My Birthday

Another birthday.  Thank you to my wife and children who constantly shower me with love and affection and make it a special day for me.  My wife bought me the wonderful coat above so that we can match in our winter coats.  Aren't we cute?

Cast of Characters

Cast of Characters: Common People in the Hands of an Uncommon God by Max Lucado

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Man is flawed. God is not. God will use all of us flawed human beings if we choose to be obedient.

Max writes a series of chapters of various characters throughout the Bible, trying to help us see them in a different light...maybe more the way we would see these people today. It is extremely difficult to not use our hindsight and color the people of the Bible with the indicators of what we know they will accomplish. By retelling some of the stories, you can take that spin away slightly and recognize how far many people had fallen when God picks them up to use them in amazing ways.

It is with that knowledge, that hope, that all of us can take our next step each day.

I may not have loved the book, but I do love the message that is in it. For many people, this might be exactly what they need to read. They will connect to it in a way that many other books won't connect with them. After all,
"If God can find a place for them [the characters in the Bible]...He just might have a place for us too."

Boys began basketball

The boys began basketball yesterday, which will keep either or both Kristen and I pretty busy on Saturdays for the next several months.
Jacob is excited and they will mainly do drills and teach the boys the basic skills to build upon.  We will see how it goes.
For Jaden, I have to say that it seemed that things went well for week 1, but I am keeping things in context considering he told me that he had no interest in playing basketball.  You have to know that those words were like a sucker punch to the kidneys for dear old dad.  I mean, come on!  A Moffitt...One of my boys saying that they are not wanting to play basketball?!  I am not really sure how we will handle that.  Hopefully the game bug will bite him for my sake :)

Ultimately, whatever he wants to do will be fine of course, but please don't make me mourn the loss of my son following more in my footsteps this early.  I would like to wallow in fantasy land a little longer.

Euphoric

Per the dictionary...exhibiting or experiencing "a feeling of happiness, confidence, or well-being sometimes exaggerated in pathological states as mania."


A new favorite word for me.

Princess

Today as Jude watched his mom brush her hair he said, "Mom you look like a princess."

Guess we know that he is going to be a sweet talker as he grows up ;)

Obsessed

Obsessed by Ted Dekker

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


This seemed different to me than the other Dekker novels I have read. Interesting, a bit slower, but different. Maybe the topic of obsession just didn't connect with me or I just did not connect with characters as well as I have in the past but I had a hard time staying in sync with the choices made by almost all of the characters. It just didn't seem feasible.
That being said, this still ends up as an entertaining story...though you have to wait it out until the very end...and I do appreciate the point that he comes around to on how much God loves us. It doesn't take a long time to get through it, and if you like Dekker, then it is probably worth it. Otherwise, I might opt for something else.

Sick of sicknesses

The house has been ransacked over the last few weeks with coughing, sneezing, stuffiness and overall aching.  Nothing over the top, but nothing that is going away quickly either.  Jaden and Jacob had it, and seem to be better..so they are in school.  Kristen and I are struggling with it now and so is Grandma.  Jude seems good, but has been fussy, so we are watching him.
Unusual as it is...it is a huge struggle for the parents to be sick and the kids doing well...They have energy and we don't.  Bad combination :)

Thanksgiving is old news

Furniture is rearranged and the tree is
about to come out of the box.

The Christmas Village is ready
 to be set up!

Even though it was only a couple days ago, Thanksgiving is already distant in the rear view mirror.  Fall stuff is getting packed away, Christmas decorations and the tree are coming out and Kristen is excited.  One thing that is nice this year is that most of our shopping is already done!  Now if I could just figure out what I am going to "make" for Linda.  

Uncle Eddie

Posting a quick note and we are saying continued prayers for my Uncle Eddie.  He had a heart attack early this week and has been in the hospital since.  Surgery two days ago?  and as of today...off the additional blood pressure medications that they put him on coming out of the surgery.  Not sure at this point how much damage has been done over the last week, but we are praising God for the good news that we have heard over the last 48 hours.

Hott with 2 "t's"

So, the night before last, Kristen was singing what was a somewhat popular song from a little while back...the lyrics go something like this:
"It's getting hot in here, so take off all your clothes".  Of course, not something that would be on around the kids, or sung with them around...but there you go, culture finding its way in, right?
Well, Jaden walked in and I looked at him and in a typical parent fashion tried to make the best of the situation remarking to him..."You must be pretty hot considering that you are only wearing a tank top and shorts for bed...it is getting pretty close to winter, bud."
So, yes I was covering...not really wanting the nature of that particular song to become part of a conversation with Jaden...but without missing a beat, he said to me:
"Dad.  That is not the kind of hot mom was talking about.  She was talking about the "h-o-t-t" kind of hot."

