From This Point Forward

My Ballerina

2011-05-22T21:29:00.000-05:00

From an early age, Hope had wanted to take dance. We are a very musical family and on any given day, if you happened to be walking past our house, you may hear someone playing the piano or music coming from the speakers of our stereo. And during these times, you could almost bet that you would find Hope spinning and twirling to a made up dance. There were a myriad of reasons why we didn't put her in dance in the past, but the main reason I remember was from when we still lived in Baraboo...it was very expensive.

After Lisa and I were married, Hope again brought up her desire to go into dance and it was then, after much thought and discussion (the boys were involved in several sports and dance would give Hope a similar outlet), we agreed to look into it. I was pleasantly surprised at how affordable it was here, but also knew it would require a commitment on both Hope and our parts...

Every Tuesday, week after week (since last September), we would have to leave work early to pick Hope up from home and bring her to dance practice. I have to admit that at first, I viewed this as a hassle...an interruption to MY schedule. This quickly changed as I saw how much she enjoyed it and it gave us time...just father and daughter. I remember the first two or three weeks, she would come out of class almost in tears, wanting to quit. She wasn't used to the physical demands or the harsh commands an instructor, at times, can have. This too passed and it all became routine.

This all culminated this past weekend as Hope had her very first dance recital! Lisa raised two boys and was COMPLETELY caught by surprise with the 'Toddlers and Tiara's' atmosphere that surrounded the dressing room on the first night (the recital was Saturday night and Sunday afternoon). Mother's armed with curling irons and palates of makeup, hair spray and glitter, hovered over their daughters like humming birds near a feeder! Determined NOT to be taken un-awares again, Lisa embraced her inner 'Bling-Bling mommy' side and took Hope out after Saturday's show to 'stock-up'...all I can say is Hope looked beautiful! And not over the top! Thank you honey!

The auditorium was packed (we literally got the last two tickets and God must have been looking out for us because they were in the very first row, practically at stage level with the dancers) and I was a bit worried that seeing such a throng of people might unnerve her and cause her to lose her concentration.

I needn't have worried...she held herself with a poise and confidence that belied her experience...and for the next 3 minutes, time around her stood still. Her movements were fluid and graceful. Flawless?...of course not, but to my eyes she was perfect... enchanting...this was MY daughter. Her face was absolutely radiant! If the power in the building had failed, her smile alone would have lit the place.

And at that moment it struck me, my daughter is growing up...my youngest...my baby girl, is becoming a young lady. When did this happen? I've been watching her and seeing her every single day, and yet...why haven't I noticed this? It's thrilling! and at the same time, heart wrenching...time is slipping through my hands, it's like trying to hold water when you have your hands cupped together...no matter how hard you try, eventually the water runs out.

So here I am wondering if I've made the right choices for her...have I guided her, taught her and given her the best of me...and have kept and hidden the worst of me? I pray that God gives me the wisdom and grace, the strength and the courage to finish this dance we call parenting...
Proverbs 22:6 Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.

Cinderella ~ Steven Curtis Chapman

She spins and she sways
To whatever song plays
Without a care in the world
And I'm sitting here wearing
The weight of the world on my shoulders

It's been a long day
And there's still work to do
She's pulling at me
Saying "Dad, I need you

There's a ball at the castle
And I've been invited
And I need to practice my dancing
Oh, please, Daddy, please?"

So I will dance with Cinderella
While she is here in my arms
'Cause I know something the prince never knew
Oh, I will dance with Cinderella
I don't want to miss even one song
'Cause all too soon the clock will strike midnight
And she'll be gone...

She says he's a nice guy and I'd be impressed
She wants to know if I approve of the dress
She says, "Dad, the prom is just one week away
And I need to practice my dancing
Oh, please, Daddy, please?"

So I will dance with Cinderella
While she is here in my arms
'Cause I know something the prince never knew
Oh, I will dance with Cinderella
I don't want to miss even one song
'Cause all too soon the clock will strike midnight
And she'll be gone

She will be gone

Well, she came home today with a ring on her hand
Just glowing and telling us all they had planned
She says, "Dad, the wedding's still six months away
But I need to practice my dancing
Oh, please, Daddy, please?"

So I will dance with Cinderella
While she is here in my arms
'Cause I know something the prince never knew
Oh, I will dance with Cinderella
I don't want to miss even one song
'Cause all too soon the clock will strike midnight
And she'll be gone.

~ V

On the National Day of Prayer

2011-05-05T13:49:00.000-05:00

Daring times challenge us to pray boldly…as bold as those prayed by the pilgrims when they entered the new land or Abraham Lincoln as he called upon God amidst the dangers of a Civil War. As the threat of terrorism looms and the economy is uncertain we pause on the National Day of Prayer to not only ask God to intervene in world affairs but to move upon our hearts and start in us a change that may change the world.

The following are ten reasons why we should pray:

1. Prayer reminds us that we are not the solution to the challenges that grip our world but we have access to the one who transcends those challenges.

2. A prayerless nation has no hope beyond the headlines.

3. Prayer aligns us with God’s heart, purposes and blessings.

4. Prayer is an act of humility that precedes honor.

5. Prayer enlarges the heart beyond selfish motive.

6. Prayer provokes the heart to consider not only what is but what can be with God’s help.

7. Prayer is best prioritized when one asks God to change one’s own heart first.

8. No matters of eternal value will be accomplished outside of prayer.

9. Prayer is properly prioritized vigilance in a spiritually passive world.

10. Prayer at its best is an offering of one’s self to be used by God as a part of the answer.

The Bible reminds us in 2 Chronicles 7:14 “If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.”

Join me wont you in praying for our country, our families and our churches?

- Our God is a MIGHTY God!

~ Vince

When EF Hutton Talks...

2011-01-24T21:13:00.002-06:00

A couple of weeks ago while singing and worshiping at church, God spoke to me. Now, it's not as if God hasn't spoken to or lead me before, but this time it was different... He told me to 'Wake Up!' that 'You're not doing the things you need to be doing...things I need you to be doing.' then He laid out that I need to be spending more time with Nick and Vinny (our two 8th graders) and that I need to set aside time daily, take them through a study to teach them more about God and to teach them how to be a teenager, a Christian teenager in the World today. There was an urgency in His voice and I had the distinct impression that I have a window of opportunity. He went on to tell me that this time spent with them will allow Him to lay the very foundations of their spiritual lives.

Now, you may be sitting there reading this saying, Ok...and? The point is this...I thought I had been doing the things I needed to do, but I had been lulled asleep and was on cruise control. When God told me to Wake Up, I realized alot about myself, but mostly that I need to be hands-on and more involved...exactly what I hadn't been doing. God grants us children as a blessing, but the time we have with them flies by SO quickly...the responsibility we have as parents to raise them is HUGE! But it's fun too!

So, I've been thinking...what (specifically) are the most important things we can/should teach our children? Please share!

~ Vince

Emmanuel

2010-12-25T01:16:00.000-06:00

And it came to pass in those days that a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. This census first took place while Quirinius was governing Syria. So all went to be registered, everyone to his own city.

Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, to be registered with Mary, his betrothed wife, who was with child. So it was, that while they were there, the days were completed for her to be delivered. And she brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.

Now there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. And behold!, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid. Then the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid, for behold!, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger.”

And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying: “Glory to God in the highest!, and on earth peace, goodwill toward men!”

Pure...and simple

~ V

I'm Dreaming Of A White...

2010-12-12T22:54:00.000-06:00

For those of you who were dreaming of a white Christmas...well, you got your wish. Where I live, we officially received 26 inches of the white stuff, but we also had 30 mph winds that gusted up to 40+. So...As the above picture shows, we had 3 to 4 foot drifts! This lead to a back-breaking 2 hour snowblower marathon, during which I came to two conclusions...

1) Somewhere in scripture, along side His promise NEVER to flood the world again, God should have promised that if He's going to dump anything over 12 inches of snow, that the wind would either A) Not blow at all while you're removing the snow or B) Would blow only in one direction while removing said snow. I mean really! Having to snow blow 2 feet of the stuff is bad enough, but when you have the wind changing direction every minute and it either blows right back into your face or swirls back onto the path you just blew...not fun.

2) The county snowplow MUST die. I didn't get out to start clearing the driveway until almost 9:30 this morning...not late, but definately NOT early. So, I get going, decide which side of the driveway to start (I try to pick the side that's up-wind...but see #1 above...grr). I do 3 or 4 passes when I notice that our street hasn't even been plowed yet. I sigh...knowing that sometime later, I'll have to come back out and clear what the snowplow pushes into our driveway. I get near the end of our driveway and WHOOSH!! The snowplow came by and not only sprays me with a tidal wave of snow, but literally burys my snow-thrower as well! OH NO YOU DIDN'T! I obviously didn't/couldn't hear him over the engine noise, but he COULD have given a little 'beep' on his horn so I could have stepped back. So there I stood...eyes narrowing and that famous line from Moby Dick came to mind...'To the last, I will grapple with thee... from Hell's heart, I stab at thee! For hate's sake, I spit my last breath at thee!' OK...I must be honest with you, although I know the line originally comes from Moby Dick, I know the line from Star Trek II, The Wrath of Khan...there, I admitted it!

...beware Mr. County Snowplow guy, I'll be watching out for you!

~ V

Derailed

2010-12-02T23:55:00.000-06:00

.....My mind and heart are squeezed of their juices and their strength and essence have drained out of me. Vacillating between thought and feeling, and feeling and thought...thoughts rebounding off feelings of sorrow. My mind searching for answers, My heart is...solemn...still...alone. Honestly not sure where these feelings have emerged from...but here I am. And I know this is NOT a good place...not a healthy place to dwell. I know too well...far too well the cost of lingering in this place.

Maybe it's weather...or the upcoming Holiday's...most likely it's a myriad things. (Kind of like dripping water on a rock...by itself, one drop of water is meaningless to the rock, but drip after drip over a span of years will create a divot and eventually destroy the rock.) Either way, I would ask for your prayers as I seek for the hand of Him who guides my life. Because even though all is dark around me and I can not see Him, I KNOW He is there and He knows the path out of the darkness.

I sit back and almost laugh at myself writting this, because I know my life is blessed and filled with those who love me...I have no reason or cause for feeling the way I do...and yet, here I am.

Psalm 61 - Hear my cry, O God; listen to my prayer.
From the ends of the earth I call to you, I call as my heart grows faint;
lead me to the rock that is higher than I. For you have been my refuge,
a strong tower against the foe.

~ V

...and HE shall reign

2010-11-30T22:49:00.000-06:00

Just a quick one...saw this tonight and just HAD to post it. I LOVE LOVE LOVE things like this! Enjoy...

NOTE: No innocent bystander, patron (or anyone else for that manner), was offended, mentally anguished or religiously oppressed by the clear Christian message that was sung in a public place, during the taping of this video...

~ V

Giving Thanks...

2010-11-28T22:57:00.001-06:00

This is the second year that I took the day before as well as the day after Thanksgiving off from work. I always take the day before off to get a jump start on cooking and baking for the feast that would follow...it's not that Lisa can't do it, it's that I LOVE to do it! We had a houseful with our 8, my sister and her family (3) and Lisa's mom and step-father, it gets a little hectic (especially around serving time) with that many people moving in and through the kitchen, but I made it and only had one somewhat mild stressor! As I stated earlier, I love to cook and for me it's ALL about flavors and freshness. I planned a fairly typical menu (Turkey, mashed potato's and gravy, stuffing, green bean casserole (in Minnesota, they call it Hot Dish...I was born in Iowa and we call it casserole!), squash, rolls and of course...pies. Pretty straight up, but here's what I did to switch it up: With the Turkey, I made a garlic & herb butter which I softened, then used to coat the bird between the skin and the bird itself. This cooked the flavors right into the meat and was VERY good if I may say so myself! Next, I converted green bean casserole from a quick 5 min job into a slightly more labor intensive (30 min prep) one by making my own french-fried onion pieces the night before, cutting and blanching fresh green beans instead of canned and making my own mushroom sauce instead of using canned cream of mushroom soup. I had never done this before, so I was a little nervous with how people would like it...all I can say is WOW! This is one recipe that I will use on a permanent basis! Again, fresh ingredients provide AMAZING results! The other thing I did was stayed away from pumpkin pie mixes. Instead, I used 100% pumpkin puree, ground my own nutmeg and used cream instead of milk...OH and I made a hand-whipped brandied whip-cream and homemade caramel sauce for toppings.

My sister and her family stayed through the weekend and on Friday, we took them to Lark Toys. Where my sister bought a game called BeanBoozled...All I can say is PRAY you never...EVER get the Centipede flavored jelly bean! We had a great time with Donna, Dave and Rose, we laughed, played games, ate a lot of food and were truly blessed by their visit and the time we had together.

Today, after they went home, we started the transformation of our home into our little Christmas wonderland! I LOVE this time of year and I LOVE decorating for it. As we were putting up one of the trees and listening to Mannheim Steamroller over the stereo, I became a little nostalgic...My mom loved the Christmas season as well and all of the decorating, baking and celebrating that went with it and although she's been gone for 10 years now, those memories are as fresh as yesterday! I miss her...and I wish mom could have met Lisa...they would have loved each other and Lisa would have fit right in with the quirky family that we were back then.

We kind of have this little family tradition where we go around the table and tell each other something we are most thankful for from this past year. Sometimes they're silly, sometimes the older ones feel it's corny and don't really want to participate...but in the end they do. This year I'm thankful for a mother who loved her children until her heart broke...wasn't afraid to discipline her kids...who shed tears over their losses and smiled with pride in their triumphs and who was staunchly resolute in bringing her children up in the way of our Lord, Jesus Christ. She was much braver and stronger than I'll ever be...Thank you Mom.

~ V

~ Family ~

2010-11-17T22:34:00.002-06:00

Genesis 27:6-13, 27-36, 37-41 Rebekah said to her son Jacob, “Look, I overheard your father say to your brother Esau, ‘Bring me some game and prepare me some tasty food to eat, so that I may give you my blessing in the presence of the LORD before I die.’ Now, my son, listen carefully and do what I tell you: Go out to the flock and bring me two choice young goats, so I can prepare some tasty food for your father, just the way he likes it. Then take it to your father to eat, so that he may give you his blessing before he dies.” Jacob said to Rebekah his mother, “But my brother Esau is a hairy man while I have smooth skin. What if my father touches me? I would appear to be tricking him and would bring down a curse on myself rather than a blessing.” His mother said to him, “My son, let the curse fall on me. Just do what I say; go and get them for me.”

So he went to him and kissed him. When Isaac caught the smell of his clothes, he blessed him and said,

“Ah, the smell of my son is like the smell of a field that the LORD has blessed. May God give you heaven’s dew and earth’s richness - an abundance of grain and new wine. May nations serve you and peoples bow down to you. Be lord over your brothers, and may the sons of your mother bow down to you. May those who curse you be cursed and those who bless you be blessed.”

After Isaac finished blessing him, and Jacob had scarcely left his father’s presence, his brother Esau came in from hunting. He too prepared some tasty food and brought it to his father. Then he said to him, “My father, please sit up and eat some of my game, so that you may give me your blessing.” His father Isaac asked him, “Who are you?” “I am your son,” he answered, “your firstborn, Esau.” Isaac trembled violently and said, “Who was it, then, that hunted game and brought it to me? I ate it just before you came and I blessed him—and indeed he will be blessed!” When Esau heard his father’s words, he burst out with a loud and bitter cry and said to his father, “Bless me—me too, my father!” But he said, “Your brother came deceitfully and took your blessing.” Esau said, “Isn’t he rightly named Jacob? This is the second time he has taken advantage of me: He took my birthright, and now he’s taken my blessing!” Then he asked, “Haven’t you reserved any blessing for me?”

Isaac answered Esau, “I have made him lord over you and have made all his relatives his servants, and I have sustained him with grain and new wine. So what can I possibly do for you, my son?” Esau said to his father, “Do you have only one blessing, my father? Bless me too, my father!” Then Esau wept aloud. His father Isaac answered him, “Your dwelling will be away from the earth’s richness, away from the dew of heaven above. You will live by the sword and you will serve your brother. and when you grow restless, you will throw his yoke from off your neck.” Esau held a grudge against Jacob because of the blessing his father had given him. He said to himself, “The days of mourning for my father are near; then I will kill my brother Jacob.”

So Jacob stole everything that was rightfully his older brother Esau's...his inheritance AND their father's blessing...and evdidently their mother's love as well as she played a terrible role in what transpired...talk about family division and tension! How would you react if something similar happened? I'd like to think that I'd just rise above it and go on...but I just don't know. Going further a few chapters, this is how it played out.

Genesis 32:3-5 Jacob sent messengers ahead of him to his brother Esau in the land of Seir, the country of Edom. He instructed them: “This is what you are to say to my lord Esau: ‘Your servant Jacob says, I have been staying with Laban and have remained there till now. I have cattle and donkeys, sheep and goats, male and female servants. Now I am sending this message to my lord, that I may find favor in your eyes.’”

Jacob had to go to Edom and he knew his brother lived there. The last time he saw him, Esau wanted to kill him, so Jacob is a little more than nervous and uncertain of what to expect...so he offered up the following prayer.

Genesis 32:9-12 Then Jacob prayed, “O God of my father Abraham, God of my father Isaac, LORD, you who said to me, ‘Go back to your country and your relatives, and I will make you prosper,’ I am unworthy of all the kindness and faithfulness you have shown your servant. I had only my staff when I crossed this Jordan, but now I have become two camps. Save me, I pray, from the hand of my brother Esau, for I am afraid he will come and attack me, and also the mothers with their children. But you have said, ‘I will surely make you prosper and will make your descendants like the sand of the sea, which cannot be counted.’”

And when they finally meet...after all this time...and all that's been said...

Genesis 33:1-4 Jacob looked up and there was Esau, coming with his four hundred men; so he divided the children among Leah, Rachel and the two female servants. He put the female servants and their children in front, Leah and her children next, and Rachel and Joseph in the rear. He himself went on ahead and bowed down to the ground seven times as he approached his brother. But Esau ran to meet Jacob and embraced him; he threw his arms around his neck and kissed him. And they wept.

Family...a strange little band of characters trudging through life sharing diseases and toothpaste, coveting one another's desserts, hiding shampoo, borrowing money, locking each other out of our rooms, inflicting pain and kissing to heal it in the same instant, loving, laughing, defending, and trying to figure out the common thread that bound us all together. ~Erma Bombeck

...Thanksgiving is just a week away and Christmas is right around the corner from that. Families the world over will gather to laugh, reminisce of days long gone and sit down to break bread together. But that's not true for everyone...for many, this is an incredibly sad and stressful time of year. Family hurts, divisive attitudes and hardened hearts will turn what should be a bright and joyous time into one full of tension and dread...Why is it that we treat family with less grace and with more contempt than the clerk at Wal-Mart? We often take our families for granted, expect far more from them and give far less in return then any other relationship. Family is supposed to be there when you need them, and is supposed to have a strong hold on the ground you walk on. They stick with you through the toughest times and offer help and advice when needed. You know you don't want it to be the way it is...no one enjoys holding hurts and sore feelings and it doesn't make you feel better. Pride, selfishness, lack of communication and lack of understanding are relationship killers...they need to be stripped away and laid aside. You choose to be prideful...choose to be selfish...choose to seal yourself off. Make this year different...choose to change. 'But I've been hurt!'...yes, you probably have been. 'But he/she did......to me!'...I know, but why allow that to control you? Choose to change. 'But it's SO hard!'...yes it is, but I guarantee that if you take the first step and choose to change, you will be happier.

