Jason Moffitt - Life and Faith

Holding Pattern

2012-01-30T18:00:00.000-05:00

image from : http://safeintheshadow.blogspot.com/2011/08/holding-pattern.html

holding pattern - a state of inaction with no progress and no change;

I was talking with my sister last night and I referenced the fact that life felt like it had been in a bit of a holding pattern because two years ago we had decided that Kristen's school was an important thing we really did want to do and that our other life choices, (behind God and family) was going to be subjugated to that priority. I explained that I felt that we were coming out of that time because now we were asking ourselves..."What is next?". Up to this semester, we had not needed to ask that question. But now, we are 14 weeks away from Kristen's graduation and that question is actually looming very large for us.

As I spent a little time thinking about holding patterns though, I think it was only partially accurate. Based on the definition that I pulled from a website up above, we definitely were not in a place in our life with no change or inactivity. We were even making progress, however, it was really only visible in the kids ages and in Kristen's class number. It could appear we had been in a holding pattern because we have been doing essentially the same thing for the last 2 years: Kristen and the kids are in school, I am working and doing ministry and everything else is as we can fit it in.

So, now with a mere 14 weeks left, things have an opportunity to change. That is both scary and exciting.

What is our bigger life goals and how does the next step fit into those plans?

Has God been using this time to prepare us for something particular?

How do we line up personal, professional, familial, financial and all other goals together?

And so on...

When we had made the decision to do school, that set us on a direction and we really became very reactive in life to everything else. Now, we have to become proactive, because reactive will no longer help us towards any goals...it will simply keep us in a true holding pattern. So, to continue the analogy...we need to figure out which runway we are landing on, or if we are re-fueling in mid-air and which way we are going, quickly. We have 14 weeks of "fuel" left and the pilot and co-pilot better figure this out real quick.

Answered Prayers

2012-01-21T18:44:00.001-05:00

Kristen saw this number posted to her grade for last semester at about 3:30pm on Friday. After anxiously awaiting the results since she took her final on Wednesday, the answer was finally here. She had passed. And again, it was by the smallest margin imaginable. Just like in May, Kristen got exactly what she needed on the final to continue to the next section. One could think that she just has a knack for it, but we know of the innumerable people that had been praying for Kristen specifically for this test over the course of the last 4 weeks and we attribute her success as being the combination of Kristen doing her part with the immense amount of prep work that she did, all the prayers of us, friends and family specific do this test and to God hearing those prayers and answering them.

We have to mark this down now, much as what happened in May so that we can trace this journey back later. The improbability of how these last two semesters have played out have left us not only worn out physically, mentally and emotionally, but I think that both Kristen and I have had the opportunity to reflect on how we have felt God's presence and hand in these circumstances.

Isaiah 55:8-9(NIV)

⁸ “For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
   neither are your ways my ways,”
            declares the LORD.
⁹ “As the heavens are higher than the earth,
   so are my ways higher than your ways
   and my thoughts than your thoughts.

Ultimately, I know that this can be misused, and misapplied....but it does at least speak to the fact that God is ultimately in control and that we get to partner in things when we do our part. Kristen did and now she is one semester from graduating. We both are looking forward to seeing where God is wanting her to be once she is graduated...you have to think that there is a special place that God has in mind for her and is making sure she gets to where he is going to be able to best use her for the glory of His kingdom.

Riddle me this, Batman?

2012-01-19T20:24:00.000-05:00

Jude, Jaden and Jacob sporting their Brasil shirts - January 2012

How is it that I never played soccer...don't watch soccer...in all reality, have no affinity for soccer whatsoever....live in America, and have only let each of my boys play one season of organized soccer each (I think...though Jaden may be at two)...and somehow, all three of my boys LOVE the BRAZIL soccer team and want to wear these shirts as often as possible? I am at a loss. (BTW, I am not at a complete loss...since I know Jaden's friend Alex loves soccer and that has influenced jaden...and of courese, Jaden influences his brothers...but, COME ON!!!!!) :)

Tin Tin

2012-01-17T18:00:00.000-05:00

image from: http://www.letintinmovie.com/

Took the boys to see this movie yesterday. And a couple of things jumped out at me:

$50 to get me and 3 boys to a movie is ridiculous. The boys are always going to be months behind the times if this is the case. Ouch.

For a movie that is obviously directed towards families...especially kids, some of the content was rather adult oriented:

The secondary character spends a large majority of the movie drunk. WOW. Couldn't they come up with some other reason for his memory loss? I have never read any of the Tin Tin books...so I assume they are trying to stay true to the story. Bu since when does that EVER really happen in movies? I really wish that they had Not made him drink and drink throughout the movie the way that they did. Pretty soon you have kids stumbling around pretending they are drunk and thinking they are a jovial and lovable character too.
A surprising amount of death. From battle scenes, to drowning and so on...there were a ton of deaths on screen. While I can not say I remember seeing something particularly gory...though one scene I would say was a little too violent...there were still a large number of deaths that made everything seem casual about it...just retelling a story...

I suppose I am becoming an old curmudgeon...but even Jaden commented on how many deaths there were on screen...and it is one of those things that you have no way to know how it is impacting their little minds.

Jesus said, "The eye is the light of the body; so then if your eye is clear, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. . . ." (Matt. 6:22-23)

See at last (LASIK!)

2012-01-16T17:00:00.000-05:00

Don't let this picture spook you....but yes, I am looking right at you :)

See at last, see at last, Thank God almighty, I can see at last!

As I am posting this on MLK day, I figured a quick shout out reference would be appropriate :)

I am a full two weeks distant from my previous world of wearing contact everyday to see. That world was left behind, at least for the foreseeable future in light of a world of 20/20 vision simply by opening my eyes. On December 29th for my right eye, and on January 2nd for my left eye, I underwent the LASIK procedure to correct my nearsightedness and the slight astigmatism that plagued me since I was young.

I know that I couldn't really say this was a wise financial move because of the cost, there is definitely no ROI in it. It is a nice life improvement which I am enjoying though. If it had not been for the money we had set aside for Kristen's shoulder that was in a use it or lose it Flexible Spending Account for 2011, I would not have done it. Now that it is done, there is no looking back (pun intended).

Thanks to my family who had to deal with some painful logistics issues over those few days.

A week of frustration

2012-01-14T22:10:00.000-05:00

To say that this week was frustrating would be putting it mildly. I am running the line of complaining / documenting for posterity, but, to put it frankly, it sucked. If it was an isolated occurrence, it would be one thing...but this seems to be a pattern. And, as much as my frustration is with work itself, it is with me also, because I have let it get here. I have not called out the excessive nature of the hours I am working....assuming that people will recognize and correct it. I have assumed that it would be appreciated more so than the simple "atta boy" and heightening of the bar for the future. And to be perfectly honest, it is a complete lack of recognition on my part that I have been going this way for YEARS.

Well, while the fear in me cries out and the hackles raise because I am raising the issue rather than just knuckling under and persevering...I have brought it up with people and it will be interesting to see how that shakes things up at work over the next few weeks. I hope that it is only positive...but, not sure that it will be. I am praying that God will guide my words, actions and decisions over the next several months as this comes to a head.

Failblog worthy from our hike?

2012-01-11T22:14:00.000-05:00

Just a fun memento from our hike last Saturday.