When a Nation Forgets God

When a Nation Forgets God: 7 Lessons We Must Learn From Nazi Germany by Lutzer, Erwin W.

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


This was a very interesting wake up call. I have read other books (eg The Marketing of Evil) that help call how easily we are manipulated into accepting things that take us away from including God in our lives. This is the same. A great call to action for for Christians to recognize that we can not accept the way things are currently trending...there are ramifications to the decisions we make today and we have seen them in history over and over. Whether you go back to Israel's initial rejection of God in favor of Baal or use a contemporary example like Hitler, the significance of rejecting God is the same...God's favor can be taken away and the country/nation that you once knew...the one that is still in your memory and you harken back to all the time will be gone.

Jacob's letter to Santa - 2010

This is Jacob's letter to Santa this year...for those that can't read 5-6 year old writing....I will try to translate.  Also, I probably won't be able to translate it by next year...so, for my own sake moving forward :)

Dear Santa Claus! (boy he is excited, isn't he?)
I would like a DS! (Meaning Nintendo DS system)
and a PSP! (PlayStation Portable?/Personal?) (Seeing a theme?)
and an X-Box! (Still incredibly excited....!  I suppose I would be too if I was going to get all this stuff)
A Big Nerf Gun! (amazing how much this list is exactly what we have been hearing from Jaden for the last week+...he so much wants to be like his big brother)
And a Star Wars Lego set too!
A PillowPet. (this is the only thing that was Jacob's only...and it is the only one that didn't get the exclamation point?  How does that work?)
I tried to be my best this year. (Love how this skips a bit because he did not leave enough space to write his name.)
Love, Jacob (it wouldn't be Jacob's letter without something being backward!)

Blanket Drive - final tally

Awesome that the church was able to collect 5,143 blankets over the last 6 weeks.  That just boggles the mind a bit.  It was neat to see us blow away the goal of 3,500...and the crazy thing is, there are more blankets to come as many people didn't finish up their no-sew blankets.

I am going to follow up with the people in the neighborhood this week that dropped off blankets so that they know what they were part of.

Perspective....

So, I was thinking as I have been posting updates on my reading lately that over the last few years it has seemed I have been in the neighborhood of 20+ books per year that I have been reading (24 in '08, 20 in '09, 18 YTD '10).
It is not as many as I would like...but it is what I have been doing.  With that being the case, I looked at my shelves today...my to-read piles...I have 3+years of books sitting here!  All stuff that I want to read and wish I had finished yesterday.
Goodness.
And, of course, the biggest issue is that I will continue to see stuff I want to read at a faster rate than what I am actually reading and it is only going to go up from there.

This is basically me just whining...but, it also shows me that despite my best intentions at the beginning of each of the last few years....what I have actually done, reading wise, has not really changed too much.

Boys on a cold autumn day...

Just a quick picture of the boys from this weekend...just because.

It was cold outside, but we still got them to sit still for a minute to snap a couple of shots :)
This was the only one I got:

Blanket Drive

We have been working on a blanket drive for the winter with our church and a local charity.  Our church put a goal out there to collect 3,500 blankets in 5-6 weeks to support this charity.  That is a lot of blankets!
So, we spent some time going through our neighborhood and asking people to help and we have been buying some on our own.  (the charity requests new blankets only)
Well, we have been blessed to see several neighbors drop off blankets to help, which was awesome...
My mom has been taking some fleece blankets we bought and sewing them up...so she is did 4? of those great  fleece blankets and our church put together packets for a "No-sew" blanket...where you cut the fabric and then tie the fleece together to create a blanket.  We purchased a bunch of these kits and the kids helped put one together, and I have done one so far as well.  All in all, I am pretty sure that we gave more than 30 blankets to the church over the last 4 weeks.
The church with the help of the community has collected more than 4,000 before today!  WOW.
You can see our handiwork below:

At the church.....

The bags we had to take to church today

Grandma Cindy's handiwork...

One of my No-sew blankets....
see all the knots tied on the edges

Captured by Grace

Captured by Grace: No One Is Beyond the Reach of a Loving God by David Jeremiah




Not a short read....a pick it up and can't put it down, read it in a day read. This will take a bit of time.

That being said, it is not dense or difficult. It is just a book that seemed like it needed time to get through it. Going through the verses of the song, Amazing Grace, Dr. Jeremiah parallels the lives of Saul and John Newton...at least multiple times drawing comparisons. However, the real story to me was ultimately how, through God's grace, we can all be used in incredible ways in His kingdom.

The very person who sought out all the blossoming Christians of the first century becomes one of the strongest advocates, leading authorities and largest contributor of the Bible.