Listen...Families aren't perfect...none of us are, but in the end when the rubber meets the road, while friendships fade and disappear like smoke in the wind, family will always be family...Take a chance, Jacob did. It was scary at first for him...but BOY did it pay off in the end!

~ V

In Search Of

2010-09-28T21:50:00.000-05:00

Psalm 62:5-7
Find rest, O my soul, in God alone; my hope comes from him.
He alone is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will not be shaken.
My salvation and my honor depend on God; he is my mighty rock, my refuge.

Finding rest...finding shelter...two things everyone seeks. But where do you seek shelter and rest? That is the real question...and how you answer is the difference between contentment and continued struggles. Seeking shelter and rest in ANYTHING (or anyone) other than God, will always see you out in the cold and more tired than when you first started...and yet still we try. Fame, Wealth, Status...every one of them is fleeting and in the end...empty. King Solomon says as much himself in Ecclesiastes. He pursued wisdom, pleasure, folly, hard work, advancement and riches...during his pursuits, he denied himself nothing and in the end said, 'Meaningless! Meaningless!...Everything is meaningless!'

This got me to thinking...If we claim the love and trust of Christ and yet place our rest and build our shelter elsewhere...isn't that betraying that love and trust? Is that any better than Judas's betrayal?

Just a thought...

~ V

Life in Fast-Foward...

2010-09-08T20:27:00.000-05:00

Summer has come to an official end as the kids started their first FULL day back to school today. This will be a significant year as this is Hope and Kyle's last year of Elementary school, Nick and Vinny's last year of Middle school AND Trevor's last year of High school...major changes indeed! It's really weird to think that when Lisa and I first met, Nick and Vinny were in the same grade that Kyle and Hope are in right now (4th)...now they're in their last year of Middle school...where DOES the time go? It's
truly amazing when you think about it...all the changes...all the adjustments...all the growth everyone of us have gone through. Has there been pain? Yes... Tears? Of course...but there has also has been laughter and play...bonding and dare I say, sense of 'Family'. There is a love there that is growing, that I honestly didn't expect.

Out of the ashes of both of our pasts, God has and IS building our house. Board by board and nail by nail...built by the carpenter of the Universe...and our foundation is built not upon shifting sand, but on the ROCK!

~ V

Brain Drain...

2010-08-18T22:50:00.003-05:00

OK, so tonight Lisa told me she thought we, as a family, watch too much TV. She went on to say that from the moment the first kid is up, until we go to bed, the TV is almost always on and that she wants that to change. I must admit that this irritated me at first...I work hard and I just want to come home and relax...in front of the TV...Then I started to remember that when Lisa and I dated and even during the first months after we were married, we watched VERY little TV. Now it seems to absorb all my time...it didn't used to. I used to listen to music, or listen to Lisa play the piano. I used to work on the boys's rooms or some other project around the house. I used to BLOG...everyday! and I used to read A LOT more scripture. I've allowed TV to 'take over' and it has stolen the joy I used to get from doing all those other things.

Lisa's right, we are watching too much TV and the first step is recognizing it...

Hello, my name is Vince...and I watch too much TV.

~ V

Dad's Life

2010-07-28T21:36:00.000-05:00

Ok, so here's one for the guys...I love this!

~ V

Rhapsody to beat all rhapsodies

2010-06-24T14:04:00.000-05:00

Saw this on someone's Facebook post today...simply awesome!

~ V

My Dad

2010-06-18T13:28:00.003-05:00

10 years ago last month, my Mom died of sepsis; a complication coming from having Calciphylaxis, which I’m sure was made worse by her being Diabetic. My Mom spent the last three months of her life in the hospital and was in such pain during the last days, that although the Morphine kept her unconscious...she groaned and cried with pain. To my knowledge my Dad spent every waking moment of those days (as well as many nights) with her in the hospital. I know he experienced the frustration and hopelessness, the sadness and despair one feels as they helplessly watch their spouse slowly slip away...I've never forgotten this, nor the impression of duty and love it left with me.

I've written about my relationship with my Dad as I grew up before...he was a pretty harsh disciplinarian...kind of a 'shoot first, ask questions later' type of guy and while I know there were plenty of times where I had earned his wrath...there were many times where justice wasn't blind and the scales were weighted against me and as I grew older, I took a lot of resentment for my father with me.

It wasn't always that way...I remember in my early years Dad would take me fishing or I'd go along with him while he road hunted for Pheasant. He taught me how to bait my own hook and how to not just rely on the bobber, but to keep the line between my thumb and pointer finger, so I could feel the fish nibbling before they struck. He also taught me how to look for Pheasant runs along fence rows...and that a hen will nest not too far from a run. My Dad taught me about grilling (although I'm a better griller!), how to clean a fish (which I hate to this day) and how to work on cars. My Dad sat down with me when a girl broke my heart for the very first time and I thought the world was crashing in around me and told me through the lump in his throat 'Son...It'll be OK. It will only hurt for a time and then you'll never allow yourself to be hurt that bad again.' ...Of course I allowed myself to be hurt again...but the point was he was trying to connect with me...trying to ease my wound heart...and it's a moment that I'll never forget.

A few weeks ago, Dad and my stepmother Dee came back to Iowa (from Arizona where they live) because Dad needed to see his eye doctor. They stayed with my sister Donna and her husband Dave. They had planned on spending two weeks there and I really wanted them to come up. On Wednesday of the first week, Donna called me and said that she had to tell me something. Her, Dave and my two other sisters (Denise and Deb) had gone down to Arizona about a month earlier, and at that time, Donna had told me about an incident where Dad had acted disoriented and confused. All three girls impressed upon Dee that she should get Dad in to see a doctor. Well...Dad had another similar incident the night before, at their house. After getting Dad settled down, Dee told Donna that she had taken Dad to the doctor and after examining him, he's fairly positive Dad has Alzheimer's...

...As she kept talking, I could feel my eyes start to water and a lump the size of Sugarloaf seize my throat. She asked me if I was alright...I couldn't answer her for about a minute. After I got off the phone, Lisa wanted to know what was wrong...I just buried my head in her shoulder and wept...hard. I sat there wondering what the heck was going on! In my heart I had forgiven my Dad long before...I had buried the demons of my past, I had shaken free the manacles of resentment and the bondage that comes with it and had gone on with life...but now it all came flooding back. I was a kid again, and in my mind's eye I was reliving moments both good and bad...all in a flash.

I'm not sure why it affected me the way it did...I honestly thought I'd cried my last tear over my Dad years ago. Maybe it was because both of my parents had/have terrible diseases. Maybe it was because of the history with my Dad and I want the time to replace the bad with good. Maybe it was because the sorrow of the bitterness that resentment left behind in me, washed over me in that moment...most likely it was equal parts of each...

After Donna's call, we made special plans and met them all that Friday in Rochester for supper. We stayed late and kept the restaurant open later, but they were kind and didn't complain. Lisa took pictures of Dad and I...Dad and the kids and Dad with Dee. Dad and I sat at one end of the long table and we talked about nothing...and everything. It was a good night and I am so glad we were ALL able to make it happen. I'm not too sure with time and distance how many more we'll be able to have...but I'll cherish every one.

Dad? I know there were times when I was growing up that I didn't make it easy on you...and that at times because of my actions or attitude you didn't like me very much. Will you please forgive my stubbornness, resentment and my disrespect? I need you to know there were times when I felt you were overly harsh or unjust in the way you punished me...But I know as a father myself, the incredible responsibility we have to properly discipline and instruct our children...I need you to know that I forgive you for the times of harsh or unjust discipline and that I love you for loving me enough and for caring enough to do so. I know there were MANY times when you felt I wasn't paying attention to what you were trying to teach me or tell me, but I want you to know that I was. Whether it was grilling hamburgers, changing a tire or cleaning a fish...thank you for teaching me the countless things that you did...Thank you for being my Dad.

~ V

I have...and I ALWAYS will

2010-06-10T19:33:00.001-05:00

While preparing to put a Photoshow together for a young couple in our church whom Lisa shot their engaugement pictures, I ran across this song...

Here are the words...

Darling, we're both scared
But where love is, fear won't tread
All of these friends here agree
We're right where we should be

Underneath all your white
My Lady, My Love, My Bride
In your darkest hours
Will I love you still
I have and I always will

I guess it's because I just do
Following heaven's clues
This is a big mystery
How I found, you found me

Underneath all your white
My Lady, My Love, My Bride
In your darkest hours
Will I love you still
I have and I always will

And you are changing now
Your part of me somehow
And I will never be alone

In your darkest hours
Well I love you still
I have and I always will
I have and I always will

...every once in awhile, something comes along that you either read or hear that speaks exactly what your heart feels. Words not originally spoken by you...but might as well have. The prose itself is from the heart, but combined with the written music, well...stirs me.

My love...my Lisa...my wife. This is for you...

Today, tomorrow, forever I love you!

~ V

Shake it off and step up

2010-06-04T23:26:00.001-05:00

There was a farmer who owned a mule. Now throughout the years, the mule helped the farmer by hauling dirt and rocks and whatever else the farmer needed moved from one place to another. One day, the mule fell into the farmer's well. The farmer heard the mule 'braying' (or whatever mules do when they fall into wells) and eventually found him in the well. After carefully assessing the situation, the farmer sympathized with the mule, but decided that neither the mule nor the well was worth the trouble of saving. Instead, he called his neighbors together and told them what had happened ...and enlisted them to help haul dirt to bury the old mule in the well and put him out of his misery.

Initially, the old mule was hysterical! But as the farmer and his neighbors continued shoveling and the dirt hit his back ... a thought struck him. It suddenly dawned on him that every time a shovel load of dirt landed on his back, he should shake it off and step up! This he did, shovel full after shovel full. "Shake it off and step up...shake it off and step up...shake it off and step up!" He repeated to encourage himself. No matter how painful the blows, or how distressing the situation seemed the old mule fought "panic" and just kept right on shaking off the dirt and stepping up!

It wasn't long before the old mule...battered and exhausted...stepped triumphantly over the wall of that well! What seemed like would bury him, actually blessed him...all because of the manner in which he handled his seemingly dire fate.

If we face our problems, respond to them positively, and refuse to give in to panic, bitterness, or self-pity, the adversities that come along to bury us usually have within them the potential to benefit and bless us. The older I get, the more convinced I become that EVERY adversity, every failure, every heartache carries with it the seed of an equal or greater benefit...It ALL depends on how we face them.

'Rather, as servants of God we commend ourselves in every way: in great endurance; in troubles, hardships and distresses; in beatings, imprisonments and riots; in hard work, sleepless nights and hunger; in purity, understanding, patience and kindness; in the Holy Spirit and in sincere love; in truthful speech and in the power of God; with weapons of righteousness in the right hand and in the left; through glory and dishonor, bad report and good report; genuine, yet regarded as impostors; known, yet regarded as unknown; dying, and yet we live on; beaten, and yet not killed; sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; poor, yet making many rich; having nothing, and yet possessing everything.' 2 cor 6:4-10

~ V

Why indeed...

2010-05-31T22:40:00.000-05:00

Please watch...

Oh Lord...search my heart, bring me ever to the realization of who You are and who I am...

~ V

Construction Zone

2010-05-16T23:23:00.002-05:00

So, yeah...under the suggestion that my site might be too 'visually' dark, I'm going to be window shopping for a new layout for my blog. I kind of like this one...although technically it's still dark, but who knows. A change was WAY past due and it might take me awhile to find the right look, if you know what I mean. So, be honest and tell me what you think???

~ V

Family???

2010-05-15T23:13:00.001-05:00

Talk about my family? Dare I? I mean, honestly...there are good, bad and ugly moments and while I KNOW all families experience these, I've honestly avoided all but the funny because we're still relatively newly married (two years this June!), we're still growing together as a family and well...I've just not been sure how my better half would feel if I openly and honestly BLOGGED about a frustration or a 'not-so-happy' moment...I would never want to hurt her...even inadvertently. So, generally I've avoided talking about such things. But thinking about this has caused me to realize something...I tend to avoid blogging altogether when something 'family' related is on my mind. Not sure what that means, but it just came to mind (see hon? I can ramble too! :)).

With that said, I DO feel like I've just recently awoke from a long sleep. Prior to a few weeks ago even Lisa would look at me and tell me, 'You just don't look happy.' And honestly...I wasn't. I wasn't unhappy in our marriage...I wasn't unhappy in my job...and even though there honestly are times of frustration with the kids, I wasn't unhappy in our family life either. Time flies and I feel I've nothing to show...I hate that I'm diabetic and feel ashamed for the financial strain it puts on my family. So, those are the things that have been on my heart...and you know what? In typical Vince Howard fashion, I haven't placed any of it at the foot of the cross. Why do I continue to do this? You'd think I'd learn by now...

What a Friend we have in Jesus, all our sins and griefs to bear!
What a privilege to carry everything to God in prayer!
O what peace we often forfeit, O what needless pain we bear,
All because we do not carry everything to God in prayer.

Have we trials and temptations? Is there trouble anywhere?
We should never be discouraged; take it to the Lord in prayer.
Can we find a friend so faithful who will all our sorrows share?
Jesus knows our every weakness; take it to the Lord in prayer.

Are we weak and heavy laden, cumbered with a load of care?
Precious Savior, still our refuge, take it to the Lord in prayer.
Do your friends despise, forsake you? Take it to the Lord in prayer!
In His arms He’ll take and shield you; you will find a solace there.

Oh how that line rings true...O what peace we often forfeit, O what needless pain we bear, All because we do not carry everything to God in prayer...

So, with Christ's help...I'm picking myself up. Who am I kidding! He's lifting me out of the pool of self-defeat that I've thrown myself into and He's washing the stench of self proclaimed failure from my feet.

~ V

What's your pleasure?

2010-05-13T19:31:00.000-05:00

I feel like I've really not written lately. Yeah, I've put out some perfunctory posts and some silly ones, but I really haven't connected and posted something with any substance for quite some time. So, I want to know what some of you would like to hear me talk about?

So...what's your pleasure?

~ V

A Praying Day...

2010-05-06T16:26:00.000-05:00

Today marks the 59th observance of the National Day of Prayer. Created in 1952 and signed into law by President Harry Truman. Prior to the nation's founding, the Continental Congress issued a proclamation recommending "a day of publick humiliation, fasting, and prayer" be observed on July 20, 1775 During the Quasi-War with France, President John Adams declared May 9, 1798 as "a day of solemn humiliation, fasting, and prayer," during which citizens of all faiths were asked to pray "that our country may be protected from all the dangers which threaten it". On March 30, 1863, President Abraham Lincoln issued a proclamation expressing the idea "that the awful calamity of civil war, which now desolates the land, may be but a punishment, inflicted upon us, for our presumptuous sins", and designated the day of April 30, 1863 as a day of "national humiliation, fasting and prayer" in the hope that God would respond by restoring "our now divided and suffering Country, to its former happy condition of unity and peace". He went on to say, "...it is the duty of nations as well as of men, to own their dependence upon the overruling power of God, to confess their sins and transgressions, in humble sorrow, yet with assured hope that genuine repentance will lead to mercy and pardon; and to recognize the sublime truth, announced in the Holy Scriptures and proven by all history, that those nations only are blessed whose God is the Lord."

In more recent history, the idea of an annual National Day of Prayer was introduced by the Rev. Billy Graham, who suggested it in the midst of a several-week crusade in the nation’s capitol. Members of the House and Senate introduced a joint resolution for an annual National Day of Prayer, "on which the people of the United States may turn to God in prayer and meditation at churches, in groups, and as individuals."

On April 17, 1952, President Harry S. Truman signed a bill proclaiming a National Day of Prayer must be declared by each following president at an appropriate date of his choice. In 1982 a conservative evangelical Christian organization called the "National Prayer Committee" was formed to coordinate and implement a fixed annual day of prayer for the purpose of organizing evangelical Christian prayer events with local, state, and federal government entities. In his 1983 declaration, Ronald Reagan said, "From General Washington's struggle at Valley Forge to the present, this Nation has fervently sought and received divine guidance as it pursued the course of history. This occasion provides our Nation with an opportunity to further recognize the source of our blessings, and to seek His help for the challenges we face today and in the future." In 1988, the law was amended so that the National Day of Prayer would be held on the first Thursday of May.

Now today, in our history, just this year in fact, a federal judge from Wisconsin has ruled the National Day of Prayer, unconstitutional. On March 1, 2010 U.S. District Judge Barbara Crabb stated: ‘In my view of the case law, government involvement in prayer may be consistent with the establishment clause when the government's conduct serves a significant secular purpose and is not a "call for religious action on the part of citizens." McCreary County, Kentucky v. American Civil Liberties Union of Kentucky, 545 U.S. 844, 877 (2005). Unfortunately, (section) 119 cannot meet that test. It goes beyond mere "acknowledgment" of religion because its sole purpose is to encourage all citizens to engage in prayer, an inherently religious exercise that serves no secular function in this context. In this instance, the government has taken sides on a matter that must be left to individual conscience. "When the government associates one set of religious beliefs with the state and identifies nonadherents as outsiders, it encroaches upon the individual's decision about whether and how to worship." McCreary County, 545 U.S. at 883 (O'Connor, J., concurring). Accordingly, I conclude that (section) 119 violates the establishment clause.’

It saddens me deeply to see this blessed country that I SO love, turning away from that which made us the great and blessed country that we have been. Contrary to what many would want us to believe, this country was founded on Christian beliefs and values. If you don’t believe me, just read the Declaration of Independence. The Declaration contains five references to God - God as supreme Lawmaker, God as Creator of all men, God as the Source of all rights, God as the world's supreme Judge, and God as our Protector on whom we can rely.

The very idea that a government or President, through acknowledging the importance of prayer and humbling of ourselves in a National way, can or has caused ‘concrete injury’ to anyone, is beyond me. If I don’t like a book, TV show or movie, I choose not to read/watch it.

2 Chronicles 7:14 - If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.

Pray with me, wont you?

~ V

Warmer Weather + Junk =

2010-04-23T12:15:00.000-05:00

Spring has officially decided to stay and day by day it's getting warmer. With the combination of those two things and the deep seeded need in us to 'spring clean'...you know what that means...It's garage sale season!

I find it funny...here we are each spring, going through our closets and storage rooms, deciding what to sell, donate or simply get rid of and then we go off to buy stuff from other people who are trying to sell, donate or simply get rid of the stuff they've cleaned out. In the wake of 'cleaning out', it seems we just can't help but collect more. Garage sales truly prove that one man's garbage is another man's treasure!

And it's also funny if you have kids. They want to get in on the action too, so they go through their things and come out with a box mostly full of Happy Meal toys. They have grand dreams of buying PlayStation's and XBOX's with the riches they just know they're going to get and actually look at you confused and disappointed at the $2.50 you give them at the end of the day!

So, here I am today sitting at our own garage sale...have I mentioned that I HATE getting ready to DO a garage sale? The sorting, the folding, the pricing, the setting up, the tearing down...yeah, pretty much everything but the actual taking of other people's money. You see, it's NEVER a simple thing...you HAVE to go through every drawer, every closest and every box in your storage closet and look at each item and think...Hmm, I haven't seen this item in over 3 years and even tho it's sat unused in this box and up until now I've completely forgotten that I owned it, there MIGHT be a chance I might need it within the next 5 + years...Thank heavens Lisa and I are NOT like that...well, not to any extreme that is!

