Book Review: The Three Big Questions for a Frantic Family

Patrick Lencioni has written an incredibly interesting and practical guide for every family. This is my top read so far. It's a quick, fascinating story about a woman on the search for some sanity in her family's busy lifestyle. If you're going to buy a book this year, wether you're single, have kids, or retired, buy this book!

Surprise!

We went out on our first date without our baby on Monday night to celebrate our anniversary (10 years!). Ever since I've known Sarah, she has said she would like to see River Dance Live. The next best thing would be Lord of the Dance - and on my first morning at the gym, I saw an advertisement for Lord of the Dance. So, I asked my mom to watch the kids and at supper Monday evening, I shocked Sarah with tickets to Lord of the Dance. What an amazing show! 40+ young men and women from around the world put on the performance of a lifetime. We loved it! They're performing in Eugene in November - it would be worth your time and money to see it.

Lord of the Dance

Maple Leaf Parade

Carthage is the Maple Leaf City. We made it here just in time for their annual parade and festivities AND to see the full trasition from green to vibrant shades of orange, red, and yellow (then eventually brown and bare). It has been raining since we got to Missouri (only 2 days when it didn't rain) but it has stayed in the upper 60's the whole time too. Warm rain, what a novel idea. There were some great horses, school bands, and CHURCHES in the parade.

Meetings in October

Here is a quick review of the meetings with other ministry leaders that I have had so far and the highlight of that meeting.

JEFF TACKEBERRY - Jeff is the pastor of a newstart church in North Liberty (just north of Iowa City). He pastors Heartland Church and they are currently in a series called "Soul Revolution." Jeff is a man with a vision. He loves the Big 10 college towns and has had a heart to reach the campuses of the Big 10 conference for Christ. As the church he pastors continues to grow spiritually, numerically, and now into its first building project, he has a vision for expanding that influence and leadership. Inovation and creativity are commonplace at Heartland, not to mention a warm and welcoming community.

DUSTIN LEDFORD - When I was a senior in High School, Dustin was my youth pastor. Now he is the lead pastor of Carthage First Nazarene and is leading the church to grow and to health. Dusting reminded me not to whine or complain, but to be Christ to others and meet their needs. He encouraged me not to forget the current members of the church and take special time for the people who weren't my age. He gave me some good methods and reminders for pastoral ministry. We also had a chance to discuss the Master's Plan (a discipleship method common in Nazarene churches in South America) and how to work with strong leaders in volunteer organizaitons.

JIM DILLOW - Dr. Dillow is the DS for Joplin District and has been a model pastor to me since Jr. High. I wanted to find out what God is doing on this district and hear who and how people are involved. As he shared about the health and disease of different churches, I was reminded of several truths: We are Christ centered, Spirit lead, and positive that God is for us so we can be for others. Dr. Dillow's sabbatical was last summer and we compared notes about how ours is going and he said he hoped we would learn just one good thing from the Lord while we're taking this time.

GABE LETT - Most of my spiritual adventures in Jr. High and High School include this man. We were best friends in Jr. High and started a Bible Study together. Now, Gabe is a Christian Counselor, Life Coach, Author, and HR person at a local business. My family worshipped with the Letts at Christ's Church in Joplin (where our friends Amanda and Dennis Reed worshipped while living here). We experienced an authentic and fresh Spirit lead worship and the most Biblical expression of the charasmatic church I've ever witnessed. Praise the Lord! After the service, the Gabe, Jamie, and their three girls came over for lunch and stayed till after 5:00. We caught up on people, professions, and the processes of life.

Rudolph's Coming!

We woke up this morning to the boys screaming, "It's snowing, it's snowing!" Isaac wanted to know if Christmas had come early. Silas was convinced that Rudolph was on his way. We went outside and had snow ball fights and play in the very wet fluffy stuff until it had all melted away. Snow this early in Iowa is uncommon (the 10th of October) but it was a great gift from God for my boys who were very grateful!

White Tails

Sarah grew up on a quaint farm in the hills of Iowa. We went there yesterday and walked around looking for any kind of wild animals. On the north side of the farm, her brother, Troy, and the boys and I found a small scrape and couple rubs. Then we took the boys in (because walking through tall wet grass in the woods is tough) and searched in the pines on the south side of the farm. We scared up a beautiful big buck. As it was running off, we think it's a 4 point (8 point according to Iowans) and a big one at that. We immediately set to work putting a stand in an elm right at the crossroads of three trails and several rubs at the edge of the pines. I'm very excited to learn how to bow hunt. My shot's not bad, I have a great place to hunt, and I have the time to do it. I'm hoping for some venison and mount in my office!

Madeline

God has blessed us with our third baby, my beautiful princess. She's not a princess like Ariel from Little Mermaid, but like Cinderella. She's six weeks old now and becoming more beautiful every day. Her beauty increases as her mother nourishes her, her father protects and provides for her, and her brothers snuggle her with loves. Her beauty increases not because of what we do though, it is because of the Father's love flowing through us. Our goal is that the Father's love would become more and more evident in her life as we refine the gifts and beauty that God has already put there.

Madeline's name sake (Mary Magdalen from the Gospels) was a business woman whose life was made beautiful when Jesus refined the demons from her. Our baby is a reminder that God has created beautiful gifts in each person, we get to articulate and watch them blossom. Another Madeline who experienced "blossoming" is a baby that was Rich Mullin's pastor's daughter. She wasn't suppose to be born because of congenital birth defects-she was. And the doctors said she wouldn't live a day, she lived a week. She wasn't suppose to live a month and she lived a year and half. Then she went to be with the Father. Rich said she was his prayer partner and wrote a song about the beauty of the Father in a baby who couldn't hear, couldn't make a noise, but could pray with the angels. The only complete public recording of the song is on Rich Mullins: Live from Lufkin, TX. It was taken off youtube so you'll have to buy the DVD or come over to my house to see it.