monday

(a) mondays for me begin with staff prayer. i have enjoyed this time over the past 2 months. scott estep has placed a priority on prayer and it sits well with me. i was taught at James River by Scotty Gibbons that:
(1) prayer moves the hand of God
(2) the battle is won in prayer

(b) this particular monday was a catch up day for me. being out of state or country for 13 of the last 16 days will put you behind in several areas. however, i have amazing youth and young adult leadership teams. they didn't miss a beat while i was away.

(c) i was complimented multiple times today on the students of XLR8 youth ministry. in our sunday service, the students lined the altar during praise and worship and God used them to pray for many as the Spirit led. i was so proud to watch as they flowed with God, making themselves available to be used. i love mondays that make me proud!

(d) monday means it is only 2 days away from the XTreme Days Finale. this year includes the 1st Annual XLR8 XPress. modeled after Ohio Youth Camp's Pony Express, this event will conclude our Summer XTreme Days and reveal the Ultimate XLR8 XTreme Team for 2008. I can't wait!

(e) mondays are also slower for me in the evenings and allow me some time with the greatest kids in the world. we went to Pizza Hut and Wal Mart. Kaitie eats more than any of the kids, but is free at Pizza Hut. gotta love that! i didn't know they had a dinner buffet there. people keep thinking Nash is a girl because his hair is getting long. maybe it is time for a cut.

monday was pretty great (thanks, God) but looking forward to tuesday

PEACE

God is not an "add-on"

i spoke with a guy today at the altar following our church service. he was talking to me about his life and some frustrations he has had. i believe God laid it on my heart to tell him that he can't view God as an "add-on." God is not something we squeeze into our day. God needs to be intertwined into everything we do including:
(1) our work
(2) our relationships
(3) our hobbies
(4) our daily routines

while i was in Honduras last week, life seemed simple. so you like simple? i love it. my life often seems complicated and cluttered. i get frustrated because i have to fight so hard to make time to pull away from my schedule to get alone with God. is that because i am so busy? maybe. so what can i do? well, here is my plan:
(1) eliminate the noise if possible (all the stuff that blocks me from hearing God)
(2) live in every moment i am given and keep from looking ahead to the next task
(3) slow the pace (still working on this one and welcome your prayers

another thing God spoke to me about in Honduras was taking Amanda away for a vacation. she worked so hard while i was gone. she always works so hard and gives everything she has to support me and the ministry, to pour her life into the kids and to be so amazing. i am so proud of her and knew God wanted me to make her take a few days away to relax and get rest. not only did God put that on my heart, but He worked out all the details for us:
(1) He put it on several people's hearts in the church to help us with childcare
(2) He overstaffed camp with guy counselors so it was no big deal for me to back out
(3) He provided flights and lodging through my parents as a blessing
THANKS GOD!

I missed my kids and Amanda so much while I was away. it makes you appreciate what you have when you have to be separated from it for a period of time. i have the best family ever! i missed the smiles, the laughing and playing, the funny faces, the curious looks and most of all, the hugs and kisses.

great to be back in the USA! here is a short list of things i missed about our country:
(1) clean water (well, clean enough to drink)
(2) wireless internet
(3) being able to flush toilet paper
(4) ketchup and napkins being in abundance at fast food restaurants (you get one napkin in Honduras)
(5) water pressure!
(6) English
(7) safe drivers (yes, we actually have much safer roads)
(8) air conditioning


peace

Honduras

i will be leaving for Honduras tomorrow. i will not be blogging for several days due to lack of technology. please pray for:

(1) the safety of me and eight students from XLR8
(2) opportunities to share Christ everywhere we go
(3) amanda and my kids while i am away
(4) the leadership team at XLR8 who will be running things while i am away

i believe God has something for me, and i can't wait to see what it is. missions trips are great and very rewarding. talk to you when we return.

peace

the inevitable

i am leaving the country on Thursday . . . no two ways around it. it is gonna happen. am i ready? maybe. am i excited? definitely! do i want to leave my wife and kids for 9 days? no. sometimes life is a sacrifice.

(1) pray for my trip to Honduras (june 11-19). i believe God has something for me on this trip. i will be going with high expectations.

(2) tonight, our young adult committee met to pray for PULSE and to plan for the details. we are planning PULSE, a community outdoor worship gathering, for Sat., July 19th at 7pm. this is a worship experience open to all churches in NW Ohio. we are targeting the Christian community with the theme REMEDY. put this on your calendars and begin to pray for God's favor on this event.

(3) i got to play on of my favorite card games tonight . . . SCUM. i finished in 6th place out of . . . 6, which included my 6 yr old, Annie. o well, i may not be good at it, but it is fun.

(4) i made brownies today and i didn't burn them. (yes, that is a big accomplishment)

(5) God answered a prayer of mine today. our Honduras trip itinerary changed because the airport we were supposed to fly into was closed. it was possible that we wouldn't make it home until late on the 20th. annie's 7th b-day party is scheduled for 6pm on the 20th. i'm already missing her actual b-day, so a late party (on the 20th) was a good compromise. now i was afraid i would miss that. today though, we found out we'd be back in Columbus on the 19th, so i won't miss the party!