Now as I said, I'm sitting here at our own garage sale, typing this BLOG and watching people come and go between our neighbor's house and ours. Each year at this time our entire town does a city wide garage sale and people from all over the area come through. So far we've sold an old refrigerator, large dog kennel and our treadmill (so long New Years resolution!) and many other smaller items. I like to price items to move; I figure that if I took the time to sort through all of our CRAP, that means we don't want to keep it and it does me no good to spend this time just to put the stuff back into storage. The worst is this...putting stuff out to sell at your garage sale that you purchased from garage sales the year before...I have to admit that we're guilty of that!

One guy came up, said that he recently had a heart attack and needed the treadmill to help him in his recovery. So, I was happy to help him load the thing up in the back of his truck. Then there's the family who drove up with their black lab in the back seat. Sitting there with a stuffed teddy bear in his mouth...not chewing it mind you...just sitting there like it was his security blanket!

I'm thinking next time I'm just going to put a sign in the front yard stating 'Garage Sale, Knock On Door'. Then I'll have the 'Pickers' just go from room to room in our house and if they find something they like, they can ask and who knows...maybe I'll sell it!

~ V

Calling Your Wife Bub...

2010-04-16T13:53:00.000-05:00

I call my wife 'Babe'...in fact, I call her that ALOT! I know most of you probably have a pet name or nick name you call your significant other...Babe is the one I use. Once I called her 'Baby Girl', but she quickly put the kabash on that for two reasons 1) I call my youger daughter that and 2) 'I'm not 10 years old' as she would say.

So...today I finished dressing and came out to the kitchen where she was doing something on her computer, I grabbed my lunch bag (yes...adults can have lunch bags too...) and said; 'Ok Bub, I'm out of here...' obviously I meant to say BABE...except that BUB came out instead. I knew what I said and, hoping that she was too engrossed in what she was doing, continued on with getting ready to leave. Three full seconds had past and I was silently rejoicing inside when she said, 'Bub??? I'm your Buddy???' to which I replied, 'Yeah, I was hoping you didn't catch that.' She said, 'Oh, I caught it alright! Since when am I your BUDDY??'

Yeah...nice...

~ (not your Buddy) V

Separated...

2010-04-06T13:59:00.001-05:00

“For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 8:38-39

“From the sixth hour until the ninth hour darkness came over all the land…the earth shook and the rocks split…” Matthew 27:45

Christ's deep agony on the cross was not from the physical pain or the rejection by man. The deep agony was from the separation that occurred when the wrath of the Father was poured out upon the Son…His Beloved.

I doubt that any of us can understand the depth of the love that binds the Triune nature of God together. It is a “oneness” that goes way beyond that which He designed for a man and a woman. Even though God planned for us to participate in, and experience, the “profound mystery” as Paul describes it, it is, no doubt, but a speck in comparison to the love and the union of the Father and the Son.

Jesus said they were “one”.

…and they had been for all eternity…and they will be for all eternity.

But on the cross, Jesus was separated from the Father when He bore the penalty for our sins...the eternal separation from God. That was the price and Jesus paid it.

And He cried out “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?”

Many have said that Jesus died from a broken heart. I don’t know whether or not this is true. But die He did…for the penalty of sin includes death. His blood was shed…for there is no remission of sin without it.

But His real cry of agony on the cross came from being separated from the One He loved.

We experience that, too, when we are long separated from those we love. But this is nothing compared to the magnitude of the separation that Jesus bore for us.

But why did He?

Because He loves you…really loves YOU.

And that deep, deep love meant paying the penalty on our behalf so that there might never...EVER be a separation between the Lover and the loved...the Groom and His bride...the Shepherd and His sheep.

Who can fathom the depth of this? Paul was given the words to help us grasp it:

“Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?” He then lists the possibilities and the answer to each is understood:

Trouble? No...

Hardship? No...

Persecution? No...

Famine? No...

Nakedness? No...

Danger? No...

Sword? No...

Death? No...

Life? No...

Angels? No...

Demons? No...

The present? No...

The future? No...

Any powers? No...

Height? No...

Depth? No...

Anything else in ALL of creation? No...

Have we gotten the point yet? In case not, he sums it up this way:

“NOTHING will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

...I guess that means NOTHING...

Remember...when you feel that you're at the end of your rope...that no one cares...that you've been beaten and left for dead...that everything you've done has come to naught...that no one loves you...He does.

In the presence of something so awesome, my weak little “thanks” seems somewhat inadequate.

~ V

Just One Word...

2010-04-05T08:16:00.000-05:00

WHAT?

~ V

Only You

2010-03-28T22:48:00.001-05:00

Only You

Take my heart, I Lay it down
At the feet of you whose crowned
Take my life, I’m letting go
I lift it up to You who’s throned

And I will worship You, Lord
Only You, Lord
And I will bow down before You
Only You Lord

Take my fret, take my fear
All I have, I’m leaving here
Be all my hopes, be all my dreams
Be all my delights, be my everything

And I will worship You, Lord
Only You, Lord
And I will bow down before You
Only You Lord

And It’s just you and me here now
Only you and me here now
And It’s just you and me here now
Only you and me here now

I have, for a very long time, blamed myself for my eldest son's circumstances; If I would have provided better fatherly guidance, or maybe if I would have loved him the way he needed to be loved, or possibly if I would have simply spent more time with him after his mother passed away...maybe...just maybe he would still be getting straight A's...maybe he would have continued with the sports that he loved...maybe at the age of 16 he wouldn't have become a father himself...and maybe he wouldn't have rejected the faith his mother and I instilled in him...

A lot of maybe's...and as I watched my son determinedly set his path on one I knew as self-destruction, I continued to heap the burning coals of condemnation on my head. It's a horrifying thing, as a parent, to watch your child turn their back on the things you hold dear and important. What happened to the little baby boy I watched take his first steps? What happened to the little boy I taught to hit a baseball? What happened to the boy I proudly coached? What happened...what have I done...

Last Sunday in church, God spoke to me saying:
Yes Vince, you could have provided better guidance, loved him better and spent more time with him...but you have and continue to provide him with guidance. Guidance you have gleaned from My word and the wisdom I have given you from the life you have lived and the experience, both good and bad, you have gained from it. And you love him with the heart of a father who loves his children for the potential you know they have and not with the scales of justice, weighing rights and wrongs. Your son's problems aren't a result of anything you have failed to give him...they are a direct result of the continued rebellion that he's pursuing.

...A weight was lifted and some tears followed as God helped me realize that I may not be a perfect parent, but I have given guidance, love and time to all of my children and if they choose a path of sin and rebellion...they have chosen it...not me.

Now, throughout this past week, I've been thinking about this and my self condemnation has been replaced with just a general sadness over my son's choices/rebellion. Today, during worship, we sang the song above (Only You) and while I was singing, I asked God, 'Thank you God for lifting this burden I placed on my own shoulders, but I am sad with the concern over his continued rebellion and the state of his soul.' God was quick to answer, Worship Me...give him over to Me...lay him down at the feet of Him who's crowned...let him go and worship Me

And so I will...Lord, I give him over to you, please take this and all other distractions in order that I may worship you...

~ V

Sweet Amongst the Bitter

2010-03-02T12:54:00.001-06:00

Judges 14:5 - 9 Samson went down to Timnah together with his father and mother. As they approached the vineyards of Timnah, suddenly a lion came roaring toward him. The Spirit of the LORD came upon him in power so that he tore the lion apart with his bare hands as he might have torn a young goat. But he told neither his father nor his mother what he had done. Then he went down and talked with the woman, and he liked her. Sometime later, when he went back to marry her, he turned aside to look at the lion's carcass. In it was a swarm of bees and some honey, which he scooped out with his hands and ate as he went along.

There are times in our lives when we feel under pressure or attacked. As with Samson these attacks can come from any area and at any stage of life…home, work, spiritual, financial…and they often surprise us. I’ve also noticed that it matters who we turn to in the midst of these attacks. If we turn to God and His strength and power, there is a certain humbling of self and reliance on Him and this provides greater trust, peace and faith in Him. But if we continually rely on ourselves, we tend to become hardened…cynical. Dog eat dog and survival of the fittest becomes our rule…It doesn’t take a sociology professor to see evidence of this in society today.

Sampson’s trust was in the Lord and because it was, God gave him the power to overcome the lion’s attack. God will do the same for you and I…His promise to do so is repeated again and again throughout His Word. (Psalms 27:1, Psalms 34:17, Psalms 46:1, Psalms 56:11, Psalms 138:7, Isaiah 26:3, Isaiah 41:10, Isaiah 43:2, John 14:1, John 14:27, Romans 8:28, 1 Corinthians 10:13, Philippians 4:7, 2 Timothy 1:7, 1 Peter 5:7).

Now, pay close attention here. Sometimes the battle is hard and they leave deep and lasting scars that we really don’t want to relive or even think about. Later in Sampson’s story, he revisited the site of his battle with the lion. Within the carcass of the dead lion he found honey…sweet, energy restoring honey. I believe in the ‘carcass’ of every battle we’ve faced…every hardship we’ve endured…every scar we’ve obtained, there is a store of ‘honey’. Sometimes it’s hard to see at first and maybe God needs to draw us back to the site to help us realize that this ‘honey’ has helped us in our walk, or perhaps has positioned us to do God’s work in ways we never knew or expected or maybe it was there just to show us God’s majesty…in any case, it does show that God has a blessing for us in ANY circumstance.

Sweetness out of the bitterness of battle…only God can do something like that…amazing!

(this was expounded on after I heard someone share the story in Church this past Sunday)
~ V

Are You Listening?

2010-02-23T22:28:00.000-06:00

Listen, this is important. There is never a time during which Jesus isn’t speaking to us. Never. There is never a place in which Jesus isn’t present. Never. There is never a room so dark…a concert too noisy…a wasteland so desolate…or an office so sophisticated…that the ever-present, ever-pursuing, relentlessly tender Friend is not there…speaking words of guidance…tapping gently on the doors of our hearts…waiting to be invited in. Few hear His voice, few follow His guidance and fewer still open the door. But never interpret our avoidance or numbness as His absence. For in the midst of this world full of fleeting promises of fame, fortune and pleasure, is the timeless promise of His presence. Hebrews 13:5 says: ‘Never will I leave you, never will I forsake you.’ and in Matthew 28:20: ‘Surely I am with you always, even to the very end of the age.’

There is no amount of noise so loud or place so remote that the voice of God cannot be heard…if we but listen.

~ V

A Matter of Perspective...

2010-02-09T15:33:00.000-06:00

Please watch this short video...

Satan is a liar. He wants you to believe that the reality of life is filled either with hopelessness and darkness or you get what you want in life by the power of your fist and the cunningness of your mind. He wants you to believe that there is no God...or if there is, that He's so far removed that He couldn't care less about you. Psalms 56:8 tells us, "You number and record my wanderings; put my tears into Your bottle--are they not in Your book?" How precious are tears to God? So precious that He has recorded every single one of them in a book and has stored them in a bottle. You matter to God and the ONLY thing that separates us are our misconceived perceptions and sin.

"Now we see things imperfectly as in a cloudy mirror, but then we will see everything with perfect clarity. All that I know now is partial and incomplete, but then I will know everything completely, just as God now knows me completely." 1 Corinthians 13:12

Without God...without Jesus, we are blind to the truth. That truth being that you don't have to live in darkness...that living in Christ, you yourself, become a light in this dark world. That living in Christ, your life now has meaning and that you are loved. You don't have to be blind

There will come a day when there will be no more tears (Revelation 21:4) and I wonder what God will do with the bottle of the tears of His children that He has collected? Will He toss them into the sea of 'forgetfullness', Will He use them to fill the rivers of heaven? I don't know, but I do know that they are VERY precious to Him, not nearly as precious as you.

~ V

Customer Dis-Service

2010-02-04T21:42:00.016-06:00

By now, many of you know that my wife was in a minor auto-accident earlier this week. She was driving to one of her client's houses on a very narrow, back-country road when a truck rounded a corner and they both started sliding headlong towards each other on the ice and snow. They barely missed a head on collision, but the truck ripped Lisa's driver side mirror off and they both ended up in the ditch...on opposite sides of the road. Long story short, Lisa's car needs a new tie-rod, wheel and some repair to the steering gears. I'm just thankful she wasn't hurt! Cars can be replaced...people can't.

After Lisa's accident, we had to call roadside assitance. It's a service that Lisa got when she purchased the car, which actually is pretty nice because they will tow you or change your tire or even bring you some gas if you run out. In talking to the customer service rep, she was having a difficult time figuring out exactly where we were in order to dispatch someone to help us. The conversation went something like this:

Customer Serv Rep: ...Ok, and where's the car located?
Lisa: MV Road
Customer Serv Rep: Did you say that's in "this town"?
Lisa: No, it's near "that town"
Customer Serv Rep: Are you at the car now?
Lisa: No, we're on HWY Y. The car's about 3 miles down on MV Road...I can't get cell phone service there.
Customer Serv Rep: I'm having trouble finding MV Road...what's the road next up from there?
Lisa: LP Road.
Customer Serv Rep: No...can't find that either...are there any other major roads close by?
Lisa: No...wait, highway X is close by.
Customer Serv Rep: ...OK, so the car is on HWY X...
Lisa: ...No.
Customer Serv Rep: ...OK...I don't understand how HWY X is related then...
Lisa: Uh...you can't find MV Road...you asked for a major road that might be nearby...
Customer Serv Rep: Oh...yeah.

Now, we DID get the needed help, but that little exchange reminded me of the following little comic I ran across a week or so back about customer service...

I'm sure most of you, at some point in time, have had the 'pleasure' of placing a call to customer service as well and I'd like to ask you to share your FAVORITE customer service call or moment!

Look forward to reading yours!

~ V

Cookin' up a Scheme

2010-01-31T22:12:00.007-06:00

I'm really not sure if I've shared this before, but I like to cook...in fact, I really LOVE to cook. I once played a chef in the musical Hello Dolly...I looked JUST like the Swedish chef from the muppets: White pants, white cooks coat, white chef's hat and a big cookie-duster mustache! I came running out on the stage and said to the maitre d, 'Rudolph, it's true no?' OK...that really has nothing to do with what I'm talking about, but it popped into my brain while I was typing, so there ya go. I find a lot of enjoyment in cooking and take pride when something I've prepared is well liked.

I've had some success (my grilled prime rib roast is top notch if I say so myself)...as well as some failures (tried to make an Italian pudding once and well...got chocolate soup instead...), but either way it's fun and I've decided to periodically share some of my 'homeruns' so to speak. If any of you actually tries a recipe, I'd like to hear how you liked it and if you made any modification in which you felt made it better. So, without further ado here's the first one...

Vince’s Chili

Ingredients:
• 4 Lbs Ground Beef
• 1 Box Carroll Shelby’s Original Texas Chili Mix (I use everything in the box except the cayenne)
• 4 fresh Red Peppers
• 1 Can sliced mushrooms
• 1 Lg red onion
• 3 cans tomato sauce
• 1 Lg can whole tomatoes
• 1 Lg can crushed tomatoes
• 3 Can’s HUNTS fire roasted diced tomatoes (yes, Hunts…they’re the only ones that make a fire roasted kind, and it’s important to get fire roasted)
• 2 Can’s Bush’s white beans
• 2 Can’s Bush’s red beans
• 1 Can Bush’s black beans
• 3 Cloves garlic
• Smoked sea salt
• Chili Powder

Method:
1) Pre-heat oven to 400.

2) Chop the onion and mince the garlic.

3) In a large soup pot, add the ground beef, chopped onion and minced garlic and turn the heat on to 7 or 8. (check periodically to chop and mix hamburger).

4) While the meat is cooking, cut two of the red peppers in half and lay them open side down in a shallow, jelly roll pan. Place into pre-heated oven and cook 15 to twenty minutes or until the skin on the peppers are mostly black.

5) Clean and chop the other two red peppers.

6) While waiting for the meat and peppers to finish cooking, open all of the above cans. Drain only the mushrooms and whole tomatoes. Taking a pair of kitchen shears, cut up the mushrooms and whole tomatoes (leave them in the can).

7) When the red peppers are done cooking, place them in a large Ziploc bag for at least 5 min. (this will help loosen the skin, which will be removed).

8) When the hamburger is fully cooked and chopped, drain and add the contents of the chili spice mix according to the directions and mix thoroughly.

9) Next, add the tomatoes (crushed, whole, diced & sauce), beans and chopped non-roasted red peppers…mix, reduce heat to 5 or 6 and continue to cook for 5 more minutes.

10) Take the roasted peppers and using a fork, remove the skin(s). Dice the skinless peppers and add to the chili. Add smoked sea salt and chili powder to taste. If you don’t have smoked sea salt (I make my own), regular sea salt and just a drop of liquid smoke will do.

Bon Appétit

~ V

I'm Goin' On A Bear Hunt...

2010-01-28T12:53:00.005-06:00

While in the nut-house recovering from her traumatic experience with the three bears, Goldilocks took up a few new hobbies...taxidermy and fashion design...

Honestly, just look at those eyes...can you say issues?...yikes!
~ V

Lost and found

2010-01-27T17:33:00.001-06:00

For the past week and a half, I've felt beaten down...like the entire weight of the world was on my and only my shoulders. Honestly, nothing really happened to make me feel that way...I just did. I was pretty somber and Lisa on several occasions asked me what was wrong...I just said that I was tired or something. I know I should have opened up to her...but I just didn't know how to put what I was feeling into words without really freaking her out. I knew I felt this overwhelming weight and I was sad...tired...hope seemed very far away. I felt that I had failed my children...failed as a father to ensure they were brought up in the Lord...felt that I had failed my wife because after a year and a half of trying to 'blend' our families, it seems that someone is always unhappy...but it's VERY hard to 'blend' kids who much of the time are like oil and water...and I know that causes both of us a lot of stress. I also felt I failed her because I promised to be her rock...promised to be her safe place...her unsinkable ship. But much like the Titanic, there are times when the water is dark and I can't see the icebergs. As these thoughts took root in my head, the more withdrawn and somber I became. I was utterly defeated...and I honestly didn't know what to do...

I love my wife! God has given me exactly what I need in her. She comforts me when needed, but also holds me accountable. She is supportive and loving, but can also counsel me when the need arises. Kind and caring, beautiful and sensitive...I love her with all of my heart! After moping around for 10 days, it was Lisa who actually helped me realize that I hadn't been in the Word lately...I know...you'd think after everything I've talked about here...after all I've experienced, that I'd know better. I fell into the trap that many people do...I let the cares and worries of my circumstances distract me...and instead of running to the One who is more capable of handling them than I, I handled them myself and, well...we know how that turned out. Lisa, in her loving, patient way, helped pull me out from under the raincloud I was under...did I mention that I LOVE her??

By the way, I thank God that the 'hull' of our marriage isn't held together by the sheer force of our wills and desires...which, by itself is about equal to the strength of Dollar Store aluminum foil...but instead is reinforced and strengthened by our bond in Christ and slices through those icebergs like a hot knife!

~ V

There's Power in Praise

2010-01-18T21:38:00.006-06:00

Acts 16:23-26 After they had been severely flogged, they were thrown into prison, and the jailer was commanded to guard them carefully. Upon receiving such orders, he put them in the inner cell and fastened their feet in the stocks. About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them. Suddenly there was such a violent earthquake that the foundations of the prison were shaken. At once all the prison doors flew open, and everybody's chains came loose.