Jaden's Room

2012-01-09T08:00:00.000-05:00

We spent a bunch of time re-doing Jaden's room last week. We got a whole bunch of stuff out of the closet that had been leftover from it being my office and made it organized so that he could use it effectively. I think it really looks great now. The real question is will it stay like this for very long ;) ?

Saturday hike

2012-01-08T16:25:00.000-05:00

January 7th is not a date you would be expecting it to be 50+ degrees outside and to see people walking through Upton State Forest in t-shirts...but that was what we had.

So, we were invited by the Crosby family on a hike and I took the boys and gave mom some peace and quite and we went on a 2 hour hike.

The boys loved running around, climbing on the rocks and generally being outside. Jacob, as usual tended towards the fearless and Jaden was slightly more cautious but also more aware of what other's exoected of him too.

Trying to keep track of all the little ones definitely kept Bruce and I on our toes the whole way around the loop. Here, he got to hang on to Jude while I was down in a ravine area helping the others do some climbing.

It was an interesting juxtaposition in some areas with the temperatures being what they were to see the pond frozen over and to see ice in many of the little rivulets. It was hard keeping them from getting on the ice, knowing it would not support them....so instead they spent inordinate amounts of time trying to break it.

When they succeeded, they were giving each other large blocks that they then carried around and essentially sucked on as "river ice popsicles" for a good portion of our walk back.

Jude really loved having some amount of freedom. He made it most of the way around, though he did spend a good amount of time on Dad's shoulders too.

Chronicling the boys growth...

2012-01-05T17:30:00.000-05:00

Kristen got the boys' school pictures right before break. It is amazing to look at them and see how much they have grown up. Both of the boys look so much older. So, I wanted to share the pics so everyone else can be amazed as well.

Jacob wit a cute grin

Jaden looking very GQ

Jude, our toothless wonder!

New Year, New Start...again

2012-01-03T13:32:00.000-05:00

http://www.psdmate.com/2011/12/30/happy-new-year-2012/

Blog posting has gone down considerably over the last two years, and I am not happy about it. It made it difficult to do my Christmas letter (which this year is about to go out as a new year's letter :) ), and with my memory what it is, I know I am forgetting things that I would be happy to look back on in the future. I am going to work on this again and try to make a minimum of 1 or two entries per week so that I can chronicle our year. So, Happy New Year to everyone who would read this and I will be catching up with you more as we go.

My birthday

2011-12-10T20:20:00.000-05:00

I am so blessed!
Thank you to everyone. I had a wonderful day, gifts, calls and experiences this year.
My children made me cards, which I will try to post.
My mom made me a neat bookmark that will help always keep me humble (it shows me as a portly little child)...that is assuming the picture of me goofing off above doesn't do it.
My wife was wonderful and bought me a new winter coat and took me to dinner with her. (see picture above)
I also received calls from family and many posts and messages from friends.
It was a great day and a good way to start a new year.

A recent fictional read...

2011-12-06T17:47:00.000-05:00

The Most Important Little Boy In The World - A Novel - by Dean Briggs
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

First time I have read Dean Briggs and I thoroughly enjoyed the tale. Certainly the metaphor of Jesus sacrifice was explicit throughout (from his name to the blood metaphor at the end), not a bad thing...but I thought the story that supported this metaphor was fascinating. So from the beginning with the computer virus to the end, I was engaged in the story.
From a emotional perspective, I really appreciated the dynamics of the family as well as the father and son portion at the end of the book. Rarely do you truly think of God, the Father, regarding the story, but I liked the take that Briggs had on it with the father and uncle taking up the two sides of the argument. Anytime an author can get you to stop and think about things in a new way like that, they have done a good job.

Overall, I would certainly recommend the book as an enjoyable read, though it certainly could be emotional for some readers, and I am sure that I will pick up other Dean Briggs books based on the quality of this one.

View all my reviews

He Chose the Nails by Max Lucado

2011-10-24T22:47:00.001-04:00

He Chose the Nails by Max Lucado
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Max Lucado writes, "Much has been said about the gift of the cross itself, but what of the other gifts? What of the nails, the crown of thorns? What about the garment taken? What about the garment given?" and it continues. With that as an introduction, I will say that despite reading many books on Christianity, faith, Christ and so on, I had never looked quite at all of the things surrounding the cross, Jesus' crucifixion, and resurrection in the way that Lucado looks at them in this book.

With the simple analogy of his father writing some final words to him and his wife, a picture is painted around each one of the things that we read about in the Bible that speaks to much greater meaning and significance than we tend to give them as we read through the passages. But the premise made sense to me..."Knowing that his last deeds would be forever pondered, don't you think he chose them carefully? Deliberately?" I do. And I think that any of us can relate to that. Would you do any less for something that you knew would far surpass your life?

So, trace the path of these meaningful symbols in which Lucado writes, "God was never more sovereign than in the details of the death of his Son." It may change the way you look at those things every time you read those passages from here on out and help you marvel that much more at what transpired when Christ went to the cross.

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I did magic!

2011-09-12T20:08:00.002-04:00

So, just a little story for memory's sake...

Jude picked up a small wood chip that for some reason or another interested him and, to him, looked like a key. He calls it his key and uses it to start his car, or open doors and so forth. We have simply tried to keep him from ruining anything while using the key.

Well, he was at the counter and dropped it on the floor and did not get down to pick it up as he was too preoccupied by his other activity and so I picked it up and put it on the counter. Once Jude was done with what he was focused on, his mind did go right back to his key and he got down to look for it. He was not happy as he couldn't find it and was practically in tears. Now of course, I didn't want to see him sad, so I got ready to give it back to him...but I also thought this could be an instructive moment....so, I said, "Jude, you know what we should do? We should pray that you find it. It is always good to pray and maybe it will help you calm your nerves and help you find it."

Now before you go too far with it, I know...I know. I was manipulating the situation...but I was hoping to help reinforce a good behavior. Not trying to force things, but simply help him in a small way realize that we can and should take all things to God. If he happened to have a positive experience, I hoped it would simply help promote things in the future.

So, we prayed, and then went about the search again. Of course, we "found" it mere moments later and he was overjoyed. Being the Dad who wanted to bring home the point, I said..."Well Jude, what do you think you should say or do right now?" A simple connection point back to gratitude and God was what I was going for here....but Jude's response?

With a voice that rose in wonder as he expressed himself he shouted, "I...did...magic!"

I guess you just can not force some lessons :)

What's So Amazing About Grace?

2011-09-08T14:46:00.002-04:00

by Philip Yancey
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

So, this took me a LONG TIME to read. Part of it is Yancey's writing. I can't quite place my finger on it...but it is just difficult to get through at times. I enjoyed the stories that he used throughout the book as illustrations of the various aspects of grace that he wanted to explore, but once those were through and he dove into the subject, it just seemed to stall a little for me.

As to the topic of grace. I thought it was a great exploration and discussion. I reminder of how easily we all fall into "ungrace". How often we as Christians exhibit the exact opposite of what we are supposed to and how that is perceived. I wondered how Yancey would spend so much time on it, but by the end, I felt like it could keep going....grace really does abound.

However, for a younger generation than those who are contemporaries of Yancey, maybe they will feel what I felt. I couldn't always connect with him because of what he has lived through. His examples pointed to times that I didn't live in. Issues that were addressed largely before my time. Not that they don't still exist today, or even transcend eras, but are just not as poignant for me. And I think that it showed as he tried to move into more current day issues as he spoke on homosexuality.