(6) thank you to all who helped with Amanda's special b-day gift! she loved it and i think i earned some major pts! anyway, the notes from everyone reminded me just how amazing my wife is. i am blessed and honored to be be married to such an amazing woman.

(7) tale of the weird: our nintendo wii stopped powering up this weekend. i supposed it was broke so i checked on how to get it fixed. turns out it is under warranty. great, i'll send it in and they will fix it. i found out tonight that 2 other people with wiis said they had problems with their wii after a storm this past Friday. weird! well, i decided to try and see if it would work today . . . and it did. very weird!

(8) we now have the wii fit game (thanks mom!). the game thinks i am 41! i guess i have a lot to do to get in shape!

peace

summer blues

(1) the valantine pool is open for business. annie and kaitie are loving it. nash is upset that the water that comes out of the hose is about 55 degrees. sorry, bud, it'll warm up!



(2) i love this pic. kaitie is preparing for the big leagues. she reminds me of me. make one trip if you can, don't split it up. i'm a one trip kind of guy.



(3) i think Nash was asking for one more piece of pizza at Paglias Pizza today. i accomplished a great feat tonight. i made a trip to Wal Mart and took the kids out to eat by myself! annie was a big help. as long as you keep her on track, she's good to have around.



(4) students have been teaching each other on sunday mornings in FUEL. for the past 3 weeks, our school of the bible class for high schoolers has been student taught. i love it. here is Emma Wilkerson in action!

Birthday Week

(1) Amanda turns 29 today. i don't know if she already is 29 or not until later today. she is off at the store preparing for Nash's #1 b-day. He turns 1 on Saturday, but his party is tonight. that means lots of friends and family over. i like a full house of people. of course, a full house means lots of cleaning. bathrooms, vacuuming, kitchen, trash, etc. it's all worth it!

(2) last night was our kick off for X-Treme Days in XLR8. i was very pleased. we had several first time guests, including all the new 6th graders. i love new faces. we also had 3 students respond to salvation and several more came to the altar to commit to going X-Treme for God. i think they would have stayed much longer, but we had something very important to celebrate last night . . . see #3.

(3) Jeremiah Hartman attended his final XLR8 youth service last night after 14 faithful years of Youth Leadership. He has taken the youth pastor position at Hope Church in Dayton OH with Pastor Darrell Bucher. Jeremiah has become a close friend, a trusted leader, and someone i have greatly enjoyed ministering with. i pray for God's best on he and his family. XLR8 will not be the same without him! you have left your mark and legacy in the lives of these students, my friend! for that, i am truly blessed!

(4) many of you know i was sick on monday with a stomach virus. i'm pretty sure that during a violent throw-up episode, i dislodged one of my ribs. it has been causing me pain for 3 days. i will find out tomorrow at the chiropractor. pretty intense, huh?

(5) i salute the Detroit Red Wings in honor of my departing friend, Jeremiah. i hate hockey. i will be rooting for the Boston Celtics in honor of my father who is from the New England area. Go Boston 3 Party! i am still pulling for my Blue Jays who can win a series against the Yankees tonight with a win.

peace

slowing down

yesterday, I was stopped dead in my tracks and told to slow down! no, i didn't get pulled over by the police. God slowed me down. I'm not saying God made me sick, but he may have allowed it.

i pretty much spent the entire day on my back in bed. thank you for your prayers! today i fell half way better, but my body is still telling me to slow down, so no softball for me tonight.

(1) i had the privilege of marrying Eric Radabaugh and Mindy Faykosh on Saturday. They are an amazing couple and have the right foundation for their marriage - God. The ceremony was beautiful even though the sound people started a song early which cut out what i planned to say about the unity candle, and i forgot to bring out the communion elements. this was only my second wedding. i guess you learn as you go.

(2) this wednesday is the kickoff for a 5 week event in XLR8 called X-Treme Days. if you've been to XLR8 before, don't miss week #1. the main goal is for students to bring new people to experience a strong team-focused atmosphere. we play high-energy games, focus on team building, worship like crazy, and encounter God in a real way. I am pumped for tomorrow!

(3) i am leaving for the country of honduras on June 11th. i get the opportunity to spend 9 days with 8 amazing students from XLR8 while serving God by sharing His love with people in Honduras. we have been working on some dramas, learning Spanish, and preparing our hearts for the trip. i am praying that God uses me in a unique way. i pray i can hear His voice so i can know His plan for my life while we are there.

(4) i finished reading the book, The Fred Factor. this is a quick read, and very insightful. if you work with people in any arena, then you need to read this book. we can make such a great difference in the lives around us if we take the time to go above and beyond normal expectations. remember the last time someone impressed you by serving you or doing something nice for you? you can be a Fred with just a small amount of effort.

(5) today, Kaitie was running around in her new bathing suit. she is so cute. i wish it were nice enough outside to get her into the pool. of course, a few minutes later, annie was in her matching suit ready for the slip n slide. have i mentioned how cute my kids are?

peace