This Bible story begins with the unwarranted arrest of Paul and Silas. They had cast a spirit of divination out of a slave girl and realizing he had just lost his 'golden goose', the girls owner had them arrested, afterwhich the local Philippian authorities beat them and then threw them into a jail cell. Besides the trauma of the severe beating, they were also locked in stocks which held their arms and legs in an immobile position...can you say cramps and loss of circulation? The atmosphere there was depressing, most likely quite smelly and who knows what crawling all over them. Prisons of that day, were more like a dungeon; a dark, damp, stench-ridden place, with no facility for waste or comforts of any kind.

And then at midnight, in the midst of hearing their fellow prisoners groan and curse their fate, Paul and Silas started praying and singing praises to God. And not just quietly and under their breath, but loud enough that even the jailer heard them. Then suddenly, an earthquake shook the prison...the doors to all the cells flung open, and amazingly, the bonds that held Paul, Silas, and every other prisoner fell off! Paul and Silas knew how to lift their hearts above their troubles and enter into God’s presence and power. Through praise and worship their hearts were raised into the joyous presence and peace of God. Their praise and worship allowed them to not be a victim of their circumstances, but instead to trust in God. Psalms 22:3 says that God inhabits in the praises of His people. In other words, God 'dwells' in the atmosphere of His praise. This means that praise is not just a reaction from coming into His presence - Praise is a vehicle of faith which brings us into the presence and power of God! Praise and worship is the gate which allows us to enter the sacredness of His glory. Psalms 100:4 says, 'Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name'

In my humble opinion, if you're praising God...then there will be no time to listen to the temptations of the evil one. If you're praising God...then you can't wallow in the stench of your own pity. If you're praising God...you will come to see how blessed you really are. If you're praising God...you will find joy in most anything. If you're praising God...you will find a peace that can not be explained.

Praise Him! Praise Him! Jesus, our blessèd Redeemer!
For our sins He suffered, and bled, and died.
He our Rock, our hope of eternal salvation,
Hail Him! hail Him! Jesus the Crucified.
Sound His praises! Jesus who bore our sorrows,
Love unbounded, wonderful, deep and strong..

~ V

A Classic...From a Classic

2010-01-14T09:19:00.009-06:00

I LOVE this!

~ V

2009 - A Men's Fashion Retrospective

2009-12-30T13:22:00.029-06:00

From the runway's of Paris to the stages in Milan, 2009 saw some pretty incredible fashion's for men. Not sure exactly what it was, but the fashion sense and the way the designers really captured what the average male wants or needs in a good set of clothes REALLY meshed this year! Well, I could go on, but I'll just let you see for yourself...just keep in mind, these are real designs from real fashion shows...

Introducing the Inspector Clouseau fall/winter line of men's outerwear for 2009.

Whether Gadget, or Clouseau himself, you'll be the envy of detective society in this ensemble.

Nothing says 'smart' like a mismatched hat and fake mustache...

“Vince, I know you're a Network/Computer guru and have access to private databases. I was wondering if you can help me find somebody? When I was in grade school there was this class dork...His mother used to dress him in his dad’s old hat and a big scarf, and she’d put him in a stupid coat that didn’t fasten right. We used to shove him down and take his lunch money. Can you find him for me? Since the economic downturn, times are hard, and I could use some lunch money again.” Mr. Johnson

Well, Mr. Johnson, there’s certainly nothing I enjoy more than helping the school bully. I tracked your dork to Fashion Week in Paris, where he works as a model. I’m sure he’d love to have a sentimental class reunion with you. By the way, he now has a black belt in Karate, and a license to kill. Enjoy...

I can't decide if this guy is some 'fancy-boy' gun-slinger, an extra in a Jonny Depp/Tim Burton movie or a member of the Volturi...

All I know is if I was caught wearing this entering a small town Iowa tavern, I'd soon be introduced to someone's beatin' stick.

I believe designers should be required to include, on every outfit they sell, a label suggesting places where the thing can be worn.

Where I honestly haven't a CLUE where any SANE male would wear any of the above (or below) outfits, I can tell you they are NOT appropriate attire for…

a) A visit with Grams in the nursing home

b) The 6:30 a.m. Delta Shuttle from DC to New York

c) A Vikings home game

d) An appearance on “Ice Road Truckers”, "Deadliest Catch" or "Dirty Jobs"

With all due respect, I am sitting here right now, waiting for a designer to tell me where to go in one. Oh wait...maybe they already did.

Hey! it's Alabama! No...wait, it's the Oak Ridge Boy's! Er...guess not...but that guy on the end looks like the psycho dude from 'I Know What You Did, Last Summer'.

Anyway, here's the latest in 'National Whittlin’ Museum' tour guide attire from Buenos Aires Fashion Week in 2009.

In light of the impending swine flu pandemic, the designers this year had a real dilemma...how to stay safe and yet chic

To be honest, for guys with seriously messed up teeth or breath so bad that it peel's paint, this could be your lucky day!

So check out what designers are offering to help you send the oh so, subtle message: “Hey cutie, remember you said to come back if I was the last man on Earth?”

...Really? Wow...yeah, that pretty much sums it up for me.

Quick quiz: The guy shown here is…

a) The star of a cheap “Tootsie” remake
b) The star of an off-Broadway “Tribute to Corporal Klinger”
c) A dude who lost a really high-stakes election bet
d) An actual model wearing a “creation” from a genuine designer at Milan Fashion Week.

Yeah, this one fooled me, too. Turns out this is really from a men’s collection in Milan, so get ready to go shopping, guys!

It’s kind of an interesting outfit, but it isn’t clear to me whether we’re supposed to wear it to the office, football games, or just for casual evenings out with the family.

Until I sort that out, I’m leaving mine on the hanger...

Here we have the latest in Jihad summer wear fashion.

Out are the plain grey, black or just plain burlap head coverings...in are the cobalt blue scarves and cod pieces!

Who says that Jihad and fashion sense can't mix!

With these men's fashion hits of 2009, I can't wait to see what 2010 brings!

~ V

The Christmas Message I Really Want To Leave...

2009-12-24T15:08:00.003-06:00

OK...so my wife tells me that my last couple of posts have been on the...sour or bitter side. I guess I was just speaking what was on my mind at the time and let the situation(s) get the best of me. Yes, there's a lot going on in the world right now; stuff that I may not like. Even stuff I believe all Christians should be aware of and object to...but this is the Christmas season, a season of hope of love and of peace. Please take the next 3 minutes and watch this video.

Such a simple message...

To everyone who reads this:

May the light of the Christmas star shine on you,
May the comfort of home and hearth warm you,
May the cheer and good will of friends smile on you,
May the hope of a childlike heart guide you,
May the joy of a thousand angels fill you,
And may the love of the Son and God’s peace dwell in you.

Merry Christmas...

~ V

The Holiday I Love...

2009-12-23T11:58:00.001-06:00

I’ve literally sat here, in front of my computer, for over an hour thinking about how to write this post. The subject of Christmas and what has and IS happening to it, haunts me much like Ebenezer’s ghosts did him. I LOVE the Christmas season…I always have. I most likely garnered my love for this holiday from my mother, who loved everything about it from decorating the house and putting up the tree, to the candle light service at our church, which was held every Christmas eve. The mountain of issues, opinions and materials covering both make me unsure where to start and I’m finding it a bit overwhelming, but here goes...

It’s no secret that Christmas can be traced back to a pagan festival (the Roman feast of Saturnalia) and that Pope Liberius added the nativity to the Christian calendar in 354 AD to provide an alternative celebration for new converts and to Christianize the ancient festival. Christmas really wasn’t widely celebrated until the Middle Ages, starting from around 400 AD. Celebrating Christ's birth was not seen as highly important back then. In fact, many rejected the idea of a birthday celebration altogether. Focusing instead on Christ's life, crucifixion and resurrection, which was considered much more important. The December 25th date was observed as early as the third century and became more accepted throughout the fourth century as the Roman Empire converted to Christianity.

While the history of Christmas is fascinating, this is not the point. Critics of Christmas aren’t so much interested in the nature of the holiday itself but how their orientation to it differentiates them from other people. I argue that for the most part people recognize this in themselves and are OK with the differences. They either adjust and open themselves to how Christmas is celebrated in America, or they observe (or don’t observe) it as their cultural heritage taught them. But that’s not good enough for some groups.

There was a time when Christmas played a very different role in the United States. It brought people and families together and everyone did so with joy in their hearts! Many of the secular cultural symbols we associate with Christmas are American creations. For instance, the American writer George Pintard added reindeer to Santa’s sleigh in 1821 and Clement Clarke Moore raised the number to eight in his classic poem ‘A Visit from St Nicholas’. Our modern, bearded fat man with his fur-lined suit was the creation of the cartoonist, Thomas Nast (have you seen some of the older drawings of St. Nicholas? Those pictures of a scrawny, rather serious looking old man are scarry!) , and Santa’s suit is red because the Coca-Cola Company showed it this way in its advertisements. The classic Christmas songs, ‘White Christmas’, ‘Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer’, and ‘Silver Bells’ were all written by American composers, who also happened to be Jewish. Indeed, the holiday was celebrated by many Jews and Christians alike, by the native born and by immigrants, all of whom adopted American customs and added some of their own. They didn’t seem to have an issue with it…they didn’t go running to the local court house and demand that the nativity scene that’s been on display for 75 years be taken down because it offended their…what? Sense of being different? I thought that was the banner of this age, being accepting of people’s differences.

Today, we live in an age where businesses and retailers are careful NOT to wish anyone a Merry Christmas, but wishing people a Happy Hanukkah or Happy Kwanzaa is perfectly acceptable. Right here in my own small home town, the elementary school no longer has a Christmas or even a Holiday program…gone are the picture and video moments where you could capture your child dressed up like a Christmas present and record that kid who sang LOUDLY off key. There was something magical about those moments…that was replaced with a Fall Program where our kids sang songs about: Responsibility, I’m OK You’re OK and Education Rocks…I’m not kidding…I wish I was, but I’m not. It was sad seeing our kids reduced to little Politically Correct mantra repeaters. Now, don’t get me wrong, I believe it’s important that we teach our kids to be responsible, to have self respect and to do well in school, but aren’t WE the parents supposed to teach OUR kids those things? We should be teaching our kids about character, respect and values…the school should be teaching our kids about history, math and writing. Sorry, I digress…

The point is this, millions of dollars and huge amounts of time have been wasted by the ACLU and other groups to try and change American culture. They use bully tactics and threats of law suits to force this change. It no longer matters what the majority wants and honestly, I don’t think they even care what the minority wants…they only care about their agenda. School systems and local governments have limited resources…the ACLU’s coffers run deep…VERY deep. And so, small town America caves to the bully under fear and intimidation. This has gone on for so long that our county boards and education boards second guess everything and erring on the side of caution, tend to throw the baby out with the bath water as it were. Threats; real, perceived or imagined are acted on in a ‘proactive’ manner. Something’s wrong with an America where our children can’t have a Christmas party in school or sing Christmas songs in a Christmas concert. Something’s wrong with an America where we are being told that celebrating and observing cultural traditions that are steeped in American history and make us who we are, is wrong.

…and quite frankly, I’m sick to death of it.

~ V

On my Soap Box about Health Care Reform

2009-12-16T12:56:00.003-06:00

When it comes to health care, let me ask you three questions:

1) what are the progressives getting? What are those in Washington gaining by passing this health care bill by any means necessary? Bribery, coercion, lies and deception have all been employed — so what is it that this health care bill is really all about?

2) They say that health care is in trouble; what is the best way to save it?

3) Is this anything that can be found in the Constitution. Would our Founders have done this?

Let's start with question No. 1:
After vowing not to vote for this health care reform debacle, Sen. Joe Lieberman, I-Conn., lasted nearly all morning — but not quite — before caving in completely. Here's his statement:

SEN. JOE LIEBERMAN: 'I'm getting toward that position where I can say what I've wanted to say all along, that I'm ready to vote for health care reform.'

Huh? By the way, that's entirely consistent with what he's said "all along:"

LIEBERMAN: 'Though I was against the public option, I was not against health care reform. And of course, I did that before the finance committee bill came out with this very large and again, I'd say generous, but I supported, system of subsidies to bring basically lower and middle-income people into the health insurance system.'

Is there anybody — one American patriot — who will stand for the republic?

To be fair, I know that enormous pressure was brought to bear on Lieberman — look what they did to his wife. They're so desperate to pass this "reform" that liberal groups went after Hadassah Lieberman, who is the global ambassador for the Susan B. Komen Foundation for breast cancer research, demanding that her salary not be paid or that she be outright fired.

If they can't bribe you, they'll try to destroy you. Which one happened here? I don't know. Was Lieberman promised something or did he cave in to their intimidation tactics?

Remember what they gave Sen. Mary Landrieu?

SEN. MARY LANDRIEU, D-LA.: 'I am not going to be defensive about asking for help in this situation. And it's not a $100 million fix, it's a $300 million fix.'

Excuse me...but if I interpret that correctly, she told them that if THEY wanted her support, it's going to cost them $300 million??? Yes...that's $300 MILLION of your and my tax dollars...

According to the U.S. Senate Budget Committee, once fully implemented, the true cost of this program is $2.5 trillion, it will raise taxes by almost half a trillion dollars and by 2019 it will STILL leave 24 million people uninsured.

Tell me, what's even left in this bill? Why is it so imperative that it pass? Supposedly, there's no public option left and now there's no Medicare expansion? It's all about the structure being built, it's all about control. They don't care what's in the bill. This bill doesn't do what the president said what he wanted it to do, so why bribe, control and coerce? It's about control.

Second question: Is our health care system in crisis even though 80 percent of Americans are happy with their health care? Robert Creamer, the convicted felon, wrote in his "blueprint" that progressives needed to create an atmosphere of crisis. We don't believe there's a crisis, but they keep pounding that message.

The best way to fix health care is to fix it the same way you fix the economy: Get the government out of it; stop protecting people from their own mistakes.
The Democrats are pursuing this bill with absolute reckless abandon. But as usual, as the government tries to protect everyone from harm, they're actually making it more likely we'll be injured.

I know that sounds crazy, but look at the NFL's efforts to protect their players from head injuries. NFL players wear the most protective helmets modern technology can provide. Yet, nearly every week, another player winds up with a concussion or worse. In the Australian Football League (what we call rugby) players don't wear a helmet at all. Yet, head injuries in that league are 25 percent lower than in the NFL. How can that be? In the NFL, the players know they have the best equipment in the world protecting them and it causes them to be more reckless in their behavior on the field. Players are much more likely to lead with their head and engage in head-to-head contact. Aussie rules players know they have to be more careful. So, which is more compassionate: Providing the high-tech helmets or no helmet at all?

Look at the systemic failure here: The more protection large entities provide, the riskier the behavior. You've seen it in the financial institutions: The more they performed collateralized debt obligations and credit default swaps, the worse things got. And why? Because the "helmet" of Fannie and Freddie had been put in place; you couldn't fail.

The way to fix health care is to get the government and insurance companies out of the way. The closer the decision and consequences are to you, the closer you'll be to a system that works. A system that will work is a system that says, "I have to run four tests on you" and your response is "How much do they cost and are they necessary?" A system where the doctor can write a script for a generic or name brand without asking, "Is insurance paying for this?" is a system that will control costs. A system that will work is a system where the attorneys won't be rewarded for pursuing a case where a doctor gets sued for not running a test for toe fungus.

The third question is: What would our Founders do?
Ben Franklin was considered perhaps the most important man of his day. He was obviously revered in the Colonies, but he was also so respected around the world, that there was hardly a house in France that didn't have his portrait in it. Franklin was a man with tremendous influence in society. He was so beloved, that during the Constitutional Convention, prisoners carried him back and forth from the Convention everyday on a padded chair, because the pain he was in from kidney stones, made walking on the cobblestone streets too painful. He hated opium — the only serious pain reliever of the time — because he didn't like the effect it had on his mind.
So, this was a man who understood the need for health care and had a vested interest in it. He'd already known about the need for health care in America, for decades. Back in 1751, Franklin and like-minded citizens saw a need and put their money and resources together — yes, private funds — to open America's first public hospital: Pennsylvania Hospital. It's still in operation today. Franklin saw that there really were, at that time, sick people wandering the streets of Philadelphia without anywhere to go. But he didn't expect the government to fix the problem. In fact, he refused money from the politicians and instead went to friends to secure the funding.
So the answer to question No. 3 is no. The Founders could have written it in the original Constitution — they had health care problems back then too — but they knew the answer was private, not the government.

So why are we traveling down this road? Ask yourself three questions:

1) If this plan is not going to cover everyone (as they said it would and MUST but statistics from the Senate Budget Committee shows that it doesn't) and there's no public option (as they said it should and MUST) and it won't move people to Medicare/Medicaid — you're not even fixing those programs, just taking money from them — then what is it doing for us?
If they're dropping everything they've been asking for, why is the president putting all his eggs into this one basket and bringing the political pressure, bribery and blackmail to bear on this issue? What does he get out of it?

2) Why are they strapping helmets on us? Tell the government to stop putting helmets on us; let us feel the small bumps — the pain helps us avoid more serious contact. Yes, we need some protection, but we don't need this. We don't need to recklessly ram our heads, headlong into socialism and have our free market paralyzed and strapped down.

3) Show me specifically where in the Constitution the Congress is empowered to compel an individual to buy something in order to be a citizen in good standing. Where is that?

These members of Congress are now saying: I don't know where it is in the Constitution, we'll have the legal scholars work that out. No, you won't! You've taken an oath of office!

They have it backward: Congress is saying we want to do this and we'll have the weasel lawyers find a way in the Constitution to make it happen. The Constitution should shape the legislation you write, not the other way around! You don't vote on something and then say we'll have the constitutional lawyers work it out later. You determine whether it's constitutional before you vote on it.

We MUST demand that they answer to us — WE the people...remember?. We must demand that they answer to the Constitution!

This was taken from a transcript from Glenn Beck's show and like him or not, what he's saying here is 100% spot on. I think we ALL agree that Health Care costs are out of control and even that those who need access to Health Care but can't afford it, should have it...but this 'Push forward at ALL cost' approach is neither wise, nor patriotic.

~ V

It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year...

2009-12-09T22:21:00.007-06:00

Today was a lot of fun! Woke up to 17 inches of snow...and because we had 40 mph windgusts...4 foot snow drifts to boot! Everyone hunkered down and we FINALLY put up our trees and decorated them. It was a nice bonus day and the kids played in the snow for awhile and of course needed hot cocoa when they came in...here is some photo highlights

The top of our grill on our deck had about two and a half feet of snow on it when we woke up this morning.

Trying out the macro-lens on Lisa's camera...

...still testing...

Now you know why I was testing! Here are some of my collection of Star Trek ornaments...beautiful aren't they! (you're a little jealous aren't you? Come on...you can tell me!)

...And here are the rest of them. In the past I had never put the character ones out on the tree...this year Lisa talked me into it (I'm still not sure if this was for support or to get an extra laugh...)

And of course, Kirby joined in the fun too!

~ V

What our kids do when we're not watching...

2009-12-09T16:32:00.002-06:00

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Snow...

2009-12-04T17:17:00.009-06:00

The sun that dim November day
Had failed to kiss the clouds away
From quiet Nature's furrowed face,
Where autumn tears had left their trace.

And, by and by, on fields of brown
The feathered flakes came floating down
From Heaven to this world of ours,
Like spirits of departed flowers.