I know this isn't much of a summary this time as I am caught between what I liked and what I didn't with the book. Do I think it is worth reading...YES. And based on innumerable positive/glowing reviews from so many others, I think it is that much more so...because it may just be me that struggled in some areas of this book.

So, read it for yourself and see what you think. It will certainly challenge you in at least a few areas and open your eyes to God's grace in more than one way.

View all my reviews

Taking Your Church to the Next Level: What Got You Here Won't Get You There

2011-08-02T14:57:00.000-04:00

Taking Your Church to the Next Level: What Got You Here Won't Get You There by Gary L. McIntosh
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Our church leadership team read this book during the summer to help us think about where we are and where we are going. The book suggests that if you are not growing, you are dying and that you need to assess not only where you are in that cycle, but how the size of the church congregation, structure and other factors play into the ability to reignite the church.

To start, I will say that unless you are a consultant, subscribe to Barna or have other ways to get the information that is in this book, you very well might not know some of the things brought up in this book. How group dynamics work inside the church structure...how church management and leadership function and that there is reasonable consistency across organizations that we can learn from. That, by itself, can make this book worthwhile. However, if you take it a step further and dive in with respect to where you are as a church and think about how you need to challenge things to ensure that they don't stall or decay....if this book can help promote that engagement at the leadership level, then it is worth much more.

For me, I really appreciated the conversations that this drove and hopefully it will bless other churches in the same way.

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12,000 Pounds of Sand

2011-07-19T00:58:00.003-04:00

How do you move it?

One shovel full at a time.

Of course....my back will probably not be happy with me tomorrow.

Found Ring!

2011-07-16T12:44:00.003-04:00

My honey found the ring as we dug in the dirt this morning looking for it! So happy to have it back and to NOT be in more trouble right before our anniversary.

Lost ring?!?!!!

2011-07-15T21:12:00.000-04:00

I went outside this evening to do a little more work on my project as I am hoping to have the sand delivered early next week. But, in the process of working I am pretty sure I lost my wedding ring in the dirt. I am not a happy camper. Kristen is not happy. And I may have to see if I can rent or borrow a metal detector this weekend and find it!

Friday, Saturday, Sunday

2011-07-11T12:47:00.000-04:00

Catching up on the rest of the week....

Friday
While it was gloomy and rainy outside, it was a very good thing as it gave us a down day...a day of rest, as it was leading to....

A Very Full Weekend!

Saturday
OK, my day started back in our backyard trying to complete the work I had started on Thursday. Another several hours of work and I had the edging done.

Doesn't really look like that many hours of work, does it?

Now, I just need to reinforce the low sides and order the filler material.

For the afternoon, Kristen put together a bowling trip for the family with another family, the Conroy's. It was the first time for Kevin and Ben, the Conroy's two boys, got to go bowling that wasn't candle pin variety. We had a great time at PINZ, though I was so busy that I didn't even take one picture! We then made it home for a late dinner and a little relaxation before bedtime.

Sunday
We started the day at church, of course. Then, home to get ready for another get together at the house. Kristen invited a number of friends and their kids to come hang out for the afternoon starting at 4:00. So, we had lunch and let the kids have some down time, while Kristen put her ribs in the oven. Then friends arrived and we had the whole front and side yard full of games, people and excitement.

We were exhausted by the end of the night and had enough energy to simply get the kids inside, wash their feet and get them and ourselves to bed. A fun weekend, but tiring. Hopefully a few good memories and time well spent for everyone.

Vacation, day 4

2011-07-08T18:44:00.000-04:00

So, you saw the pool in the previous posts...you also could see that it didn't seem to be too full. Well, it is supposed to be able to fill up to around 30" of water. Of course, that is contingent on a person setting it up in a flat space. It wasn't set up in a flat space.

So, I have been tasked with creating said flat space. And I started that work yesterday. I can't say I made a lot of progress. I certainly did a lot of surveying and planning and such...but only got so far in digging the areas for the 2x4's and driving in the stakes. Hopefully, I can get it dug out and set up by the end of the weekend and figure out how much pea gravel or sand or whatever we need to put in it to level the area out.

After all that hard work, we did have some friends come over for dinner. The kids had a blast, we had awesome ribs that Kristen made and she go to enjoy her second fire in our fire pit.

The weather was perfect for it and the kids got to play out side till 10:30, which they thought was an awesome treat. They even learned a new game called "Man Hunt" from the other kids.

July vacation day 3

2011-07-07T11:10:00.001-04:00

So, yesterday was a toss up day...we were not exactly sure how it was going to turn out because of the work calls I had to be on to start the day and the fact that I had a ministry meeting scheduled in the evening. I was up until about 2am finishing the work stuff...so I wasn't really sure if I would have the energy to do anything either....

Me the night before..... :)

Luckily, I got through the calls, (the boys and mom were also busy during this time washing the cars!...Thanks boys for my shiny, clean car!) still had energy and we decided to go back to the YMCA for family swim time. We had a good time, even though the water was cold and the pool was packed. Kristen even got in the water for awhile so that I could work with both boys on their swimming. She ditched us a short time later for the hot-tub that resides right next to the pool....but at least she came in for awhile.

Post swimming, we went home and had dinner but then decided to head out to the local beach for some more time in the water. The weather was too perfect not to be out and we figured it would be a fun memory for the week.

Well, the memory for the day may end up being me having to splash into the water to grab Jude who was trying to drown himself...so not exactly the memory we were expecting....but everyone was safe at the end of the day, tired and had enjoyed themselves...so a good vacation day nonetheless.

Vacation...continued

2011-07-06T20:09:00.001-04:00

Yesterday was highlighted with me getting to watch the boys at their swim lessons. I love seeing their individual character traits play out so distinctly. Jaden still wanting to achieve, frustrated for not being able to do what he wants...cautious in how he moves forward. He loved today though as he got extra coaching from the instructor and was able to move at a pace he felt more comfortable with. It was "sick", as he explained.

Jacob, on the other hand basically ran to his class and dove in. Kristen said in the previous class she was beginning to wonder if he was going to come back up to the surface! He is NOT a strong swimmer...he just has no fear. His smile was on the whole time and he craved the attention of anyone and everyone....watch me! I certainly did and it was a wonderful joy.

Busy Spring...

2011-07-05T12:18:00.001-04:00

Maybe I will take a couple of posts and try to recap the last couple months since I have not been blogging. However, today, I am simply going to post that it is my "vacation" week. I say "vacation", because I still have to do some work today and tomorrow and I still have to do some ministry stuff....BUT, it is a week I hope to spend a good bit more time than I usually get to with the family (so long as we don't kill each other in the process).

So, yesterday we celebrated the 4th with Kristen's family here at the house with a barbecue and time in the above ground pool that Kristen bought. It may have only held about a foot of water for the day because of the slant it was on, but the kids still had a blast. They hung out till around 4pm and then went home for Todd to have a baseball practice.

For us, we relaxed until the evening and then went to a fantastic fireworks show in Bellingham. We got to play football with the boys (can't forget to mention what an amazing arm Kristen has...she should be playing quarterback somewhere ;) ) and have a picnic dinner while listening to some music coming from a band playing at the event. The fireworks show was so long that both Kristen and I actually kept wondering when it would end...yep, that's the finale...oh, just kidding! Can't imagine how much it cost! A great memory with the kids so, all in all, a great day.

A few pictures of Easter morning...

2011-04-24T11:02:00.000-04:00

The boys are ready to hunt.
Jacob says "I see one already!"