John Newton, a slave trader, becomes the person who befriends the man in political office that can ban slavery in Britain and pens the lyrics that form the basis of the book that is the rallying cry in America years later to start the civil war and end slavery in America as well.

God's grace is an amazing gift and Dr Jeremiah does an admirable job going through multiple facets of it as he discusses God's grace in the past, present and future and weaves these stories throughout.

"What must God do to captivate your attention and make you realize that He is alive, gloriously alive?"...a great quote as Dr. Jeremiah discusses the fact that being saved is not the end goal of God...
Feel like you have been in/are in crises? Well, there are good words for you as Dr. Jeremiah talks through how Paul viewed what John Newton later refers to in his lyrics as "dangers, toils and snares".

So, what can you say of your walk with God and His grace...? I will leave you with one other word from the book that tells you why you should also pick it up and read it:
"If you can place your trust totally in His love and His promise to work all things for your good, then you will have taken a step toward embracing the mysteries of His grace"

Have you taken that step?

Catching up on my reading....

Courageous Leadership by Bill Hybels


















I could spend quite some time if I wrote out all the things about this book that are worth reviewing. It really just needs to be read.

If you are a church elder, pastor, lay leader, etc - read it
If you are a leader in the business world - read it
If you are a leader of a family - read it.

While Bill is targeting church leaders and much of it focuses in that realm, so many of us that have leadership potential allow it to flounder...to dissipate because we don't recognize it, don't build it up and don't use it. The passion in this book and the useful points will be items that I will be working on and wrestling with for a very long time.

I imagine that anyone else in a position of leadership or wanting ultimately to be in a position of leadership would benefit from many of the chapters.

Get it. Read it. Work on it.

What a sunset

It was very cold today, so I hardly wanted to go outside to take the picture, but it turned out pretty good :)

Jacob has lost 2 teeth

All I want for Christmas is my 2 bottom teeth!

And he also left a really great note for the tooth fairy because he had lost the tooth...see if you can tell where Jaden decided to step in and help him :)

Happy Halloween!

Hope everyone enjoyed any trick-or-treating that they got to do.  For us, it was a relatively quick night because of the cold, but, our ninja, our samurai and our dragon had a great time anyway.

The dragon is going to get you!

Kristen looks way happier now
than she would be a little later as
we walked in the cold air

Gotta love the shoes

Quick catch up on Books...reading with Jaden

For one, I have been enjoying the fact that Jaden and I are spending evenings and quiet times together reading.  We do a couple chapters at a time and it is really good bonding time.  We have read a number of things, but of late, we have been reading this Deltora Quest series by Emily Rodda.  Here are the ones we have read over the last month or so...

The Shifting Sands



City of the Rats


The Lake of Tears

Jude's Halloween Party at School

We had a fun time getting to go with Jude this afternoon to his school.  It was just Jude, Kristen and I.  It was neat to be able to give him undivided attention.  While he has been very excited about being a dragon for Halloween, I think he enjoyed seeing Scooby-Doo, in person, right outside of his classroom.

Another book

The Ultimate Gift by Jim Stovall

My rating: 2 of 5 stars


Saw the movie, so I thought I would read the book...I liked the movie better...which is not the norm. It is a very quick read, which is great and I think there are great things in it, but the story is very simple and if you don't decide to read into it, it could have no impact at all and end up having an old-school, after school special type of feel.

If, however, you think about it with respect to your own legacy as well as how the choices you make impact lives around you...then it can be worthwhile and thought-provoking from that standpoint.

Steak Night Event

We had 118 men attend Steak Night at the church this year.  I acted as MC and did a reasonable job.  I will give myself a 6.  Lots to learn for me in terms of speaking slower, being more precise with instructions and being more planned in my deliver topics in general.  While I think the night was great, I felt like I had taken it down overall by a small amount by distracting things due to my errors.   Oh well...learn and move on.
One thing I will definitely keep in mind, and I have to figure this out with the other guys on the team...I didn't get to actually participate or really enjoy the event because of running it.  While I am OK with that, it makes me think I need to find something for the guys on the team that went through this with me to say thank you and, if possible, help them find a similar experience that they actually get to participate/enjoy so that they are not only serving.

Jaden and I are currently reading...

The Forests Of Silence by Emily Rodda

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


I enjoyed reading this with Jaden. He could easily read it by himself...but this seems to be a good kind of read to do during our together time.  There is something awesome about sharing a story together and having something to look forward to like this.  He is disappointed when we stop reading and is excited to sit down and go through more the next time we have time together.  A good use of our time for sure :)



View all my reviews

Recently read book

The New Breed: Understanding and Equipping the 21st Century Volunteer by Jonathan McKee

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Enjoyed reading this as it had some great practical ways that it is helping someone, such as myself, that has little or no experience in managing volunteers to think of things as I get started in my endeavor.