And fast and faster through the night,
Till Morn arose on meadows white,
And o'er the landscape lightly stepped
Where tired Nature, smiling, slept.
- Albert Bigelow Paine

Lisa captured the miracle that is a snowflake, in her photo above. It was more than just a dusting on Friday, but nothing more than an 1/8 or possibly a 1/4 inch snow fall...but it was BEAUTIFUL! As I went out to my van to drive home, I could feel the crunch of the snow under my feet and smell the crisp, cool air...it's almost as if the snowfall itself cleaned the air. I stood there for a moment, watching the snow fall against the back lighting of the street lamp...it was truly miraculous!

Think about it...it's a well known fact that no two snowflakes are alike. Each crystalline structure and shape are unique. Now think about how incredibly tiny they are and how many billions of them (piled up) it takes to fill just YOUR driveway...and how many billions of trillions of them fall each year over the whole Earth...no two alike...each of them unique. But have you ever stopped to think why they're unique? Their beauty and symmetry and uniqueness testify not only about a God who is almighty and all powerful...but also about a God who cares about the tiniest of details...and if He, the God of ALL creation cares about the design and structure of each and every snowflake, how much more must He care about you and I...

~ V

For an incredibly mind boggling article on snowflakes and how their structures are mathematically echoed within the creation account, read the CREATION SNOWFLAKE

Just another manic Monday...er, Wednesday...

2009-12-02T21:40:00.002-06:00

I feel like I've been on roller skates with a jet-pack strapped to my back ALL week! Part of it comes from having Wednesday through Sunday off last week. Isn't it funny how none of YOUR work gets done while you're off from work? It just piles up; papers, emails, voice mails...I'm not sure about you, but I take time off because I need just simply need some time away! But what's the point if you have to work TWICE as hard when you get back just to get caught up!...not so funny after all...oh well.

Vinny entered the realm of teenager-dom yesterday...I honestly can't believe it! Actually I can, because he's been showing ALL the signs...getting taller (either that or his pants are getting shorter...) and his voice has been cracking lately...A LOT actually! And it's been pretty funny teasing him about it! I know I don't say this nearly enough to him, but I love him... He can be quite impulsive at times and not very nice to his younger siblings, but he's a good sport, LOVES to laugh and deep down, he really does have a heart of gold...He cares and I love that about him. It's weird (and dangerous!) to think that in 3 years he'll be driving...he's growing up SO fast and I NEVER agreed to allow that!

On a side note, the Christmas season was always my mom's favorite time of the year and mine as well...I really miss her this time of the year and always have, but for some reason I especially miss her this year. But, more on that later...

~ V

Black (and blue) Friday

2009-11-28T20:00:00.020-06:00

Did everyone have a good Thanksgiving? We certainly did...we had 18 people, family and boyfriend/girlfriends. I did the majority of the cooking, which is fine, because I love doing it...however, if you ask Lisa, I get stressed when I cook for a big event such as Thanksgiving...I must admit that it's true...but I only get stressed because I put alot of pressure on myself in an attempt to make everything perfect. I hadn't thought much about it before this year, but I think I'm subconsciously trying to re-create the Thanksgiving's I remember as a child (where's Dr. Phil when I need him!). Anyway, we survived and everyone stuffed themselves, which left us with very little left-overs, so that MUST say something about the quality of the feast!

Lisa, Donna and Brittany (wife, sister & daughter), decided to keep capitalism alive and well in the USA, by going out and braving the 'Black Friday' experience (them and every other household in America!). They aren't quite as fanatical as some that I know, they got up around 7am, had some breakfast and were out the door before 9am, but I know they had fun!

Thinking about Black Friday, and the hoards of people who trudge out at un-holy hours, to act like barbarians and scratch and fight over the last 'Tickle Me Elmo', got me thinking about all those toys that I JUST had to have...so, in memory of Christmases past, may I present...

The 10 WORST TOYS OF ALL TIME!

Everything on this list is totally insane. Maybe you have fond memories of some of the items on this list, but remember: we were kids, and our logic was impaired. Of course we all thought watching metal roll down steps or spinning on a plastic disk until you threw up was a reasonable way to spend our time. But now that we're parents, let's look at these toys with a little more perspective . . .

10. Jarts

The object of Jarts (or lawn darts), was to place two plastic circles twenty feet or so apart and similar to horseshoes, throw these METAL TIPPED missiles into the air, trying to get them to land in the circle...I personally think if you remained un-punctured by the end of the game, you were a winner! Lawn darts, with their sharp metal projectile-ness, came from a simpler time when only one out of three kids survived childhood and everybody was okay with that. You should never allow your child to play with a toy that you'd be wary to have drunk Uncle Frank play with. Just read the warning label...YA THINK?!!!

9. Skip It

Hey kid, don't have any friends to jump rope with? Do the neighborhood kids choose you to be IT during hide-and-seek and then proceed to run into their prospective homes, leaving you to search for hours on end? Did mom and dad have to tie a steak around your neck to get the dog to play with you? Let me introduce myself — I'm Skip It, the jumping game for outcasts like you! We're going to have a lot of fun together. By the way, if you fail to jump over me, I will slap you hard in the leg...

8. The Hokkaido Poo Poo Bear (Japan)

This is simply a poop-themed bear...Does it poop? Don't know. Does it eat poop? That's not clear and honestly? I don't want to know. The only thing that IS for sure is that this bear is quite enthusiastic about associating itself with fecal matter. Yes, disturbing...Maybe poop means something different in Japan...

7. Airport X-ray Security Machine

What every kid dreams of...pretending to be a TSA agent! Spend hours of fun trying to catch terrorists and smugglers! Make your friends take their shoes off and line up for special pat-downs and wand searches! Coming soon; The Kiddy FAA Cavity Search Kit, and My First Guantanamo Bay Playset with Habeas Corpus Removal Wand!

6. Pet Rock

How about a 'Pet-I'll-Chuck-This-Back-At-Your-Head-You-Cheapo-Dad?' Need I say more??

5. The Rubber Band Gun

Merry Christmas kid - here's a gun, and while we're at it, here's your glass eye! With the potential for ocular injury associated with this toy, couldn't they have just called it The Lil' Cyclops Starter Kit?

4. PRO Thumb Wrestling Playset

ARRRRE YOOOU RRRREADY TO RRRRUMBLE??? 'I had him, I tell ya, I had him! I was bobbin and weavin, bobbin and weavin...I had him up against da ropes when outta da blue I got da woist hangnail...I coulda been a contenda, I tell ya...I coulda been a contenda.'

Hey kids! Check out this Pro Thumb Wrestling Playset. All you do is add thumbs...or maybe you could just thumb wrestle without binding yourself in this sadist's sharp plastic prison!

3. Lightning Reaction Extreme

What is the goal of this game? To not get electrocuted. What do you win? The right to not be electrocuted. Hope your kid doesn't have a weak heart or bladder for that matter. This toy quasi-safely allows your kids to explore their urge to electrocute themselves. As your kid grows older, he or she is naturally going to want to experiment with electrocution...it's perfectly natural...doesn't every kid want to feel the excitement of electrocuting themselves? Wouldn't you feel better providing it for them in the safety of your rumpus room rather than one day finding them attaching jumper cables to their friends in the garage?

2. Shirtless Sunburned Construction Worker Figure

The question is, is this a construction worker who just got hot, or is this a guy who spent too much time waiting on line for Village People reunion show tickets? I think the mustache says it all...The real question is, why is this necessary for a kids toy?

1. Sit and Spin

If you think about it, by giving a kid a toy...ANY toy, you the parent are saying, "Here, now go busy yourself with this and stay outta my hair for a while." And what better way to keep your child busy than with non-stop vomiting? This little wonder comes from the "nausea = entertainment" class of toys. It's like a mini version of the Gravitron ride at the county fair, but without that familiar carny smell. Operation of this toy is simple: the child sits, they spin, they get up and stagger away like a drunken sailor on fleet week, and then they walk directly into a wall.

So...whatever your little cherub has his/her heart set on this year for Christmas, I hope you were able to find it this past Friday...and I hope it doesn't end up on someone's future WORST list!

~ V

Missing the Mark ~ fin

2009-11-23T20:45:00.003-06:00

Hello?...Hello?...Anybody there?...Anybody? I wouldn't blame you if you weren't...it's been awhile since I've posted and I left some things hanging. For those of you...those few...who've checked back regularly and have been met with...nothing, please accept my deepest apologies.

I mean to BLOG...I honestly enjoy it and it's very therapeutic, but I find myself either busy with the kids or the house...or mostly just droning out in front of the television while my brain leaks out of my ears...so, I'm going to try to leak less and write more...

OK...so where was I? Hmm, oh yes...we live in a fallen world. I hate to go on a side note here, but I just can't help myself...have you noticed how saying 'we live in a fallen world' has become the 'pet phrase' of many of us Christians?

Another gang related crime? We live in a fallen world...there's nothing we can do about it

Your city counsel has decided not to allow the nativity scene that's been up for the last 75 years to be displayed this year? We live in a fallen world...there's nothing we can do about it

I have to be honest, I know I've used that as an excuse to not get involved and work for positive, God fearing change. I've tossed that phrase out, crossed my arms and have shaken my head...then turned and walked away, doing nothing. Hopefully you're better than me...hopefully you see that when God gave us His two greatest commandments; to love Him and to love others as much as we love ourselves, He didn't say, 'Unless you live in a fallen world.' There's no fine print that gives us the freedom to give less than love if the world we're living in is less than perfect...or if our circumstances are less than perfect...correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't a fallen world, a world that needs to be shown love the most? The depths we sink to as a society forces us to love deeper...the darker things get, the stronger the need is for brightness.

The bottom line is this, living in a fallen world isn't an excuse to shutter out the world and give up...it should be our motivation, our battle cry to try even harder. God put me here...put YOU here, in this time and place, under these circumstances because this world...this fallen world needs HIS love more than ever!

Dealing with stress in my life, from the kids...from work...from everyday life is but a chapter in this life that God has given to me...but as I heard yesterday in church...my story isn't finished yet and with God as the author of my life, He will NEVER miss the mark.

~ V

Have yourself a nerdy little Christmas...

2009-11-09T20:40:00.004-06:00

...taking a break from my apparent downward spiral (actually, I'm trying to get to a point, but that will have to wait)...

Yes, I know we're a few months out from Christmas and we JUST finished with Halloween, but in case you weren't aware...this past weekend was Hallmark's Holiday Open-house. 'I have been and always shall be...' a collector of Star Trek ornaments made by Hallmark and this year there are two that I am hoping will find their way onto our Christmas tree...

Yes, I know...but you have to admit, there are worse hobbies to have! You'll have to ask Lisa about last year and getting the Communicator...

~ V

Missing the Mark (still continued)

2009-11-05T20:55:00.002-06:00

...When times are good we're happy! But what do we do when times aren't so good...when times are right down terrible? Consider this...God is the author of all of our days and He made the one as well as the other. What does this say about the character of God? Doesn't He care? Don't EVER be fooled into thinking that God doesn't care. In spite of our sin and rejection, He gave His son...would you have? I don't think I could have. The fact is this...because of Adam and Eve's original sin, we live in a fallen world.

...More tomorrow

~ V

...To be continued

2009-11-04T21:16:00.000-06:00

...Time is something I don't have today...

~ V

Missing the Mark (continued)...

2009-11-03T16:34:00.002-06:00

...The weight of their plight lies heavily upon me. I'm not perfect...the Lord knows I have and continue to make mistakes and while I know I've tried my best, I still feel like I've failed them. Despite my prayers and the tears I've shed while on my knees before God, I sit back seemingly helpless and watch as the tapestry of their lives un-fold before me.

I've discovered the hardest thing for a parent is to watch your child grow and turn a blind eye, a deaf ear to the wisdom (wisdom born of a life filled of your own mistakes) you SO desperately want to give them...You sit, eyes wide and knuckles white from gripping the chair, as they fly straight for the side of the mountain, all the while telling you; 'I know what I'm doing', 'I can handle this' and think; 'What do you know, old man',

Blessing and cursing, health and death, good times and bad, wealth and poverty, happiness and sadness...these all fall indiscriminately on the righteous and unrighteous alike. No one is spared...so what's the point?

...More tomorrow

~ V

Missing the Mark...

2009-11-02T21:37:00.002-06:00

The past week and a half has been pretty stressful for me...work, kids, the house...sigh. More than once, I've wondered; what am I doing: here, being a parent, working there...Do my opinions matter...Do I matter...For all of my guiding, proding and discipline, I may have changed the outside response of my children, but have I honestly changed their hearts?

...more tomorrow

~ V

Parcel Postal

2009-10-21T19:22:00.002-05:00

I was on my way to work this morning when I remembered that I had a package in the back seat (yes…the back seat of my KIA…) that I needed to mail. I was ahead of schedule, so I ran to the post office before going into work. I got the rather large box out of my back seat, and went to the doors…I stood there and just blinked. The hours on the door read; Open 8:30am to 4:30pm. Who was the genius that thought, ‘Let’s open AFTER most everyone is already at work. OH, and let’s close BEFORE everyone finishes their day.’ I must admit that I just stood there…kind of dumbfounded. If a small business set hours that seemed to specifically be inconvenient for its customers, they wouldn’t be in business for very long. The United States Post Office is a service-oriented business…or at least I thought it was…

"Neither rain, nor sleet, nor gloom of night shall keep these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds." – Um, just as long as it’s between the hours of 8:30am and 4:30pm

~ V

Parts is Parts...

2009-10-19T23:06:00.002-05:00

This is my van…it’s a 2007 KIA Sedona. I purchased it 2 plus years back after my Dodge Grand Caravan was rear-ended and consequently totaled (here’s the kicker), parked out front of my house…yeah, I was really happy about that…anywho, I’ve been happy with my KIA and while it’s not a Grand Caravan, it’s a pretty good van. The fact that the first time I took it in to have the oil changed and the service station not only didn’t have the correct oil filter for it, they couldn’t even find it to order one, should have clued me in as to how maintenance on it would go. To this day I can’t find headlight replacement bulbs even in our local O’Reilly’s Auto Parts store…I have to order them online and wait for them to arrive, hoping that I either don’t have to drive at night, or that I don’t get pulled over!

But, all of that put together doesn’t even scratch the surface to the joyous time I had last week…I needed to replace the front tires, actually I needed to replace them about 3 months ago, but I had been putting it off and after a couple of frosty mornings last week, I knew I couldn’t wait any longer. So, I went into our local Fleet Farm (or is it Farm & Fleet here? I can never get it straight…) and asked about getting my front tires replaced. The service dude took my info and looked up what KIA recommended for replacement tires…guess what? The manufacturer calls for a special touring tire with a T speed rating (whatever that means) and oh, they don’t carry them…SURPRISE!!! So, I get back into the van, look up Tires Plus and give them a call, the guy tells me they have them and they’re $162 a piece! I have NEVER spent more than $75 for a tire in my entire life and I wasn’t going to start now…I told him I thought that was ridiculous and no thank you. So, I went home and decided to look at what I could get them for online. The prices were much better, about $90 a piece for them, but shipping would be about $30 about having someone install/balance, etc would most likely be another $30 plus…and then I remembered that our Wal Mart has a service center! On Monday of last week, I went down and they actually had a Goodyear tire that would work! And they were about $100 a piece…more than the $75 that I was used to spending, but a heckofa lot less than $162 (I STILL just shake my head about that price), so I told them to put them on and that I’d wait. About an hour later, I sort of overhear two service guys talking about my KIA and something about the valve stem, one of the guys comes out and says that it’s important to keep the little caps on the valve stems because they can get corroded and that mine were corroded and while he was trying to take one of the ‘cores’ out, it broke and that he couldn’t just replace the core because my van has a Tire Pressure Monitoring System (in essence, this a fancy idiot light that tells the driver when the tire pressure in any given tire falls below a pre-programmed level) and the valve-stem-core is all attached to the TPMS module that is actually IN the tire itself…I said, ‘Ok…replace it then, I NEED those tires replaced.’ The service guy went back to the garage and I hear MORE talking about my van and a few minutes later, the same guy comes out, this time with the service manager…guess what? They don’t have that particular TPMS module and they don’t even have it in their catalog…SURPRISE!!! They said that I could order the module from KIA, bring it in and they would install it. Meanwhile I call over to O’Reilly’s and found out they could order it OH and it cost’s $85…sigh…I tell Wal Mart this and they inform me that new TPMS modules have to be calibrated with the computer in the van (of course they do!) and that IF they have the correct calibration device it will cost $40 per module (of course it will!). Per module, I ask? Yes, the other front tire was also corroded and they’re afraid that when they go to take the core out of that one it’ll break too…So a $200 tire change looks like it’s going to turn into a $480 job!

Again, I went to the internet and found a TPMS module for $55…better, so I just order one (determined to make Wal Mart be extra careful on the other valve stem)…it arrived today and I take it out of the package to look at it…I notice immediately that it’s NOT one single piece, the valve stem screws into the base of the module. I thought about that throughout the rest of the day, ‘two pieces…why wouldn’t KIA sell these two parts separately? It doesn’t make sense’. After work, I stopped by the NAPA Auto Store on a whim and asked the guy at the counter if JUST the valve-stem portion of the TPMS could be ordered…drum roll pleas…YES! Finally something’s going my way with this whole mess! And the cost? $11…and best of all? Because I’m using the same TPMS modules, they won’t need to be calibrated! So…the price is actually back down to around $250 when all is said and done!

Have I mentioned that I LOVE my KIA? Actually I do…but I must admit that the relationship was a bit strained!

~ V

Another Milestone...

2009-09-26T19:58:00.007-05:00

Soon I will be a grandpa…honestly I’m not sure what to think about that just yet. I feel I’m too young to be a grandpa and yet I KNOW I’m old enough to be a grandpa. I have ALL of these feelings…I want to be there for my son…for my grandson. I want to offer the wisdom of my years…wisdom born from trial and error…born from failing, picking myself up and trying again. I don’t want him to have to experience the pain of failure…and yet he will…we all do. I want him to be a good...no, I want him to be a great father. I want him to be a better father than I.

A fathers ego is a fragile thing. We so desperately want to help our kids...to bestow our knowledge and wisdom in hopes that it will make their lives easier...but the real fear is that they will reject our wisdom or worse, regard it with disdain. Because in spite of all the bravado, chest thumping and growley voices we conjure, our success lies with how others...specifically our families value us.

I want my son to know that despite how he got to this point...I love him. I need him to know that while I wouldn't have chosen this path for him, that choice is over and to the best of my ability, I am here for him...always.

For Jaden,
This little child has a place in my heart that only a child can see,
where patience, love and tenderness rule and young hearts run free.
A place where understanding lives and kindness guides our way.
A helping hand with lots of smiles and laughter every day.

This little child will know the love of a Grandpa filled with pride
a gentle touch, a whiskery kiss; with tickles on his side.
A game to play, a song to sing, some time to fly a kite
a lesson in the love of God and learning wrong from right.

A tear to share, some days to dream, a hug that's really tight
a rainy day, a baseball game, a campfire late at night.
This little child will come to know that Grandpa's love is real
weathered to last the test of time, a love no one can steal.

My past and future are forever tied to this little boy,
My heart it sings! I praise my God; I jump and shout for joy!
For this little child will grow to know what God has given me
a special love; a Grandpa's love that only a child can see.