Who is excited about getting Bey Blades in their Easter Basket?
Yep, everybody!

Already battling away.

The three new "Beys" battling it out.

Decorating Easter Eggs

2011-04-23T16:21:00.001-04:00

Ever so careful....

Gentlemen, start your decorating!

Jacob has a plan...

Kristen, as usual, taking it more
seriously than the kids

The finished products.

Yes, no electronics

2011-03-07T20:51:00.000-05:00

Wow, the kids could actually have fun without electronics. I know know that this might be hard to believe...especially of late as my children have had their noses buried in PSP's and Mobi-Go's...but, it did happen and I took a picture to prove it:

Busy Week

2011-03-06T21:38:00.000-05:00

So, another busy week and weekend. I am worn out. We got to ring out (I hope) winter with a 2nd and final sled run at our friend's house...check out it below: The lighting wasn't great due to lights going out...but it at least gives a glimpse :)

I probably should have cut this down, but oh well...there is another one I will post to FaceBook or to YouTube that gives a little better idea of how long the track was.

Of course, we also had basketball this week and I am posting some of that video on YouTube as well...so, you all can check out Jaden and Jacob there.

On to next week, Kristen's test at school, work, more Men's Ministry stuff at the church and all the other things a week brings.

Watch what you say

2011-02-27T16:10:00.001-05:00

So Joy suggested yesterday morning that I stream Jaden's basketball game over the web so that they could watch it. I used www.qik.com to do it, though my phone was not one of the options on the website. So, I kept downloading versions until one worked....kind of...and I was able to start streaming. Well, what I didn't realizes was that it captures audio as well as the video...so, throughout the time I am streaming, I am talking with a friend, yelling encouragement and so on...
Well, I had set up Kristen's computer to watch as well...and she was, when I happened to comment to my friend that Kristen had been taking a nap right before I left for basketball.
Immediately I get a phone call and Kristen says..."Excuse me? Why are you talking about my napping?"!
Yikes!
Totally started laughing, though the guys around me said I should turn it off...making sure nothing else was capture for posterity :)
I was busted, but it was a minor infraction. You really should know technology before you use it...

Jacob's Basketball

2011-02-26T11:02:00.000-05:00

So after our vacation break, Jacob got back to basketball this morning. Just a couple of photos to share. He is doing well. None of the kids get the whole double dribble concept...heck, some of them forget about dribbling entirely, but it was fun to watch and they all have made progress already this season. Jacob scored twice today and had great passing, defense, rebounding and dribbling. I was very impressed!

Dribbling drill...and his head is up, not down. Nice!

Driving around the excited? defense!

Surveying the defense.

Out of Diapers!

2011-02-21T19:40:00.000-05:00

I posted this on FaceBook, for which Linda gave me grief :)

However, as of this last week, Jude has been wearing underwear all day and been wearing diapers/pullups only for bed. He is very close to not needing that as well.

I can't believe it. We are about to be a diaper free household for the first time in 8 and a half years. If that is not a landmark worth posting about, I don't know what is!

So, that $.05-$.10 per diaper that I was throwing into the trash bin will be immediately consumed by something else...but, it is nice that it won't be quite so obvious that I am literally throwing money away.

Congratulations Jude. So, what is the next landmark on the horizon for us? All in school? (only a couple years out)

Read a few books lately

2011-02-13T21:04:00.000-05:00

So, read 4 books with Jaden so far this year as we finished up the Deltora series we have been reading. Books 5-8 of the Deltora Quest series as we had to get done to turn the books in on time.
I also read an interesting book about how God created the universe as far as we understand based on the science we know at this point. Called the creator and the cosmos. It was a fantastic read that was certainly more than I understood or still understand...but it certainly put things into a cool light...based on what science has put together so far.
Finally, jaden and I are just finishing up a book for "teens" by Frank Peretti which has been really enjoyable called the Veritas Project...definitely worth checking out. And for me, I am finishing up a really short read given out by the church earlier this year called 'How Good is Good Enough?". It is a really good synopsis of why Christianity is different than other religions and why the standard thinking of "good people go to heaven" can't hold water.
Anyway, kind of interesting that in a month and a half, I have gone thru 7 books...when I didn't set any goals for books this year...versus the past where it seems I have been slower to get thru things, even with a goal to get thru so many books in a year.

Answered prayers

2011-02-10T22:11:00.000-05:00

God certainly answers prayers! I had a hard couple days and was a little frustrated with Men's ministry stuff and work stuff and home stuff. Part of it was feeling that over the last few weeks that what I was doing was not actually having an impact. Well today at small group, one of the men talked specifically about a god moment this week that he attributed to the fact that he has this small group to go to...something that I feel is important and have kept up despite difficulty...and not feeling that I have time and I get an awesome story about immediate life impact and spiritual growth.

Men's ministry activities starting to pick up

2011-01-26T20:45:00.000-05:00

I haven't posted much about what I do, but since it takes up my time and energy...it is a significant part of my life at this point...it makes no sense for me not to include it. To that end, I am just posting to say I am working on the launch of our mens blog site. The goal is to launch at the beginning of the month...so keep your fingers crossed and say prayers to help me...because at this point, it is only me doing the work.

iPad

2011-01-25T22:04:00.000-05:00

So...I caved. I bought the iPad this last week. This is my first post with it. I am already using it for work email and have downloaded a number of free interactive books for the kids...but I have ALOT to learn if it is going to be as useful as what I am ultimately hoping for. I did buy the more expensive version so that I can enable the data plan outside of the LAN functionality, but I have yet to enable it. I am looking to enable that and take the data plan off of my phone...make it a phone only again, if at&t will let me do that...
Anyway, stay tuned and I will probably post more about how I like the iPad and what I am using it for...though I really need to figu out how to add pictures to blog posts while on the iPad.

Bible in a year

2011-01-20T06:00:00.000-05:00

Made a commitment with the men of the church to go through the bible in a year with them. Starting a new blog for mens ministry at the church to help do that and promote other stuff. I hope it will not be overwhelming...but, I am excited by the potential.

Wordle

2011-01-19T20:51:00.004-05:00

Love wordle...here is something I was just playing around with.

Happy MLK Day

2011-01-17T19:18:00.000-05:00

I love the way Kristen tries to help the kids recognize why we have the day off today. Despite the craziness of the kids energy levels and their general inability to listen...hopefully they will remember part of what we talked about around the dinner table.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gZLvSnr6s50&feature=youtube_gdata_player

No Excuse

2011-01-17T00:02:00.000-05:00

I really have no excuse...other than laziness for not posting. Yes...the home computer crashing has had a significant impact.
Yes, Jacob's birthday party was this weekend.
Yes, I travelled to San Jose last week.
Really....still no excuse.
I am really hoping to get back to regular updates here shortly.

My Birthday

2010-12-10T19:07:00.000-05:00

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

2010-12-08T21:12:00.001-05:00

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

2010-12-05T21:25:00.000-05:00

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

2010-12-04T21:13:00.007-05:00

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

2010-12-02T21:16:00.001-05:00

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

2010-12-01T19:55:00.000-05:00

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

2010-11-30T13:15:00.000-05:00

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

2010-11-29T18:56:00.001-05:00

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

2010-11-28T19:07:00.000-05:00

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"

2010-11-26T16:05:00.000-05:00

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

2010-11-21T21:03:00.001-05:00

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

2010-11-19T19:55:00.000-05:00

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

2010-11-14T22:32:00.000-05:00

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....