I think the way it was written was both good and bad. There were moments that the fact that you had multiple authors playing off each other helped things along and others that seemed forced and led to goofy exchanges.

Ultimately, the mark of a good book is are you keeping it for reference? Do you want to give this away to others to help them? Did you spend tons of time wanting to underline things?

I do have this as a reference...as it has some great material in the back with examples that I think are very useful.

I think I would pass this along to others, if they are newer to the game of managing volunteers.

I didn't spend a ton of time underlining...but, there were at least a couple of chapters that I wanted to go back to again.



View all my reviews

Authorized Fire - 1

Don't want to lose this as I really enjoyed giving this talk...
I was asked to give the talk to our Friday morning men's breakfast again, just a while back (8-27).  This particular passage of scripture had jumped out at me several months back and I decided to use it for my discussion.  The following constitutes the main points that I tried to get across...even if not done as well, concisely, or effectively as I would have liked.

To the left is the keepsake that I created.  It was the emphasis and main point of the discussion.  I didn't give it away until the very end...but, I think I will use it for each post for consistency and...I really like it and thought that I did a good job creating something that would help catch the essence of the discussion and people's attention.

So, where to start?  As per the image to the left, we are diving into Leviticus 10, BUT, we have to read the chapters leading up to it to really get the context for the event and the circumstances of Lev 10.

Back at the end of Exodus, the tabernacle was finally built.  This was an awesome and important achievement and was subsequently followed up by creating a group of people that would then be the "go-to" people for the tabernacle.  From the group of Levites, Aaron and his sons were set aside as a special group within a group to act as priests...to act as the intercessor between Israel and God.  What an awesome privilege!

We see that ordination and the "passing of the torch" from Moses to Aaron in the chapters of Leviticus leading up to 10.  It was both a time of celebration and of Atonement as the annual rites were being performed.
It was under that circumstance that Leviticus 10 takes place.  So, think of the following questions before moving on...
1.  How do you act when celebrating?
2.  How do you perform a job when you first receive it?
3.  Why did things happen the way they did in Lev 10?
I will follow up with my thoughts in the following posts....

Jacob is on 2 wheels!

So exciting!

Jacob's First Day of Kindergarten

It was a banner day for this young man as he strode into the world.  He had his bag, his ticket to ride the bus and a smile.  There was no stopping him!  All the family could do was try to grab a little of the sunshine as it headed out the door.




Mom grabbed the first picture...lucky for her.  Jacob was still in the mood and happy to mug for the camera with her.

Dad came next, and though Jacob was still a happy boy, the camera caught the waning interest in taking pictures as we waited for the bus to arrive.

Grandma, reluctant herself to pose for the camera, gets the final take with Jacob who is done with pictures and the bright sun that is causing no end of trouble for the photography team.  "All done!", he cries as his eyes began scanning for the bus' arrival.

The long awaited bus has arrived and away Jacob goes.  Yes, Mom is walking you to the bus today bud...but this is a momentous occasion, none the less.  A full day of school for the first time.  Will he actually be able to handle a day without a nap?

Jaden's First Day of 3rd Grade

No words...He is ready to go.  After all, this is 'old hat' at this point, right?

Strike a pose young man, strike a pose.

Everyone was excited for Jaden...mom was holding them back!

And the bus has arrived.  Time to go.  Another year has officially begun!

Big Deal

A new day dawns tomorrow on the Moffitt household for several reasons...
1.  Jaden starts his first day of 3rd grade tomorrow....obviously a big deal.  (we were also lucky enough to get the good news of some additional teachers being hired this week....improving class sizes and such)
2.  My mom moves in tomorrow.  This was a VERY quick thing that happened in the last two days...so, no time to blog or reflect.  It was a reflex, and a prayer and we are praying that it is the right thing for her and for us.

Tune in tomorrow to find out how this thing starts out :)

Annual Day Out with Thomas the Tank Engine

On Saturday, we had an awesome day out with some friends in Edaville for the Day out with Thomas event.  The obligatory ride on the train was coupled with other rides, a picnic, free ice cream, tag, and unfortunately at least a little bit of time stuck in lines.  BUT, it was a very fun day for all of us.  And more to follow on Kristen's fun day of spinning rides :)

Great Day Today

Spoke this morning to the men at our weekly Friday Morning Men's Breakfast. Will post some of that talk in later posts.

Went with Kristen and the kids in to Boston and had a picnic lunch, to the park and around Fanueil Hall area. I didn't need any more sun after getting burned yesterday...but it was a good day off with the family to enjoy our time before school kicks off for the fall.