~ V

A Festival and Glass

2009-09-20T20:55:00.028-05:00

This past Saturday Lisa and I went to the Minnesota Renaissance Festival. It's been 24+ years since I've been to it and it was fun to go...with a few exceptions. When we pulled into the place, it was after 2:00 in the afternoon and well...it seems that the rest of the state decided to show up on Saturday as well, except they were already there...we ended up parking about a mile and a half away from the castle gates (I wish I were joking) and walked!

Yes, people brought their dogs...ALOT of people brought their dogs...which poses the question, why? And then I saw this dog...Yes, you too can purchase fairy wings for your pet. And why wouldn't you want to? They look just SO darned cute...

I've always been fascinated by artists who work in glass. If our local community college offered a course in glass work, I would definitely take it!

We watched this artist make this piece from the first molten blob pulled out of the furnace...

and blowing it into the initial shape...

Then adding an artistic flair...

And further shaping it...

Then using some additional molten glass...

And creating the base...

Re-heating the entire piece...

So he can form the inside of the vessel...

...every minute or so, he would re-heat the piece, keeping it at a certain temperature and pliable. And as he added and shaped more glass, he would transfer the piece to a different metal rod. The old rod always had some residual molten glass on it. He would place the old rod in a large metal bucket, glass end down. Within a minute, we would hear a loud POP! Which was followed by a small (contained) shower of glass. You see, when cooled too quickly, glass will shatter. When a glass artist finishes a piece, it can't just be set aside to cool...it has to cool VERY slowly over 24 or so hours in a kiln that gradually lowers the temp. This process can't be rushed...

Thinking about this process, I started wondering about God working in our lives. He draws us to Himself and through trials and testing He develops and builds our spiritual framework. The problem is, most of us are impatient...we want a shortcut...we want to avoid the difficult and often painful portion that trials frequently include. The fact of the matter is, the endurance and perseverance we show during these times, are the very things that develop, build and strengthen our spiritual framework. God knows that just as heating and cooling and re-heating and cooling increases the temper of glass, trials and blessings tempers us...increasing our spiritual resolve.

God is making a masterpiece in you. He who created the minds of Da Vinci, Renoir, Monet and Rembrandt...the Master of the masters, is slowly and purposefully, making a masterpiece in you. His timing is perfect...His artistry flawless.

~ V

Don't you need One? I Certainly Do...

2009-09-17T15:03:00.009-05:00

A few weeks ago on our way back from Lisa's sister's wedding, we were driving back from Des Moines Iowa when I heard the following song on a local Christian radio station. Give it a listen...

...here are the lyrics:

I'd Need A Savior ~ Among The Thirsty

How many names can I use to explain the love of my Jesus,
the life that he gave and so many times will I praise you today.
I lift up my life ‘cause you’re always the same
and my offering to you I bring

Your name is Jesus. Your name is Jesus.
You’re the Wonderful, Counselor, my Friend.
You’re what I hold on to; I know that you brought me through
all the days of loss, to the cross you knew
I’d need a Savior.

How many songs can I sing to proclaim,
your wondrous love and beauty so great?
What would I say if you brought down the rain and everyday
I walk through the pain my heart would still say…

Your name is Jesus. Your name is Jesus.
You’re the Wonderful, Counselor, my Friend.
You’re what I hold on to; I know that you brought me through
All the days of loss, to the cross you knew
I’d need a Savior.

I’d need a Savior…
You’re what I hold on to; I know that you brought me through
All the days of loss, to the cross you knew
I’d need a Savior,
I’d need a Savior,
I need you, Savior.

I can't get this song out of my mind...off from my heart. There is nothing...not one thing that is good inside me outside of my Jesus and what He's accomplished in my life. When I sit and think of the heart and character of Christ and compare that to the sin and selfishness that has comprised my life, I am ashamed...utterly undone. And yet, He's still there...the proof of His love showing in the nail scarred hand He extends to me...grace and mercy showing in His eyes.

It's so incredibly obvious that I'd be lost without Him...

~ V

I baptize you in the name of...Starbucks?

2009-09-02T21:39:00.003-05:00

I absolutely LOVE my wife! Her ability to laugh at me, herself (and anyone for that matter) in spite of stressful situations. Trust me...living with 5 kids and blending two families, you HAVE to be able to laugh at life...OFTEN...otherwise we'd go insane! Anyway, I digress...This past weekend, Lisa's sister got married...in Los Angeles. We flew into and out of LAX and let me just make this point...there is NO WAY that I would EVER want to live in or anywhere near LA! Traffic is insane and I would die of stress from driving in short order...sigh. Anyway, I'll let Lisa talk about the actual wedding in her own BLOG. When we got to the airport to return, we were already running late because we got separated from the other car (6 of us went, which meant we had to take multiple cars everywhere we went) and because the traffic, again, was crazy. So, by the time we checked our luggage, cleared security and made it to our gate, we had about a half hour before we were supposed to board. Some of us hadn't had the chance to eat anything yet that day, so it was a scramble to quickly find a place and get something that was already prepared because we didn't feel there was enough time to order a burger and fries. So, we bought subs, some drinks and found a seat to chow down and await our flight. I had just started in on my sub-standard and yet somehow filling sub, when I heard Lisa say..."Vince!...I NEED you...NOW!" Evidently, when she removed the plastic wrap from around the cap on her Starbucks Frappuccino, it also removed the actual cap...which she hadn't noticed...and she went to shake it up...REALLY hard! When I looked over, she had frappuccino running down her face, dripping off her nose and in her hair! Honestly, I wanted to laugh SO hard...but I didn't! I quickly grabbed the handful of napkins that I took when we bought our food and gently wiped Lisa's face and eyes...patted her hair and handed the rest to her. Once she was adequately dried off, she was able to laugh it off and joke about it. This may sound strange, but I really love that about her...she doesn't take herself more seriously than she should and she can see the humor in almost everything!

In this day and age when everyone and their dog is worried about self image and every little (actual or imagined) offense has people running for a lawyer, I find Lisa attitude both refreshing AND attractive...yeah...VERY attractive!

~ V

I don't think we're in Kansas anymore, toto...

2009-08-25T22:07:00.006-05:00

My wife TOTALLY out did herself...not only did she out do herself, she also completely surprised me as well! This past Sunday night, we had a planned date. We were going to go to Rochester to one of our favorite Italian restaurants (Victoria's) and then to a movie. We were both looking forward to this as we rarely take (or have) the time to do a full fledged date night...but Lisa was down right giddy about it. When we got down to Rochester, Lisa couldn't stand it any longer and finally said...'Hon, we're NOT going to a movie...' I looked at her and just said, '...OK...what are we going to do?' She asked, 'You don't know do you...? You really don't know?' to which I answered, '...I have no idea what you're talking about...' After a few more minutes of barely contained giddiness, she finally let the cat out of the bag...'We're going to a concert! We're going to Kansas!' I was confused and needless to say, a little stunned.

Kansas has always been one of my favorite bands, but I had never seen them in concert...I actually had the opportunity quite awhile ago, but I had heard they were really bad in concert...so, not wanting to ruin the image of my favorite band, I never pursued seeing them in concert. I must admit that I thought back to what I had heard and was a little trepidatious about what I might hear. This was a concert in the park thingy, so it was outside and just so you know...THEY ROCKED! Kansas celebrated their 35th anniversary this year and I am here to say they haven't lost their edge. They did all of their songs in the original key and it sounded spot on! Yes, Kerry Livgren wasn't there, but the band sounded great!

Here's a little bit of Kansas history that I found quite amazing: After 3 albums in 2 years failed to provide them with a hit single, Kansas in 1974 was under pressure from CBS records to write a hit. Livgren and the band realized it was their last chance. Due to Steve Walsh experiencing writer's block, most of the writing duties fell to Livgren and he rose to the challenge to write or co-write all the songs for their fourth album, Leftoverture. On the last day of rehearsal for the new album, Livgren brought the band one last song which they performed once before heading to the studio...That song was, Carry On Wayward Son which became Kansas' first hit.

Thank you babe, for making a memory that will last forever...thank you!

I love you!

~ V

A wedding...and memories

2009-08-17T23:03:00.003-05:00

Today, after 27 years of single living, Lisa’s mother got married. It was a beautiful day and they got married in the park with flowers and a water fountain behind them. Lisa and I were honored to be their witnesses and the kids were there as well. We pray God’s blessing on their union and wish for them many, many years of happiness and love!

Tonight on the way to pick up Trevor from work, we drove past the lakes. As we drove past, I looked out over the darkened lake at the yellow and white lights reflecting off the water and it brought back a myriad of childhood memories. I remember family vacations that we spent in northern Minnesota or Wisconsin, staying in cabins that overlooked a lake and I loved sitting outside watching the lights across the lake at night. It was quiet and peaceful…sometimes you could hear laughter and talking from several cabins down…sometimes you could see someone light off fireworks across the lake.

I loved those times…times spent with my family away from the normal track of life. Times that were uninterupted by a phone or TV...Times that were spent playing games, fishing and just re-connecting as a family. It's times like those that I long to have with my kids and memories I hope they will have.

~ V

Rollin' Along

2009-08-01T21:24:00.005-05:00

Our town is just a little spit of a town of around 650 people. When I moved here last year I knew Lisa and the lady who bought Lisa's old house (...what's her name again??) and that was just about it. Since then, I've met some of the parents of the kids our kids hang out with and coaching baseball introduced me to a whole new group of people that serve on the baseball board as well as more kids and their parents.

This weekend is Our Town Days, just a small town festival that includes softball and volleyball tournaments, Karaoke, fireworks, a street dance and a lot of other activities. So, last night we wandered down to city park with the kids and this is what I saw...I saw our neighbor, Mrs. D talking with Hope and standing in line to do karaoke. I saw Bev and her husband Paul working in the concession stand, serving people and talking with them. I saw Sally, Nadine and Jackie...three of the ladies that Lisa used to work with. Sally was brought up in this little town and honestly knows just about everyone. I saw Jaden, Issac, Cody and Gabe...some of the boys that I coached this year. I saw Bob and his little girl sing karaoke together...I saw my own little girl sing 'It's my party and I'll cry if I want to'. I saw Bridgette and her son Cody walk through and wave at us. I watched 4 little girls sing a song SO badly that I couldn't figure out what they were singing...and I heard the crowd applaud all the same. I saw families coming together and laughing...I saw the amazement reflected in the eyes of the children as showers of light flickered down from the fireworks. I saw friends...families, an entire community come together. And as I was sitting there...I realized that I knew a lot of these people and knowing that really made me feel part of the community. And I also realized that not only do I live here...this really is my home...

This is a peaceful little town and I love it.

~ V

When will the construction be finished?...I haven't even gotten the permit yet!

2009-07-28T21:45:00.006-05:00

For the better part of...well summer, Hope and Kyle have been like oil and water! Seemingly everything Hope does (from humming or laughing to simply glancing his way) bugs the snot out of Kyle and Hope is exceedingly jealous of the amount of time Kyle spends with Lisa. Actions that I am fairly confident exist in other families the world over. Except in a blended family like ours dealing with issues like this that cross family lines are tough and honestly are breeding grounds for hurt and resentment. What do you do to lessen Kyle's annoyance? Softly humming honestly isn't bothering anyone, but for Kyle, it's like someone raking their fingernails across a chalkboard. And what do you do to lessen Hope's jealousy? Kyle should have unfettered access to hugs and cuddles with his mom, not to mention that he's 8 and she doesn't have very many good hugging years left with him! Since the beginning of summer, we've seen Hope's jealousy increase as well as Kyle's irritation. There are times when they get along splendidly and then there are times that the friction is palpable. Lisa and I have talked for hours about the two of them and their ever increasing angst. We have even tried several corrective approaches...and in a word, FAIL!

Lisa and I have hung in there together about this, but in all honesty I know that we have felt the stress of it. How could we not? They're our children and we LOVE them! And so we've searched for reasons in the "Well, if I only had's" and the "I'm just not good enough's" and have found that a thousand reasons does nothing and we end up back where we left off...trying to resolve it.

Then last Sunday in the middle of singing with the worship team, God spoke to me...and it went pretty much like this:

God: Vince...

Me: singing....mentally furrows brow...singing

God: Vince...what was the main message that you and Lisa picked for your wedding?

Me: singing...um, I'm kinda preoccupied worshipping you...singing

God: Yes, I know...what was the main message that you and Lisa picked for your wedding?

Me: singing...uh, Psalms 127, verse 1...singing...unless the Lord builds the house, its builders labor in vain...singing

God: ...why aren't you letting me?

Me: ...

The fact is this...I haven't been letting God do the building. I see these issues and fear the potential long term effects they could have not only with Hope and Kyle's relationship, but with Lisa and I. And like many men, when I see a problem I want/need to solve it...the key word here is 'I'. It has nothing to do with me feeling like I can do a better job than God, instead it has A LOT to do with pain. I don't much like pain and so, the quicker a painful thing comes and goes, the better. I want this situation (that is causing pain) to go away...quickly! And so, my impatient, pain avoiding self, picks up the hammer, a hand full of nails and attempts to do the building myself. Except I don't have the blueprints...God does. Have you ever tried to build ANYTHING, let alone a house, without the instructions, or blueprints? Unless you want your house to look something like the tree fort I attempted to build when I was 10, I wouldn't advise it. Not only do I not have the blueprints, but I keep hitting my thumb with that stupid hammer...in essence, causing more pain. We know that growth and learning comes through effort...pain. A diamond can only be made through extreme heat, pressure and time. A precious child comes into this world through the pain and labor of it's mother.

God wants better for us than some ramshackle tree house built with ill cut and badly warped planks. He KNOWS what's better for us and that's why He wants to build our house...your house. And yes, there may be times that are painful...periods of momentary trouble, but God is faithful and through the pain and sweat, He will bring beauty...I KNOW He will!

2 Corinthians 4:17 - For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweights them all.

So, who's building your house?

~ V

Man Law #6

2009-07-28T01:00:00.000-05:00

YES...It's the return of Man Law Tuesday! I've been a little busy (doing MANLY things of course!) Hope you've missed me! So, we'll start right off with law number 6:
The MAN Purse....

I DON'T care if it's European or Metro-sexual...men aren't meant to carry purses! OK...as a boy, we ALL were fascinated with our moms purses and what treasures they held! But we're no longer boys are we? According to lovetoknow.com, 'It is no surprise that men would like to have a place to carry their necessities and avoid the ugly, full, back pocket or clanking change phenomenon.'...um, necessities? Yeah, my drivers license, debit/credit card and car keys! and since when is the sound of jingling change a phenomenon? and what exactly does that even mean?

On Fossil.com, they offer what they call 'duffles' take a look:

I am almost positive that my mom owned this purse when I was 5...

Or take a look at this SWEET little number!

...for those times when shoving your pockets full of junk STILL isn't quite enough room...Oh and this one was named The Veneeto...yeah, as in Neeto Veneeto...

I think we all can agree that this one is just right out!

...thin strap, flip over clasp, yeah! This is exactly what I've been looking for to help proclaim my masculinity!

Ok, men listen...if you need to carry more than will fit in your wallet or pockets buy a brief case already! and if a brief case isn't big enough then buy yourself a backpack...'nuff said.

I'm a man, and that's MY law!

~ V

The Highlight Reel...

2009-07-22T21:21:00.002-05:00

Ok, let's just get it out of the way right now...Yes, I know that I've missed not one but TWO Man Law Tuesday's in a row...If my friend Brian was here, he'd come over and demand that I relinquish my MAN-CARD on the spot! I'd say that I've been busy, but that would take too much time...and when I haven't been busy, I've been exhausted!

After this week, baseball is OVER...don't get me wrong, I like baseball, but when you have two kids in the same sport this is what it looks like: Practice on Monday, games Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays not to mention tournaments on Saturdays...so, when do we have time for anything else?...we don't! I'll be happy to get my life back!

Have you ever seen the Travel Channel show, Man vs Food? This guy travels around the US in search of restaurants that have food challenges. For example: One place challenges its customers with eating a 5 lb burger (yes, it has 16 slices of cheese on it...) in an hour and another challenges its patrons to eating a dozen of their Diablo Chicken wings (made with wings that have been soaked in habanero paste, then rubbed with dried habanero pepper, then topped with habanero salsa) in 30 minutes. One might ask why?...one would be right.

You've heard of King Midas right? Everything he touched turned to gold. Well, yesterday I WASN'T King Midas...I decided to create a Windows XP bootable USB portable drive, pretty cool and really handy for extracting data from a hard drive that wont boot...except I ended up reinstalling XP over the existing copy of XP on my work laptop...that didn't work so well. But that wasn't enough, so I turned around to work on the server I was preparing and CRASH...the hard disk wont boot...3 bad sectors...sigh. And STILL that wasn't enough...I made a few changes to our main router because one of our locations made the change from copper to fiber and I needed to change the main IP address for that connection...POOF! Something broke and no one could connect using a VPN client...STRIKE THREE! It as a very frustrating day, but I was able to most of my data off my laptop before I rebuilt it and I eventually was able to fix the router issue, but I'm still wrestling with the server hard drive...I don't give up easily.

Lisa's car has had brake issues for awhile, but this past weekend when I drove it and realized that braking at 50 mph caused the entire car to shake violently, I decided to do something about it. I don't know if you've had brake work done lately, but having someone change your brakes and rotors will cost anywhere from $300 to $400 dollars (if not more). I've done my share of brake jobs in the past and decided to do this myself. It took me about 2 hours and cost about $120...I felt pretty good about doing the work and saving a ton of cash!

Densie and Randy, Donna and Rose and Debbie all came up this past weekend. I just want to take a moment to say that I love my family! And I REALLY love my sisters! We had a great time and I hated to see them go. It's funny...when I was MUCH younger it really didn't matter much to me if I saw my family or not, but now...I miss them and deeply enjoy the times we have together...just wish there was more...

~ V

Yes...It's Man Law Tuesday!

2009-07-06T21:03:00.015-05:00

Man Law #5: Men instinctively know how things are to be assembled and therefore have no need for assembly instructions, diagrams or parts lists.

Since the dawn of time when man first lashed a stick to a rectangularish rock and made the first hammer, men have been making things.

Sometimes the things that have been made have changed the course of man-kind like Henry Ford's gasoline engine. And sometimes not initially appreciated like Eli Whitney when his boss told him to 'Get that cotton pickin contraption outta my field!'

Here we have the classic bicycle...many a father has stayed up LONG after midnight on Christmas Eve assembling a child's bicycle so that it's ready for the child to run past and totally ignore while he or she tears into the countless other gifts that they're also not grateful for...sorry, lost myself for a moment...It takes us so long to put the dang thing together NOT because we can't read or follow the directions, it's because a) We want our wives to feel like we've pushed ourselves to the brink of insanity for the sake of our kids and b) We MEANT to put the sprocket and chain up near the handle bars...it's a custom chopped bike, not unlike the bikes that O.C.C make and charge $50,000 for!

And here we have the MicroLux Drill Press #81631. I'm not exactly sure what makes the 81631 better than the 81630, but needless to say it's leaps and bounds better than the 81629! Anyway, I digress...I don't know of any mad marvel of modern mechanics who could assemble this bad boy from a box of parts, but if they can...well, they're more man than I...

So...directions? BAH! Who needs 'em?...your child...if he ever wants to actually ride that bike!

I'm a man and that's MY law!

~ V

Welcome, Frogs!

2009-07-03T14:47:00.003-05:00

My wife showed this Blog Hop to me and I thought it was a great idea! I've been writing blogs for the last three years. I'm happily married, between my wife and I we have six wonderful kids. I like to write about our family's simple, everyday ocurrances, my faith and things that God shows me about life and myself. And, oh yea ~ Man Law Tuesdays!