2010-11-12T21:12:00.007-05:00

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...

2010-11-08T20:50:00.000-05:00

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

2010-11-07T20:50:00.000-05:00

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

2010-11-05T21:15:00.000-04:00

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....

2010-11-02T22:41:00.000-04:00

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

2010-11-01T19:12:00.000-04:00

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

2010-11-01T16:33:00.004-04:00

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!

2010-10-31T22:20:00.000-04:00

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

2010-10-29T05:30:00.000-04:00

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

2010-10-28T22:16:00.000-04:00

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

2010-10-01T17:37:00.001-04:00

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

2010-09-21T21:19:00.000-04:00

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...

2010-09-16T21:11:00.000-04:00

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

2010-09-11T21:05:00.001-04:00

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

2010-09-07T06:48:00.000-04:00

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!

2010-09-06T17:51:00.000-04:00

So exciting!

Jacob's First Day of Kindergarten

2010-09-02T21:53:00.000-04:00

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

2010-08-31T21:44:00.001-04:00

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

2010-08-30T22:48:00.002-04:00

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

2010-08-29T23:19:00.000-04:00

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

2010-08-27T21:58:00.000-04:00

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.

Surprise, play some golf!

2010-08-26T21:58:00.006-04:00

Was not planning on playing today, but got a call this morning saying..."Where are you?"

I was supposed to play at a work event, but didn't even know it. I ran out of the house got to the club and played OK...it was a fun day. However, I am not sure that I shouldn't have taken another or minute or so in order to get sunscreen...I got good and red :)

Sad, Sad, Sad

2010-08-23T22:06:00.000-04:00

More than 2 weeks without a post. Yikes!
I really do want to keep this blog up...so I will endeavor to do better :)

What has been going on? Well, my ministry activities have been picking up. I am spending hours each week going over papers, action items, meeting minutes and all sorts of fun stuff (sounds like work doesn't it?) trying to get my arms around that.
Kristen is getting deeper and deeper into classes and full time school is only days away. She is studying now for a test she has tomorrow.
Jaden, Jacob and Jude are active and keeping us on our toes...but that is the norm. I really should have more to say here...but maybe another post.

As for me, I have traveled to CA for business, finished up a couple books (more to follow on that too) and started a few more (no new surprise there), and tried with only modest success to take some days off prior to my company making changes to the vacation accrual policy. All in all, life, very busy, and not always the busy that I would like to optimally have in my life.

So, stay with me...I will get this going again and attempt to regale you with my humor, my witty insights, and my fascinating take on life or simply see what is going on with us (yes, I know it is the latter, not the former...stick around anyway).

Here we go

2010-08-06T20:37:00.003-04:00

The fall term may not have officially started, but Kristen is already in the swing of things with the one class she is taking this month. Here she is with her headphones on to block out noise going through her materials.

Overnight Flight

2010-07-30T10:15:00.001-04:00

Our trip home was a direct flight, which was WAY better than the three planes to go to Colorado, and left at 11:30pm, arriving in Boston at 5:30am. The kids slept reasonably well on the plane and both Kristen and I got a little shut eye as well, but it made for a very long workday for me. The kids not only slept on the plane, and in the car, but they slept in their beds once we got home until noon! Knowing our kids, you know how out of the norm that is.

Flying W Ranch - observations

2010-07-26T23:36:00.002-04:00

We went to Flying W Ranch, located in Colorado Springs, Colorado tonight to finish up our trip. While I am not a huge fan of country western / country / or western or whatever mix everything was tonight, I did get a great few things from watching around me tonight...

Here is the first thing and I will follow up with a couple more.

The organization that they had at dinner time to deal with a large number of people was fantastic. I thought the MC did a great job of keeping people engaged while groups started through the line. They gave clear direction with a little humor so that it wasn't a list of things to do or not do BEFORE people started. They helped people get through the line as we went...especially those that had little children or older people who wouldn't be able to carry the plates with the food through the line.

It was neat to watch as everyone had jobs, did them well and the result was pretty good.

So, nice job to the folks at Flying W for helping our experience be a little more enjoyable because you did dinner as well as you did.

What a great reminder

2010-07-25T06:08:00.001-04:00

Ps 141 - Passage�Lookup - New International Version - BibleGateway.com: "�3 Set a guard over my mouth, O LORD;
�� keep watch over the door of my lips."

This was part of the reading I was doing for my bible study group tomorrow and it just stood out as a great thing to always pray for and to praise God for when we are successful.

I think psalm 141 has a great number of great pieces in it, but I love how David lays it out right at the beginning of the psalm...so whether it be in regards to his words to God or to man; whether it be what he asks for or has been given; or what he wants to do or has done, may God be guarding over his tongue and lips so that they do not cause harm with anyone.

Friday morning men's breakfast - Colorado edition

2010-07-23T20:59:00.012-04:00

I delighted in being able to attend an early morning get together of brothers in Christ with my brother-in-law John earlier today. To Nate, Rob, Jacob and John I say a personal thank you for allowing me to join you and to learn from you as you worked through Genesis together. I find it encouraging to see men get together, share, pray and hold each other up to live the life we are called to live....and I got a great example of that this morning in this group. I was also incredibly blessed to be prayed for by the group as well. I pray that you all will hold together with strength and discipline and that in won't be too long before I can join you all again.

To our reading this morning, may God grant each of you the ability to hold fast in troubled times as Joseph did, to have leadership skills beyond those shown in both Pharaoh and Joseph during the times leading up to and through the drought, and to have the ability to put God first as Joseph did right away as he spoke to Pharaoh. Each of us knows that it is not by our own strength, but by His and may we rely and trust in that always.

10 YEARS

2010-07-22T00:01:00.027-04:00

WOW...and not just for how good you looked in this dress or for how great you look today.

10 years.

I am a lucky man and I thank God that I have you in my life.

May our next 10 build on what we have done together, encourage even more experiences to remember and our strengthen our continuing trust that God has a plan for both of us that we have the joy to find out about with one another.

Searching For God Knows What

2010-07-14T20:10:00.000-04:00

Searching for God Knows What by Donald Miller

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I like reading Donald's books. He does have a great way of writing that draws you into a conversation...one that you want to participate in. You come to appreciate his point of view and I think that he makes some fantastic points throughout the book, points that I will probably use myself at some point or another in conversation with others. That to me, means that he has written a good book and has, at least, good perspectives on certain things.

As I read it though, I did think about a couple things. I think Donald works well with two groups of people...
1. People who have struggled with Christians in the past, who have negative impressions of Christians, or people searching and wondering about Christianity. Miller presents a great witness for people in these circumstances. His focus is on God's love for all of us...acknowledging how often Christians fall short of the goal to act as Jesus did, concerned more often about the rule than the person...which is exactly where the Pharisees got hung up.
In speaking to the relational aspects of Christianity, he presents a great way to view Christianity and a great way for those interested to maybe start asking questions.
2. People who are Christians that have a good grasp on fundamentals. The key here is that you read what Miller writes knowing the background of scripture so that this is not a theological base...but rather commentary on a sound base that helps you view things differently. Once you have a base of knowledge, it is possible to get dogmatic...stuck, and I think Miller can help break someone of that, however, if this is the basis of a person's theology, than I think they would suffer for not getting the basics that are necessary first.
I really enjoyed the book. I love the thoughts about Adam and Eve, the lifeboat syndrome and even his take on Romeo and Juliet. I think someone reading this can not only enjoy a good read, but get some great insights...like they were taking to a friend. For that, read the book. However, read it with another friend and discuss so that you can help each other process the things he brings up as well...

