourage you to do this for your students. If you aren't in ministry, I encourage you to write a letter to your kids, friends, spouses, or whoever you are close to. A handwritten letter can go a long way to show you care. If your handwriting is sloppy, no one cares. Just write the letter. Your letter will make more of an impact than you will ever know.

P.S. Go Cardinals! 

Cash

I like stuff. I like to have stuff. I like buying stuff. Stuff, stuff, and more stuff. Can you have too much stuff? Well, of course, you can. How do we get stuff? I bet you know. MONEY! Money is a great thing. You can buy food, cars, houses, bikes, movies, games, educations, books, wood, trips, and even gas. We can even give it away. Crazy! I am currently working on a message for the weekly Wednesday night youth service (a.k.a. Encounter) that will be about giving and money. What I am learning through the process is that when we give, it all starts with our hearts. I can give all the money I want and give as much as I want, but my heart needs to be in the right place. If my heart is in the wrong place, if I’m giving for the wrong reasons, I’m not really honoring God. I’m just trying to please myself, and that is a bad thing my friends. Don’t give out of a have to or to make yourself feel better. Give because you want to spread the gospel through the resources God has blessed you with. I believe that when we give, we can help some amazing things happen in the kingdom of God. So, when you give, make sure you are thinking it through. Don’t do it out of compulsion or a feel of have to, but seek out God’s guidance on how you should give. God has blessed us all in sorts of ways; use those blessing to bless others and to spread the gospel, because that is what it is all about.

The Dinner Table

I have been married to my wife for almost two years. I like to think I'm always learning and growing in our marriage. I really enjoy being a married guy. It is good stuff. If your not married go find a wife or a husband. Being married I obviously like spending quality time with my wife Cara. A lot of the time we just hang out at home. Well being a young married couple one thing we really didn't do is eat around the dinner table. In the first year of our marriage I'm pretty sure we ate around the dinner table once while being home and it just being the two of us. Well we recently moved to a new duplex and I ask Cara if she would be up to the idea to make a point to eat dinner around the dinner table at least once a week, and she was down with the idea. For us our dinner table became a catch all. We would put all sorts of things on it and it would get cluttered and there would be no room for us to sit and eat at it. Well now we have tried to keep things off the table and actually use the table for its attended purpose. We have eaten at the table multiple times since moving and I have personally really enjoyed it. I remember growing up sitting around the dinner table with my parents and brother and talking about our days. It was awesome. Now I'm experiencing that with my own family. I enjoy getting to sit and eat and talk to my wife about our days and anything else that we want to talk about. It really helps our relationship. It brings community to our lives.
If you are a young married couple, old, or somewhere in the middle you should make a point to sit at the dinner table with your spouse and talk and spend quality time together. It is way better than sitting in front of the TV and eating. Crazy enough my kitchen stays cleaner when we eat around the dinner table too. Its awesome. Dishwashers are awesome too. O if you don't have a dinner table eat on the floor and turn off the TV, or go get a table your choice. I won't judge.