Man Law Tuesday #4

2009-06-30T21:50:00.005-05:00

Ever since that first man picked up a hammer and chisel and created the first wheel out of stone, men have created and engineered ways to use that wheel to get from one place to another. This week’s Man Law(s) center on driving, so sit down, buckle-up and get ready for the smell of burnt rubber as I peel off this series of laws!

1) No man shall drive slowly in the fast lane.

2) No Man shall knowingly cut-off or pull out in front of another man.

3) Men don’t need directions because we never get lost. If we happen to go 50 miles past the turn off to the interstate, it's because we wanted to take the scenic route for our significant other's enjoyment…we’re just romantic that way…enjoy!

4) When going anywhere with your spouse or significant other, you always drive. You own the road and can always find your way to anywhere. If she doesn't like the way you drive, tell her to close her eyes.

5) Under no circumstances should a man ever ride in the back seat. Unless he’s with three or four of his male friends. If grandma can walk to the car...she can sit in the back!

6) Regardless of how horrible the music is, you are never allowed to touch another Man's radio/CD player while in his car. It is his vehicle and you are obliged to listen. The ONLY exception to this rule is if he’s playing Peaches and Herb, Captain and Tennille or Donny and Marie. Then you are required to not only change the music, but must destroy the tape or CD and you’re allowed to NEVER ride with him again.

7) When calling shotgun, all riders of the car must be outside, and shotgun can only be called when the car is in view. Riders in the car are not allowed to run to shotgun and steal it before the person who called and deserves it arrives there. The driver of the car has no authority to decide on who gets shotgun. If a legitimate confrontation comes up where the rightful owner of the shotgun cannot be determined then it will be decided by one round of paper rock scissors. If the two contenders tie 5 times in a row then the rightful owner of the shotgun is to be decided by a UFC cage match in which the first blood drawn decides the rightful owner of shotgun.It is acceptable for you to drive your girlfriend’s car. It is not acceptable for her to drive yours.

~ V

A Year in The Life

2009-06-28T00:01:00.002-05:00

One year ago today I stood at the end of a long aisle waiting for the most incredibly beautiful, most caring and loving woman I know. As she walked down that aisle and Aleah sang ‘Have You Ever Been in Love’ I realized, no…not like this. The day was perfect…everything from the music (every piece selected meant something special to us) to our vows and the sand ceremony, was special in every way imaginable and incredibly moving!

This year was filled with laughter and tears, joys and sorrows…growth and pain and excitement and most importantly…bonding. The happiness, laughter and joys helped us maintain perspective and strengthened us. The tears, sorrows and pain made us cling to each other as we shared our fears, hurts and emotions. We learned to lean on each other and on God. With all of this blended together, God built our foundation and continues to build our house! Lisa’s boys still deal with my role as step-dad, what that means and how this may or may not make their dad feel. My kids still deal with Lisa’s role as step-mom, what that means to the memory of their mom and how they and Lisa fit into each other’s lives. It’s complicated, especially for the kids and their real or perceived loyalties, but we have seen an incredible and continual bonding both between them and with us!
With Lisa, it's been an incredible first year! Whether it's working alongside her or laying in bed at night and talking, I simply love being with her! We laugh together...sometimes AT each other...cry together...share our concerns, fears and dreams together. The love, care and respect she shows for me on a daily basis humbles me and causes me to strive to be a better man...better husband.

Lisa…if I had to do all over again, I would…gladly and without a moment’s hesitation! Because:

To Me
You are the sun
Because you brighten my day
You are the moon
Because you light my way
You are the sands of the desert
Because your beauty is measureless
You are a map
Because you brought me to happiness
You are a book
Because life with you is a romantic adventure and we are the story
You are a tree
Because you support me fully
You are keys
Because you set me free
You are air
Because you surround and hold me
You are a glove
Because you fit me like one
You are the earth
Because you are my foundation
You are water
Because you quench my thirst
You are food
Because you satisfy me so
You are the wind
Because you push and encourage me
You are a song
Because you bring joy to my heart and harmony to my life
You are the stars
Because your love for me is endless
You are my heart
Because you own every bit of it

Happy first, my love! I look forward with great anticipation and excitement to the next 50!

Today...tomorrow...forever...

~ V

Man Law Tuesday #3

2009-06-23T10:21:00.009-05:00

Man Law #3
Man Law stipulates that every member of the male species MUST, at a minimum, be able to prepare ‘decent’ food on a grill. Some of you think that you can simply avoid violating this law by never hosting a cook-out. However, this is not the case. If you are at a cook-out and a member of the Man-Law brotherhood asks you for assistance, it is your civic Man-Law duty to step up to the plate (or grill) and assume co-pilot duties. Grilling ineptitude is NO excuse…Here are five tips to help you avoid a Man Law violation the next time a grill is in your presence.

TIP #1: Much like the garage, grills and grilling are the sole domains of men. An agreement was made centuries ago…men don’t give birth, women don’t grill…period.

TIP #2: Only a fool doesn’t use the right tool(s) - Always use long handled tools to help keep your hands/arms as far as possible from the hot grill surface when cooking. It’s difficult to impress your family with your grilling prowess when you’re sporting burns and blisters. Use a good meat thermometer especially on roasts and thicker selections of meat as this will take the guess work out of proper doneness. I use the following to help me gauge: Rare 125 deg, M Rare 135 deg, Medium 145 deg, M Well 155 deg Well 165 deg. I don’t mess with chicken, ALWAYS cook it to at least 165 deg. REMEMBER! After you take the meat off the grill cover it and let it stand for 10 min. The meat will finish cooking and letting it sit will bring its juiciness back.

TIP #3: DO NOT UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES cut into a piece of meat that is still being cooked! With the exception of Tip #1, this is the most heinous infraction of the Man Law’s of grilling. If another man observes someone about break this law, it is the responsibility of the observer to ‘take out’, ‘disarm’ or otherwise disable and keep the offender from slicing and dicing. Cutting into a piece of meat while cooking opens the meat and allows the juices to escape and will result in drying it out. Use the thermometer mentioned in Tip #2.

TIP #4: If you have to use steak sauce on a steak, then you’ve never had a decent steak. Steak sauce covers the taste of a BAD steak; a good steak doesn’t need a sauce. Spices and herbs are another matter all together as they will enhance and draw out the natural flavors of the steak.

TIP #5: While at another man’s house standing around HIS grill, remember: With the exception of Tip #3, don't tell him how to cook since most likely he's been cooking on a grill since he was a teenager. Don't tell him how to better use his grill seeing he's been cooking on the same grill for 9+ years. Don't tell him "how you do it" because honestly…he really doesn't care. Respect the man...respect the grill...enjoy the food!

Yes...I would claim that I am a Jedi-GrillMaster, but I say that in all humility, because while I have mastered many techniques, there are endless possibilities and flavors to explore. Taste is a matter of individual preference and what's spot on for one, may just be mediocre to another.

Grill long. and prosper...

~ V

The Best Father's Day EVER!

2009-06-22T16:42:00.001-05:00

Yesterday in our Life Group, one of the ladies mentioned that her 18 year old daughter and herself had been frequently saying the same things at the same time lately. The things that they had been saying, had all been quotes and sayings that the mother had no doubt said time after time over the years since the daughter was older enough to understand…now the daughter herself had automatically started saying these same things and she was becoming quite annoyed with the thought that she was in essence, becoming her mother! This cracked me up! The LAST thing a teenager and young adult EVER wants to be compared to is their parents…I know I was the same way and I would venture to guess that at some point you were as well. Later on when I was thinking about this, it started to move me…a parent who was so consistent with the wisdom and knowledge she was attempting to impart on her children, that she saw the results of her efforts come to fruition before her very eyes! A child who was close enough to her parents and trusted her parents enough to accept that wisdom and knowledge as her own!
Have you ‘hung’ around and immersed yourself in the life and teachings of Christ long enough that the things He would say or the things He would think or do comes as second nature to you? Think about how many hours a day we spent with our parents listening to them and their instruction while we were growing up. Watching how mom cooked a meal or how dad fixed the car…receiving guidance, direction and even discipline. How much time do we spend seeking guidance and direction from God? In order for someone to instinctively accept and live out someone else’s wisdom and knowledge requires trust and trust is gained through the intimate knowledge of the person’s character and requires an investment of time.

Yesterday was father’s day and we had made plans to meet Brittany and Bill half way between us and them, go to a park and have a picnic. Nick had gone with his dad and grandfather on a trip to canoe and camp along the Boundary Waters and Trevor spent the day with his girlfriend Whitney, but everyone else was there! We brought burgers and hot dogs to grill along with some other picnic fare and Brittany had made a bowl of potato salad and brought an Ice Cream cake. Although we went through some hard rain on the way there AND the way back home, while we were at the park, the rain held off! After eating, we just hung out talking and playing a few games (Apples to Apples and that one lawn game with the PVC pipes and golf balls strung together). But the best came as Lisa and the kids gave me their gifts. Lisa had purchased two books; 100 Reasons Why a Son Needs a Dad and 100 Reasons Why a Daughter Needs a Dad. The books themselves are pretty cool, but Lisa had asked each of the kids to read through them and write a little something next to a few of the entries…I will treasure these books for the rest of my life…what an amazing gift! Let me share a few entries with you:

A Son Needs a Dad – to be the role model for the father HE will become – Vinny
A Son Needs a Dad – who will help his mother – Yep, Kyle
A Son Needs a Dad – to let him be his equal now and then – Yeah! Trevor

A Daughter Needs a Dad – who gives her refuge in a home secured with faith – Because you were always my refuge, my safe place, my listener, my comforter - Brittany
A Daughter Needs a Dad – to teach her the importance of being a lady – sometimes when we’re eating you tell me to do manners - Hope

And this from my oldest – The older I get, the more I realize you were right…God has AMAZING things in my future. And God has been consistent with what you’ve told me. “I can do all things through CHRIST who strengthens me.” Thank you for loving me in my best & my worst times.

Anytime, my baby girl…anytime.

Like I said…it’s a pretty amazing thing to see your children pick up the wisdom and knowledge you’ve tried SO very hard to instill and actually own it for themselves…glory to God!

Thank you Hon, for the most incredible father’s day I’ve EVER had…thank you kids! I love each and every one of you!

~ V

The Seed of Hope

2009-06-18T16:40:00.004-05:00

Jeremiah 29:11 ‘For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.’
I don’t believe in random occurrences. I firmly believe that God has an intent and plan for us. We are not the sovereign masters of our fate. Only God is sovereign. His sovereign control is called “providence.” He has chosen to give us a free will, and He has created a moral universe in which the law of cause-and-effect is a reality…but God is God alone, and there are no accidents and it’s obvious to assume that an all-wise, all-powerful God must have a plan. And though we regularly try to run from it, alter it or ignore it, fighting against the plan of God is pointless. Proverbs 21:30 tells us “There is no wisdom, no insight, no plan that can succeed against the LORD” This is why the Tower of Babel was never completed (Genesis 11:1-9), why Daniel’s enemies were thrown to the lions (Daniel 6:24) and why Jonah spent some time inside the belly of a fish (Jonah 1:17).

Even what we would normally call “chance” or “fate” is under God’s control. Consider what Proverbs 16:33 says “The lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the LORD”. Everything that happens in the world is made to work out according to God’s purpose. Evil exists, terrible things happen, but it doesn’t thwart God’s providence…nor will it EVER. God uses even sinful men for His purposes. “The king's heart is in the hand of the LORD; He directs it like a watercourse wherever He pleases” (Proverbs 21:1). God worked in the hearts of the Egyptians (Exodus 12:36) and King Artaxerxes (Ezra 7:27) to bring about His purpose. Even when Man’s intent is purely evil, God can still bring about His will, as was the case when Jesus was crucified (Acts 2:23; 4:27-28).

David recognized that the Lord had a plan for him. Psalm 139:16 “Your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be”. Jeremiah revealed that the LORD told him that He had a plan for his life, Jeremiah 1:4-5 “The word of the LORD came to me, saying, ‘Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations’”. So, it goes without reason that God’s sovereignty reaches even to a plan for you and I.

Lisa and I are quickly coming up on 1st wedding anniversary and it has me thinking and realizing exactly how God has planted ‘seeds’ of hope years before Lisa and I even met. Back in 1997, when we moved from Green Bay to Baraboo, Amy met a young mother at the public pool where they had both taken the kids for swimming lessons. Over the next 9 years, Kari and Amy became very good friends and served on Baraboo’s version of the PTA together for many years. While I knew Kari, she was more Amy’s friend than mine. Amy even befriended Kari’s husband Jerry as he managed one of the local grocery stores.

Lisa grew up in a small town in western Minnesota, less than an hour from the South Dakota boarder. While she was growing up, she had a very close girlfriend by the name of Chris. Chris and Lisa were so close in fact, that Lisa even lived with Chris and her family for a time, eventually went to college together and to this day are still close friends. Chris had a younger sister who Lisa was close to as well…her name was Kari.

Kari was there when Lisa was married, she was there when both of her boys were born and through each preceding pregnancy...and she was there through the pain and disillusionment Lisa felt when that marriage ended. Kari was there when Amy was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and knew of mountain top highs and shadowed valley lows of the journey Amy walked...and she was there when Amy's journey ended 9 months later.

Kari continued to follow my previous blog, reading about how I and the kids were getting along. One day several months later, Kari showed my blog to Lisa. Lisa told me that she spent the next three weeks reading my blog. Much later, Kari did confide that while initially it was a little weird for her to be the catalyst that drew Lisa and I together, she knew it just felt right. Kari was the photographer at our wedding!

Now, am I saying that I believe God wanted Lisa to divorce or Amy's life to end at such a young age so that we would be together? ABSOLUTELY NOT! What would that say about the character of God? Evil, death and disease entered the world when Adam and Eve chose to disobey God. The verses from Jeremiah 1 that I quoted above, makes it plain that God knows the path our lives will take us, but we have this promise from Romans 8:28 'And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.' What I AM saying is this...in the face of such tragic occurrences, it's obvious to me that God had been and continues to be at work...working to turn tragedy to good and tears to joy...why? Because THAT is the character of God!

Thank you Kari...for allowing yourself to be God's seed of hope in both Lisa's life and mine.
Thank you Babe...for taking that step of faith, for reigniting my life and showing me how to love again!

~ V

Do you trust Him?

2009-06-17T15:56:00.004-05:00

Job 42: 1-6 ‘Then Job replied to the LORD: "I know that you can do all things; no plan of yours can be thwarted. You asked, 'Who is this that obscures my counsel without knowledge?' Surely I spoke of things I did not understand, things too wonderful for me to know. "You said, 'Listen now, and I will speak; I will question you, and you shall answer me.' My ears had heard of you, but now my eyes have seen you. Therefore I despise myself and repent in dust and ashes."

Job had lost everything…his house, land, livestock, everything he owned…gone. And if that wasn’t enough, every one of his children died and he was inflicted with terrible, painful boils that covered his entire body which we scrapped at with broken pieces of pottery. Three of his best friends and even his wife, all asked him what he had done to deserve such misfortune from God…they all advised him to curse God so that he might die and be removed from any further suffering…But Job refused. In chapter 37, he did however ask God why, in spite of his faithfulness, this was happening. God took the next two chapters to answer:

The Lord spoke to Job out of a storm. He said, “Who do you think you are to disagree with my plans? You do not know what you are talking about. Get ready to stand up for yourself. I will ask you some questions. Then I want you to answer me. “Where were you when I laid the earth’s foundation? Tell me, if you know. Who measured it? I am sure you know! Who stretched a measuring line across it? What was it built on? Who laid its most important stone? When it happened, the morning stars sang together. All of the angels shouted with joy. “Who created the ocean? Who caused it to be born? I put clouds over it as if they were its clothes. I wrapped it in thick darkness. I set limits for it. I put its doors and metal bars in place. I said, ‘You can come this far. But you can’t come any farther. Here is where your proud waves have to stop.’ “Job, have you ever commanded the morning to come? Have you ever shown the sun where to rise? “Have you traveled to the springs at the bottom of the ocean? Have you walked in its deepest parts? Have the gates of death been shown to you? Have you seen the gates of darkness? Do you understand how big the earth is? Tell me, if you know all of those things. “Where does light come from? And where does darkness live? Can you take them to their places? Do you know the paths to their houses? I am sure you know! After all, you were already born! You have lived so many years! “Have you entered the places where the snow is kept? Have you seen the storerooms for the hail? I store up snow and hail for times of trouble. I keep them for days of war and battle. Where does lightning come from? Where do the east winds that blow across the earth live? Who tells the rain where it should fall? Who makes paths for the thunderstorms? They bring water to places where no one lives. They water deserts that do not have anyone in them. They satisfy the needs of dry and empty lands. They make grass start growing there. Does the rain have a father? Who is the father of the drops of dew? Does the ice have a mother? Who is the mother of the frost from the heavens? The waters become as hard as stone. The surface of the ocean freezes over. “Can you tie up the beautiful Pleiades? Can you untie the ropes that hold Orion together? Can you bring out all of the stars in their seasons? Can you lead out the Big Dipper and the Little Dipper? Do you know the laws that govern the heavens? Can you rule over the earth the way I do? “Can you give orders to the clouds? Can you make them pour rain down on you? Do you send the lightning bolts on their way? Do they report to you, ‘Here we are’? Who put wisdom in people’s hearts? Who gave understanding to their minds? Who is wise enough to count the clouds? Who can tip over the water jars of the heavens? I tip them over when the ground becomes hard. I do it when the dirt sticks together. “Do you hunt for food for mother lions? Do you satisfy the hunger of their cubs? Some of them lie low in their dens. Others lie waiting in the bushes. Who provides food for ravens when their babies cry out to me? They wander around because they do not have anything to eat. “Job, do you know when mountain goats have their babies? Do you watch when female deer give birth? Do you count the months until the animals have their babies? Do you know the time when they give birth? They bend their back legs and have their babies. Then their labor pains stop. Their little ones grow strong and healthy in the wild. They leave and do not come home again.”

God didn’t answer Job’s question, instead, God asked Job two chapters worth of questions…not to belittle Job. Not to slap him down for asking such an outrageous question, but I think He wanted to remind Job of what being God and in control was really all about. I love some of the questions God asked Job, because it reminds me of what a great God we serve and that while there’s NO WAY we can ever understand all of the WHY’s of this life, we can rest assured that God IS indeed in control and He cares! Think about that for a minute…our Lord has everything so under control that He has time to count the months until ALL of the animals give birth and to provide food for the lion cubs and the baby ravens. He commands where the ocean’s stop and the lightening appears. What an incredible God we serve and to know that He loves each of us far more than the animals (Matt 6:25-33)! In the end, the Lord restored to Job all that had been taken from him, in fact, God blessed him with twice as much as he had before. But, even if God had not, His power, goodness, mercy, and love would still be the same. God’s OK if we question and wonder why storms and trials come…He’s a big God. He can handle our questions! But, He does want us to remember WHO He is and that He’s ALWAYS in control. He wants us in the midst of whatever storm we are enduring at the moment to put our faith in Him…not in ourselves or ANYTHING of this world. Our God, who is mighty enough to lay the foundations of the Earth, command the oceans where to stop, and show the stars where to shine is also compassionate enough to care for the needs of you and I.

2 Corinthians 4:16-18 ‘Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.’

Philippians 4:12-13 ‘I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through Him who gives me strength.’