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Excited

2010-07-13T10:11:00.001-04:00

This message has been created early and queued up to hit the web while we are flying to Colorado. Totally excited to spend time with my family, see some friends and hopefully create a few awesome memories over the next two weeks.
With needing to have 5 tickets now, this is going to get rarer and rarer...so, hoping to really capture this time and have the kids really absorb the love that their uncles, aunts, grandparents and friends have for them. They don't get as much contact as I would like and I don't want them to not know their extended family, their cousins and all these others that love them so much only from afar.

Lesson from Jude's "Potty" mouth

2010-07-12T21:52:00.003-04:00

If you read the last note, you will know what I am referring to with respect to "potty words".

So, that episode, besides being a great thing to write down for posterity and to share with everyone was also one of those moments that God shows me how much I can learn through my children...when I pay attention:

What was the thing that I learned from Jude?

Well, I think one of the funny things that we do as we try to become more "Christian" is to watch our language. We don't want to use swear words...and so, over time you hear a "Christian" drop fewer and fewer "f-bombs" or launch fewer and fewer "a-bleeps" and so forth.

This is as it should be. I am not commenting so much on that, because I think that is right and healthy.

I guess the thing that caught my attention with Jude was this. When he was angry, he reached for whatever the worse thing he could find to say, and he said it. We all might smile at how cute and innocent it was, but it was said from a place of complete anger, frustration, outrage. If he knew other words, he would have said those...and we wouldn't have smiled and thought it funny. We essentially let it go because he didn't use what is accepted "harsh language", he used other language.

It is one of the things I used to say as a teen..."It doesn't matter if I say "X", it is just a word." "I am sorry if you have issue with it, but I don't take it that way." And so forth. I really thought I was pretty smart and above it all...maybe I wanted to perceive myself as more intelligent than others...I am pretty sure I even had a conversation with my parents about it at one point ;)

Anyway...I think the real substance lies underneath all of this. That is just like Jesus said when he started breaking down the "rules" on the Pharisees. They could say that they had never committed adultery...but they would get caught when he said the root of that was lust. They could say they had never murdered...but they would get caught when he said the root of that was anger. Jude could get away with not swearing cause he said "toilet", but the root of the problem was the same as if he had said something much more "ugly" by conventional standards....and he is only 2. It wasn't about the words. It was about the emotion, the choice made and the intent he had.

It is that line that God calls us to walk. To not follow rules for the sake of the rules...and not to not break the rules simply for the sake of saying we haven't broken them...the rules are not the end game and neither is the currently acceptable language that society uses....however, whether you are dropping an "f-bomb" or calling someone a "toilet", the intent may very well be the same and put you in the same place of having broken the intent that God laid out with the rules...to love each other as God loved us.

Just think about that the next time you go to say a "Christian" version of a swear word and think that you deserve kudos.

Your thoughts?

Potty Words

2010-07-11T21:52:00.000-04:00

Jude is currently right on the cusp of being potty trained (yes, go ahead and ask me again in 6 months to see if I am saying the same thing...) and I think that this awareness of control around potty training has made him very particular and touchy about changing his diaper. Today at nap time, he was wet and after he had fallen asleep we realized that he was wet through to his clothes. Kristen picked him up to change him and he woke up. As you can imagine, he was not happy. Yelling, screaming, kicking...the whole 9 yards of fit and rage. And that is where our fun memory takes place..in the midst of this fit.

However, to give the proper perspective, I have to bring up the background as well. For the last several months, as Jude has become more and more a toddler that was exploring his independence, we have been correcting and disciplining Jude for his language. He has heard things from his brothers, from shows and so forth that we are trying to correct and ensure he understands what is acceptable. Each time he has gone outside the boundaries, we tell him, "That is not ok. We don't use potty words."

So, flash back to today. Jude is in a complete rage over our changing his diaper. He is SO angry with us that he can hardly stand it. His face is red. His teeth are clenched. His is kicking his feet and swinging his fists to get us away from him.
As we hold his legs and feet so that he can't hurt us and as we try to calm him, he reaches for the only thing that is left to hurt us with....his words.
He yells at the top of his lungs, "YOU ARE A TOILET!"

The worst? "potty" word that there is :)

The written note

2010-07-05T15:33:00.000-04:00

Just a quick note for posterity...
I love my grandmother and I love the notes she still writes to us. Below is the cover of a card she sent to Kristen and I not long ago and within it was a handwritten note on all the available space within and on the backside of the card just to encourage us, ask after our lives, and inform our family of what was going on with her.

It is really an awesome thing to get. I mean, who doesn't still get a kick out of getting mail that isn't a bill, an advertisement, or whatever other kind of junk you normally get?

It is a treat...a rarer and rarer privilege in a day and age that sees more and more text messages, emails, voice mails and even video calls and messages. To get a handwritten reminder that someone cares about you and spent the time to write to you is now an infrequent activity.

Now, to put this into context, I can't even tell you how many people she most likely tried to keep up with like this...she has children, many grandchildren, great grandchildren, friends, siblings, etc. I imagine that she invests significant time in doing this each day and week...and that is one more reason why I cherish seeing them.

Makes me wonder that despite my horrific penmanship, who might like to see a note from me this week?

The Radical Question

2010-06-24T20:53:00.002-04:00

The Radical Question: What Is Jesus Worth to You? by David Platt

My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Dr. David Platt, senior pastor of the Church at Brook Hills in Birmingham, Alabama writes this short and powerful book as a wake up call...a reminder to so many of us Americans, that our call to Christ was not a call to the American Dream that we are often found pursuing...but a call to pursue Christ, which looks much different and will call us to make radically different choices than those that do follow the American Dream.

The question that Platt poses is this, "What is Jesus worth to you?". Jesus called us to love God and to love others as He loved us. Are we following that simple commandment? Does it show in our actions, our decisions? If we REALLY loved others...if we REALLY wanted to care for the poor, the lost, the people that Jesus seemed to attract and to go out of his way to spend time with...how different would our lives look?

"We take the Jesus of the Bible and begin twisting him into a version of Jesus that we are more comfortable with." Do you know do this? How often do you fit Him into your schedule, or fit Him into your plans rather than throwing yourself before Him and doing what He asks?

When Jesus called His disciples and then told them what they would face it wasn't a pretty picture by the world's standard. They would be beaten, chased, hated and killed. And while we see this in other areas of the world, Americans are blessed with little of this persecution due to our freedom of religion, have we lost the value associated with our faith because we currently don't have to struggle to have that freedom? The cost of non-discipleship is much higher than the cost of being a disciple, but it is not recognizable from a worldly point of view.

So, read this short book. Ask the difficult questions and find out how true your faith is...try to answer the question, "What is Jesus worth to you?".

What is Christ worth to you? Can you give up ambition, family, home, comforts, dreams to follow Christ’s call. Read "The Radical Question" and ask yourself if you are doing what God has called you to do.

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Fathers Day

2010-06-22T21:30:00.001-04:00

Wanted to share about Father's Day and post my cards, which were awesome. I can't let the post go by without mentioning that Kristen decided to buy a new gas grill as my Father's Day gift. She has certainly been missing the ease with which you can cook up burgers and brats since our last grill died...and I think this was an easy pick for her this year :) and it even came a little early since she needed my help in getting it out of the van.

As for actual day, I woke up to a balloon, some other small gifts and a plethora of cards to read. Kristen always does a great job of getting all the boys involved and this year was no different.

Here are the cards:

I also want to put down here how grateful I am to be a Dad and to have the wonderful family that I have. God has blessed me tremendously and I am glad to have this holiday as a reminder of that.

Jacob's last day of Pre-School

2010-06-15T19:51:00.001-04:00

Had to post on this as Jacob "graduated" today. It is an exciting day, though he, as well as many of his classmates, had a very hard time saying goodbye to their teacher.
Congratulations Jacob!

The Reveal Study

2010-06-12T11:15:00.001-04:00

Reveal: Where Are You? by Greg L. Hawkins

My rating: 3 of 5 stars
I read this book because our church has not only adopted some of the suggestions in this book, but we have participated in the surveys as they have expanded participation over time. As I am looking to help the ministries of our church, I felt it would be worthwhile to read this and understand the material.
Willow Creek, in trying to understand better what was happening with their members, started leveraging marketplace survey methodologies to determine what was working for their congregation and what wasn't in terms of enabling spiritual growth. Were they being as successful as they thought they were?
The answer was no, and the book takes you through their findings and the correlations they found to survey answers and people's perceived spiritual growth.
To the extent that this book helps pastors, congregations, elders and those interested in their own spiritual growth ask more questions about their intent, success, etc...and to actually inspect what they are doing rather than just assuming it is working because people show up, it is a very good thing.
On the other hand, I think many people want to assume that because this team discovered correlations in the survey data that there is "a definitive way to do church" and maybe too many churches will try to do the same thing. If that is the case, then it will not be good for actual growth for many churches and for God's kingdom.
I don't suggest that there is no place for the methodologies or for formulas but we need to strive to keep in mind that similarly to all the marriage books and self help manuals, there are practices that can generally help relationships, but ultimately, you have to put the work into a relationship to see it blossom.
That is true of our relationship with God as well as with the church body and our own spiritual growth. The reveal study does speak to this as well and we need to help people to do the work and invest in their relationship with God to see it mature.

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Jaden is 8 today

2010-06-09T06:20:00.044-04:00

With that in mind, I thought I would post 8 great things about Jaden as we get to celebrate his birthday.

1. Jaden loves God. We can see it in the way he reads the Bible on his own, the way that he prays and in his passions.

2. Jaden has an incredible heart. He has a tenderness, compassion and kindness that people are drawn to.

3. Jaden is my son...and by that I mean - he gets some of his traits and tendencies directly from me. I can see myself in him and that is both a challenge and a true blessing to me and something I love about him dearly. So, even though he is sullen sometimes and he has the same quick temper with his brother that I did with mine...I have to smile.

4. Jaden is an amazing reader. He just consumes books so quickly. It is neat to see how much he enjoys getting himself comfortable in his mom's papasan chair and getting lost in his book for hours.

5. Jaden is willing to try new things. Whether it is food or whatever, I really appreciate that he is open to trying things at least once. It is a big contrast to his brothers who tend to shake their head no and not try anything.

6. I am amazed at how talented Jaden is. And I really want to help him explore and grow in these areas. For instance, Jaden has an incredible ear for music. He loves the piano and has started to teach himself how to play various pieces. He may not be the prodigy that you see on YouTube, but I am blown away at the progress he has made on his own.

7. I love that though Jaden is growing up, he is still ok with hanging with his parents, that he comes to us with problems and actually listens. I know that he will continue to grow up and will grow more independent...but I love that it hasn't happened yet. And I really think he will be a boy that is always respectful of us, so while I am not wanting the time to rush by, I am not overly worried about it either :)

8. Jaden is a leader. And I love that it is associated with good things. He cares about fairness and sets a good example. Jaden did something this year in school that I don't know that I ever would have done in school. He got up in front of his whole class + others to let them know that the way things were was not ok and not fair to others with the way the soccer games were being played. Despite maybe getting ridiculed, or people not thinking it was cool for him to call people out, he wanted everyone to know that things should be fair and that he would stand up for it. That is my boy, and he is amazing.

Love you Jaden and happy birthday!

Simple Church by Rainer & Geiger

2010-06-03T22:14:00.000-04:00

Simple Church: Returning to God's Process for Making Disciples by Thom S. Rainer

My rating: 4 of 5 stars
If you are reading or looking to read this book, you are either part of a church leadership team, part of a congregation where some of the strategies posited by the authors are being implemented or you are in seminary. I know that is somewhat narrow and not entirely accurate, but the focus of this book leads to those types of audiences being interested in the material.
The authors have done statistical work to back up their position that a "simple church" is more likely to be a growing church. They have constructed a 4 part plan that helps churches become simple (Clarity, Movement, Alignment, Focus) and give great examples as to why this approach seems to resonate with people and help many churches with attracting and making disciples.
So, while I enjoyed the book and think that this team has some interesting data and points, I do struggle with this mantra that suggests that if all churches were like this they would be more likely to grow. (I know that they are only showing a statistical relationship and they even address this specifically in the FAQ section in the back....BUT, that is where the book leads us.)
There are many ways to "do church" and some that haven't even been thought of yet. While this is great information and probably will help many congregations that have had issues with having too many programs and resources spread too thin, I hope that it will not limit or stifle creativity or cause people to stifle the Holy Spirit leading them in a direction that they may think conflicts with the "simple" approach.
May each and every person who does read this book help the church become what God intended it to be and may each of them help bring more people to know God's love for us.

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Lost

2010-06-02T22:03:00.000-04:00

Kristen got interested in watching Lost as our pastor started talking about it a little more often as it neared its series finale. While it is outside of Kristen's normal type of show, she wanted to start and she got season 1 from our library. I have to admit that I was happy to watch it as it is much more up my normal genre of things I like to watch :) Since getting it from the library, it is pretty much the only show we are watching right now. Any time we have to sit down together to watch an episode, we do. It is great that we are watching it commercial free as it only takes us 40 minutes for each episode. Despite this focus and the relative short time needed for each episode, it still took us around two months to get the first season done and now we are working on season 2. Based upon the fact that Lost went through 10 seasons, it is going to take a long time for us to get through it.

So, just in case any of you have been watching it, please no spoilers :)

Mount Monadnock

2010-06-01T18:25:00.003-04:00

According to Wikipedia:

"Mount Monadnock, or Grand Monadnock, is the most prominent New England mountain peak south of theWhite Mountains and east of the Massachusetts Berkshires, and is the highest point in Cheshire County, New Hampshire. It has long been known as one of the most frequently climbed mountains in the world.

At 3,165 feet (965 m), Mount Monadnock is nearly 1,000 feet (300 m) higher than any mountain peak within 30 miles (48 km) and rises 2,000 feet (600 m) above the surrounding landscape."

Now, coming from Colorado, this really doesn't seem impressive, or daunting, or even worth the effort:), however, some friends were going up and this seemed like a great opportunity to spend some time with Jaden...so, he and I decided to go up.

Saturday morning we were up early and ready to go. We started on the road trip by 8:15, and started the climb by 10:15.

We probably would have gone slightly faster up, but we lost one of the people in our group and he needed to turn back before we were even 30 minutes into the hike.

Now, I will say that with me being as out of shape as I am, the mountain still wasn't challenging, but it was a good and enjoyable hike. I still felt it in the legs a little the next day and I think Jaden did an incredible job. He had plenty of energy and was always at the front of the pack needing to be reigned in to stay with the group.

This picture is about 2/3rds of the way up after one of several "false summits". The views were great and we had fantastic weather for the whole day...not too hot, with a breeze, slightly overcast and no rain until about 5 minutes away from the car!

This is Jaden at the summit. We ate lunch took some pictures and then headed back. Going up ended up taking just around 2 hours. After taking a different and longer path down, we were back at the car and on our way home. The drive was close to 2 hours, and yet we were home before 5pm and still had time to attend a birthday party. That is a good day :)

Thanks to my son who made the trip with me and who made me proud with his great climbing! Love you Jaden!

Tracing our adventure -10 (Final)

2010-05-31T20:41:00.000-04:00

If you have stuck around for all 10...kudos to you! And, of course, thank you. It is an investment of time on your part to keep up with us and all that has been going on in our lives over the last few months.

To wrap this up, I wanted to write about that position that the church had offered me. If you remember, the description they sent included a time frame...a minimum of 2 years. Now, with Kristen's decision made for school, I could re-look at the position through the lens of being here for, yes...at least two years due to Kristen's school.
That was an amazing coincidence, don't you think?

Not wanting to simply say yes because of the time frames matching up, Kristen and I continued to pray about it. Kristen was worried about both of us having the bandwidth to support all of this, and while I understood that, I was feeling drawn to saying yes. I was really excited about the position and I started to pull books out and started reading about men's ministries from other churches and ministry leaders. I wanted to be ready to go.

Kristen later came back to me with her thinking just as the church, after being very patient with us, was looking to close on an answer, and said that she had read a devotion that helped her see that God would provide the bandwidth if we were doing what He called us to do. If He can make a couple fish and loaves of bread feed 5000 men, He could help us and our concerns over time to get everything done.

I was in agreement with her and so, I called up and accepted the position with the church and I am now working with them on how it will be announced to the church and how we transition me into the position and start working with the men's ministry team.

I am very excited and a little anxious...but I truly think that God's hand has been in this all the way and I look forward to seeing what He will accomplish through this.

So, you have followed us on our trip from late winter to early summer and the ups, downs, and round and rounds that we have had. I know that if you talked to us during that time, you probably wondered about it all and even what you did know about...well, this may help put it into better context since we may have seemed a bit crazy at times.

Until the next adventure then....

Tracing our adventure - 9

2010-05-29T22:00:00.000-04:00

As just about everyone knows at this point, Kristen's acceptance letter to the nursing program came in the mail on April 10th, 2010. She was in! This was a very big deal and a long time coming.
http://jasonmoffitt.blogspot.com/2010/04/kristens-in-video.html

Third time was the charm and, if you remember, this was for the day program which was shorter and cheaper (at least for the school itself) than the night/weekend program. This program was slated for two years starting this fall, while the night/weekend program would have been for three years.

Of course, with Kristen now being accepted to the nursing program, we knew that we wanted to get that done. This was the decision point that we had been waiting for over the last several months. So we sent in Kristen's placeholder deposit and acknowledged that we were not going to be selling the house or moving in the short term. The dominoes were now starting to fall.

What a wild ride over the last 3-4 months!

It was not for nothing, as there were many things that came out of looking at our options:
- we realize how much junk we have accumulated in the house and we are actively getting rid as much of this as possible this summer. (more posts to come on this)
- we know about how much of an impact the real estate downturn has impacted us personally and that we really need to finish the addition before we move to ensure we are walking away with money to help us get the next place...whenever that is.
- we realize, again, how much we miss family back in CO
- that God really does close doors sometimes to make sure we see other ones opening

Tracing our adventure - 8

2010-05-28T22:07:00.002-04:00

So, Kristen was at odds as she waited for notification from the school. Was this even what she wanted to do anymore? There were so many other things to do and school was draining on her and the family. So many things to consider.

Meanwhile, she was maintaining her busy schedule. While taking care of the kids, she decided to take them to the library to get some new reading material.(We love the library!) The library keeps a section of books that they are selling right at the entrance/exit and we will peruse it as we leave sometimes, and on this occasion, Kristen stopped and her eyes caught a book that was titled "Cup of Comfort for Nurses", essentially a Chicken Soup for the Soul kind of deal specifically with nursing stories. She thought about getting it, but decided against it as she knew it would make her want to do nursing again and she wasn't sure if that was what she wanted to do.

The next day, she was going to a bible study at church with other ladies. This particular week, she figured she had too much to do and was going to skip it, but when she asked Jude if he wanted to go to church, he said, "YEAH!" and was off to the door to go. She decided to listen to him, gathered her things and left. The study that day told her that she needed to be "willing to work for her destiny". At that moment, things clicked again for her and she raced from the church back to the library and bought the book.

All the school and time that she had invested in this endeavor up to this point had been eroding her passion, her desire to be a nurse. As of that morning, her desire was back and now she had a passion to do nursing that was never there before! She started reading the book and was now extremely anxious for her notice from the school to arrive. Now, she HAD to get in!

Tracing our adventure - 7

2010-05-27T22:48:00.000-04:00

To continue the story...

As we waited to hear about Kristen's school, I got a call from one of the pastors at our church. The church did not have a person leading the men's ministry over the last year after the previous person had vacated the position. As they had prayed and discussed finding someone, my name came up as a person they thought would be a good fit. He asked if I would be interested and my immediate response was yes.

We agreed to meet to discuss and meanwhile he sent me a description of the position that the church had written up. The first thing that jumped out at me was that the church was looking for someone to commit to 2 years in the position. I wasn't sure that this was something I could do considering we were in the throes of figuring out if we were moving or not...but, since we were undecided and waiting, I also didn't want to close the door on it.

I went to breakfast with him and while discussing the position, I also laid out where we were and my desire to not accept something and then leave them in a pinch. Also, I knew I didn't want to take it on, assuming I did, before Bethel ended. So, we agreed to wait, pray and come back together after Bethel ended. In the interim, I would also drop in and speak to our senior pastor about it as well.

Tracing our adventure - 6

2010-05-21T21:41:00.003-04:00

To recap:
We miss family, Kristen is thinking she doesn't want to do nursing any more, I want to make a move with regard to going to seminary or being in ministry, people are interested in the house and the number that we think we could get could enable us to move and we are thinking that if there was a time to do it, during the spring/summer would be the best because of the kids and school.

A lot of things on our minds and a ton of things up in the air. And then the answers started to pour in.

The family that was interested in our house completely balked at the number we gave them. Which not only deflated the conversation and thought of God putting them and us together in the right place and right time...but it also made us question the numbers that our agent had come up with. She had put in a bunch of work for us creating a market analysis...but where might we really land if we sold? We didn't want to leave this house and not be able to get something when we moved back to Colorado.

So, we continued to look at the pricing and simply thought that we needed more information overall. Maybe that hadn't worked out, but we haven't even determined to sell...so that really wasn't a real NO, it simply meant that something that was way too convenient to be reality, in fact wasn't.

From a timeline perspective, this was putting us into the mid-march time frame. Kristen was expecting to hear about the day nursing program at some point in April, so we decided that we needed to see what would happen with that before any decisions were made and we went any further down this path. If Kristen got into school, wouldn't we plan on doing that and so all of this would just have been an exercise in chaos?