In the midst of the storm...when you're bailing water like mad and fighting the current...trying beyond hope to stay afloat...we become distracted by the seemingly urgent situation of the moment and we lose perspective of who really IS in control, how much He really cares for us and the freedom that comes by resting...I mean truly resting in Him.

~ V

National Man Day!

2009-06-16T15:32:00.003-05:00

WHAT!!!??? Evidently, yesterday was National Man Day and I didn't find out until today...Ugh, if my friend Brian was here, he'd revoke my Man Card...

Check this out...

National Man Day.

~ V

Man Law Tuesday #2

2009-06-15T22:39:00.009-05:00

Man Law number 2 is: If Anything is Worth Eating, It's Worth Wrapping in Bacon! Bacon is a MAN food...it's looking life in the face and laughing...HARD!

We've ALL heard of bacon wrapped shrimp...you can't eat shrimp in a more manly way than this!

And of course bacon wrapped chicken...the non-red meat, red meat!

Salmon provides healthy fish oils...bacon provides yummy, smoky flavored FAT! What a taste combo!

Bacon wrapped steaks is a staple for ANY real man!

Here we have the ultimate breakfast...bacon wrapped french toast sticks!!! Come and get it!!!

What an incredible idea! Take in a ballgame and enhance that ballpark frank by bacon wrapping it! Can't get more American than this!!!

Man up those party hor d'ourves, by bacon wrapping them, like these bacon wrapped pickles!

...Or bacon wrapped pineapple chunks!

...and for dessert? How about these chocolate covered bacon strips!!! Can't you just hear Rachel say 'Yumm-o!!'?

And for those who JUST can't get enough bacon, here we have...yes, bacon wrapped BACON!

And of course...what holiday is complete without the traditional bacon wrapped TURKEY? I call the wishbone!!

Just remember...if you can cook it, you can wrap it!

Bacon...it's NOT just for breakfast anymore!

~ V

Man Law Tuesday #1

2009-06-09T21:25:00.007-05:00

OK...after much contemplation, I've decided that I've been WAY too serious in my blogging lately. So, I stepped back and thought to myself; 'Self...quit being SO heavy all the time!' Yeah, pivotal, I know...So, from now on, I declare Tuesday's to be....

You've heard of the law of the land, Murphy's Law, Maritime Law and even the Long arm of the Law. But this is MAN LAW. Little known, and never spoken of until now, Man Law's are little rules of life that men...REAL men instinctively know. So, without further ado...

MAN LAW #1: Talking in a Public restroom and other bathroom etiquette

1. Do NOT talk to anyone. If you see someone you know, a quick nod is acceptable, but NOTHING more!
2. A quick glance in the mirror is permissible, but absolutely don't spend a significant time arranging hair, clothing, etc. This is called 'primping' and is done in the restroom across the hall.
3. If you must wait, form a single-file line, and be sure to keep looking around, do not...I repeat DO NOT make eye contact! Read graffiti.
4. All graffiti is anonymous. Signing one's graffiti defeats graffiti's purpose and is not done by any man that has taste.
5. Given a string of unoccupied urinals, you must choose one on the outside. When one outside urinal is occupied, use the other side, then middle. Avoid standing directly next to somebody at all costs.
6. Don't start unzipping until you're protected by the privacy of the urinal. Always keep your eyes forward and look at the wall. Looking down means you're obsessed or don't know what you're doing. Looking at the people next to you is disturbing and in direct violation of ALL Man Laws.
7. Always flush. We're men, not animals in the forest.
8. When you find an unflushed toilet, STOP...quickly back out of the stall and use another.

I'm a man and that's MY law!

~ V

The Great American Pastime

2009-06-04T21:48:00.004-05:00

I used to coach my oldest son's (Trevor) baseball team. For the first year, when he was nine, I just helped out as the head coach had to withdraw at the last minute due to personal reasons. The assistant had to step up and I could tell by the look of terror on his face that he was in over his head, so I stepped up and spent the next four years coached baseball. When Trevor reached 13, he tried out and made the Babe Ruth league and so ended my coaching days...or so I thought. Our town needed an 8 and under coach and Lisa's youngest boy, Kyle, would be on that team...so I thought about it, talked about it with Lisa and Kyle was very excited about the possibility of me being his coach (he started calling me Daddy-coach!). Honestly, it wasn't an easy decision as I had to make a choice between coaching and going out for HCO's production of Beauty and the Beast...ultimately Kyle's excitement won out and this would give me a chance to spend more personal time with him as well.

I have to admit that it's had its challenges; trying to hold the attention of 13 eight year olds during an hour and a half practice is NOT an easy task! Not to mention trying to keep 26 plus parents appeased! But the boys are fun and they had the chance to 'show their stuff' last Tuesday as they took their season openner 19 to 3!

So, if you see me at the end of the season and it looks like I have a few more grey hairs...I probably will!

~ V

Trusting in His promises

2009-06-02T00:03:00.001-05:00

Mathew 6:25-34 Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? "And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

Whether it’s your kids, finances, your spouse, your job or a million other things, worry is very real and affects every one of us at one time or another. We believe God has redeemed us, broken the shackles of Satan, take us from hell to heaven, placed us into His kingdom, and has given us eternal life, but we have trouble thinking He can get us through the next couple of days. We believe God for the greater gift and then stumble and not believe Him for the lesser one…What does this say about us?!! When we worry we are saying in effect, “God, I just don’t think I can trust You.” Jesus basically said, ‘Hey! Why are you worrying? Look at the birds, or the flowers…do they worry about their needs? No! God supplies their needs every single day and if He will do this for these, the least of His creations, don’t you think He’ll supply that much more for you??’

By worrying, we are choosing to be mastered by our circumstances instead of by the truth and promises of God. Jesus wants us to realize it doesn’t make sense to believe God can save us from eternal hell, but not help us in the practical matters of life!

If you struggle with worry, I have found that studying the Word of God to find out who He really is and how He has supplied the needs of His people in the past can be an effective remedy. Also, studying and meditating on His promises helps to build confidence for the future. Stay fresh in the Word every day so that God is in your mind. In Ephesians 1:18-19, Paul tells us “I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe.” When you catch yourself worrying, go back to Scripture or start singing a praise song…let God open your eyes (and heart) again.

Understand this…God gives each of us the strength we need just one day at a time. He gives us what we need when we need it and doesn’t weight us down with excess baggage. God gives us His grace in the hour we need it and His timing is ALWAYS perfect.

Philippians 4:6-7 Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

1 Peter 5:7 Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you.

Do you believe, I mean really believe in His promises?

~ V

The Taste of the Mat

2009-05-24T23:26:00.002-05:00

The boxer was pushed back by the referee and told to get to the other side of the ring, but his eyes never left his opponent. His opponent had lowered his guard and the boxer, pressing his advantage, came in with a crushing blow to the right side of his jaw; dropping him to the mat like a sack of potatoes. From across the ring, the boxer was intently watching his opponent as the referee started the 10 count. Watching for any movement, the boxer was calculating his next move, should his opponent regain his feet. His opponent pushed himself up to his feet somewhere around count 5, and after a quick check by the referee, the boxer rushed back in. The opponent barely had enough time to catch his breath before the boxer landed a breath expelling body blow; causing him to stagger back and drop to his knee. The referee rushed back in to separate the two fighters, but with rage in his eyes and a consuming desire to ‘end this’, the boxer shoved the referee aside and as his opponent started to turn his face upward, the boxer pummeled his opponent to the mat…

Have you ever felt like this? You’ve weathered the storm, you’re weary and bruised, but you’ve started to recover and before you know it…BAM! You’re knocked down again. Lisa and I sure have! We are quickly closing in on our first year of marriage and we’ve already experienced things a lot of couples never have or never will face. How do you combine two families and have them blend as one and yet still deal with the individuality that makes each family unique? What do you do/say when the kids still yearn for the way things used to be? For awhile, it seemed like a new issue cropped up almost on a daily basis and while I consider myself a strong person, after awhile it just wears you down! But in the midst of this struggling and stress, something…almost imperceptibly…began to happen, bonding and growth. Sure, Kyle and Hope still drive each other crazy, but at the same time, I see them WANT to play together (at times). Nick and Vinny butt heads at times and like the opposite things, but they love to sit and watch TV together and just talk or ride their bikes to get a soda together. As a family, we’ve already established some of OUR traditions (all of us LOVE to sit around the fire pit on the deck and have S’mores and tell stories). It really is quite amazing!

God has a plan in drawing us together as a family…I have always believed that and Lisa has as well. The issues and ‘bumps’ we have (and most likely will continue to) experienced, draws us closer to each other and continues to show us that we STILL need God to build our house (Psalms 127:1). I believe one of two things is happening; either God is refining us for a purpose He has yet to reveal. Needing Lisa and I to go through and experience certain things to prepare us for His work. Or Satan is attacking us, trying to break us down and to thwart God’s plan for our lives. But I think on this; Satan is one of God’s greatest creations, he’s cunning and devious and possibly one of the greatest stratetitions ever…why would he be wasting his time attacking us if we were ineffective for God’s purposes?

I don’t even pretend to know what God has in store for Lisa and I…it may be grandiose or it may be quite humble in nature, but either way, so be it and may God be glorified! As long as Lisa and I keep our eyes and hearts focused on God, we’ll never let our guard down and we’ll be able to make our stand against the boxer.

~ V

Erosion

2009-05-15T21:18:00.002-05:00

It’s starts with a single drop of rain…not long after, a small rivulet is formed and over time, a stream. A large snow melt and some months of heavy rains and soon a river is formed…Deep and quick moving, a river’s constant flow can cut through rock, erode foundations and even change where it flows. That first initial drop of rain was meaningless, but with 5 million more, they can change the landscape. Slowly…over time, almost without notice.

Sin is the same way. While we make all the excuses, ‘No one sees, so no one knows’, ‘they’ve got plenty…they’ll never miss a couple’, ‘I can do this, it doesn’t hurt anyone’, the rain falls and a rivulet forms. Over time, the deep river of compromise has eroded and overflowed our moral banks and sin floods into every aspect of our lives. And just like a real flood…there is devastation and the course of our lives are changed...

Slow Fade – By Casting Crowns

Be careful little eyes what you see
It's the second glance that ties your hands as darkness pulls the strings
Be careful little feet where you go
For it's the little feet behind you that are sure to follow
It's a slow fade when you give yourself away
It's a slow fade when black and white have turned to gray
Thoughts invade, choices are made, a price will be paid
When you give yourself away
People never crumble in a day
It's a slow fade, it's a slow fade
Be careful little ears what you hear
When flattery leads to compromise, the end is always near
Be careful little lips what you say
For empty words and promises lead broken hearts astray
It's a slow fade when you give yourself away
It's a slow fade when black and white have turned to gray
Thoughts invade, choices are made, a price will be paid
When you give yourself away
People never crumble in a day
The journey from your mind to your hands
Is shorter than you're thinking
Be careful if you think you stand
You just might be sinking
It's a slow fade when you give yourself away
It's a slow fade when black and white have turned to gray
Thoughts invade, choices are made, a price will be paid
When you give yourself away
People never crumble in a day
Daddies never crumble in a day
Families never crumble in a day
Oh be careful little eyes what see
Oh be careful little eyes what you see
For the Father up above is looking down in love
Oh be careful little eyes what you see.

But we don’t HAVE to stay this way. Our banks can be shored up, our lives restored. Jesus…He calmed the waters…quieted the storm when His own disciples grew fearful and lacked faith. Who better to control the river that has gotten out of control, then the One who created it?

Most of my posts are based on personal experience, but this one was different. I felt God pressing me to write this post and I kept asking what was He trying to show/tell me? He simply told me that not everything He tells me is meant for me…I pray the seed finds fertile soil.

~ V

Meanwhile, back at the League of Justice...

2009-05-10T22:51:00.013-05:00

Mom's are superhero's. And just like Superman, Spiderman and Batman, they too have abilities. If you're like me (and who isn't), as a kid, I sat and watched Batman, defeat the villains with a combination of smarts, martial arts moves and his trusty utility belt.

He had everything from shark repellent to smoke grenades packed away in it. Mothers too, have a utility belt of sorts, but they called it a purse (and if it's perfect enough, they take pictures of it and blog about it...but I digress). I've seen mothers pull everything from fishing line and band-aids to happy-meal toys and screwdrivers from their satchels. I would even go so far to say that mother's have super powers that are just as powerful as any superhero; Mother's have the uncanny ability to take a scraped knee, clean it, bandage it and with a single kiss, make it feel SO much better! They also have the uncanny ability to know that when the kids get real quiet, something is usually amiss...They know more, see more and hear far more than any normal human being usually does...

Happy Mother's Day to all of you super mom's out there!

I know my mom was super and I know my wife is an incredibly super mom as well! Thank you...I'm always in awe of how much you do!

~ V

Through the eyes of God, the parent...

2009-05-08T07:29:00.000-05:00

Genesis 2:8-9 Now the LORD God had planted a garden in the east, in Eden; and there he put the man he had formed. And the LORD God made all kinds of trees grow out of the ground—trees that were pleasing to the eye and good for food. In the middle of the garden were the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

Genesis 2:15-17 The LORD God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it. And the LORD God commanded the man, "You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die."

Genesis 3:6-13 When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves. Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the LORD God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the LORD God among the trees of the garden. But the LORD God called to the man, "Where are you?" He answered, "I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid." And God said, "Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from?" The man said, "The woman you put here with me—she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate it." Then the LORD God said to the woman, "What is this you have done?"

God gave Adam (and eventually Eve, as well) only one command…Not to eat the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. God wasn’t a task master; He didn’t delight in crafting impossible situations for Adam…one rule was all. He was even upfront and plainly told them the repercussions if they disobeyed…they would die…

I’ve read and been read this story…the story of the fall of man…hundreds if not thousands of times since I was a child. But now, as a parent I read this passage and I can see through the eyes of God, the Father, as He looked for Adam and Eve in the garden, surely knowing already what they had done…what would I have said? What HAVE I said to my children…’What IS this that you have done? I gave you ONE simple rule…I gave you EVERYTHING else, you were free to enjoy everything else that I had given you…I didn’t want this for you! That’s why I warned you against it! You have chosen an exponentially more difficult path…oh, how I didn’t want this for you…

One moment of pleasure changed the entire course of Adam’s life…banished from the most beautiful, most peaceful spot on Earth…loss of the intimate communion he had with God…and he had to bear the pain and sorrow of one son killing the other, just to name a few…what a price.

We all make choices...children and adults alike. We warn, guide and instruct our kids...hoping beyond hope that they'll listen or at least absorb some of the things we try to teach them. God is no different with us...and if we are honest with ourselves, at times we're no different then our kids...God wants us to trust in HIS wisdom and guidance, not just every once in a while...not just on the big things, but every day...every moment.

Oh, that I might have just a minute portion of the grace God has for His children…

~ V

It's COMING!!!!!!!

2009-05-06T22:07:00.003-05:00

If you know what this sign is, then you're like me...a red blooded, full grown, Star Trek nerd...

Yes, I fully admit it, I like...no, I REALLY, REALLY, REALLY like Star Trek and I can not wait for the movie to come out...this FRIDAY (that's tomorrow, just in case you were wondering)! No, I'm NOT some freak who will dress-up as my favorite character (although, that would be pretty cool...maybe not). I DO however, own an extensive collection of Star Trek themed Hallmark ornaments...honestly enough to decorate an entire Christmas tree...

Have I mentioned that I LIKE Star Trek?? I do, you know!

Star Trekin' across the universe...poor Lisa... :)

~ V

I'm not junk...

2009-05-05T22:18:00.007-05:00

Ok, guys...please watch this video before reading on...(thanks for humoring me! Oh and don't forget to pause the player at the very bottom of this BLOG)

About a month and a half ago, the former youth pastor at our church came up to me after a Sunday morning service, looked me square in the eyes and told me, 'You don't have to believe the lies, you know. Satan is a liar and he's very good at what he does, but you don't have to believe him.' and then he moved on. Now, I barely knew this guy, in fact I can honestly say that I had never had any sort of conversation with the man other than a brief hello/hand shake on Sunday mornings. But there I stood stunned and I literally couldn't speak even if I had wanted to because of the HUGE lump in my throat.

You see, I've struggled with self-worth for most of my life. Never felt that I was good enough at any sport I tried, never really very good at playing the piano and though I love to sing, I have always questioned my ability. Never the good enough son, father or even husband...the list goes on and on. I've always felt that 'If I was just a little better' or 'If I would have handled that just a little differently' things would be different...

In this video, the character playing God said a few things that really struck home with me, he said 'There are things that you do in your life that do not work, but you go to these empty wells whenever you're hurting, whenever you're angry, whenever you're lonely and tired, but they do not work.' I try to handle my problems on my own and at those times I honestly feel (or I've convinced myself) that I know what's best...but I know that what I'm really doing is trying to prove to myself (yet again) that if I resolve this...if I fix that...that maybe, just maybe I AM good enough. Another thing that struck true with me in this video was when the man told God, 'I just feel like I've let you down SO many times.' that was/IS me...but what God said to the man in response just blew me away...'No...you were never holding me up. I hold YOU up with my victorious, righteous right hand and don't you forget that! In this relationship I hold you up...'

If I'm not ever good enough, if I always feel like I'm going to fail...What does that say about how I feel about how God created me? Does God create something that's bound for failure? or that is worthless?

I really crave your prayers for me with this...even though I read, see and understand these things, sometimes it's not easy...

~ V

100 myles...NO, it's MILES...of garage sales

2009-05-02T22:23:00.006-05:00

This is the face of a man who isn't happy...
Why isn't he happy, you may ask? Well, this guy went to the 100 mile garage sale. Yes...100 miles of garage sales. It's a thing they do each year around here and honestly, last year Lisa and I went and we had a GREAT time! OK...so what's the difference between last year and this year? Ummm...the three kids we decided to take this year!
Why do kids feel that they need to constantly correct each other? Or maybe it's just MY kids (and what does that say about ME?? Ugh..) but after about the 100th time (yes, that's about 1 per mile) of listening to one of them correct the other for accidently saying shale instead of sale, I was about to wack (or is that whack) something or someONE. So I've established a new law...kids and 100 mile garage sales do not mix! I think I'll call it; Vince's Law of Simple Sanity...

Honestly, it wasn't as bad as I make it out to be, but ALL of you dad's out there, I KNOW you're feelin' my pain...

~ V

Robots and Squirrels...the age long enmity

2009-04-20T21:52:00.005-05:00

OK...Lisa and I do the 'divide and conquer' method of putting our younger two to bed. She goes in and does her routine with Kyle and I with Hope. Last week, I had finished before Lisa and as I was passing Kyle's bedroom, Kyle said, 'Hey, Vince? Did you know that when God is done with this Earth, He will make a new one? And that when He makes the new Earth, animals will be our friends?' I said, 'Yes, Kyle, that's right. And did you know that the Bible says that the Lion will lay with the Lamb?' 'Yeah,' he said. 'And the robots and squirrels will finally be friends!' ...even I paused at that one...I said (with a barely straight face), 'I...wasn't aware that robots and squirrels were enemies??' Kyle didn't even pause, he said 'Oh, yeah...when a robot whose minding his own business gets too close to a tree, a squirrel will dive on it's head and attack it!' The visual (yes, us men ARE visual) was too much and I just burst out laughing!

So...when God creates the new Earth, the robots will have THAT to look forward to...

~ V

Is it still 'Green' if it kills the family pet?

2009-04-19T11:38:00.008-05:00

OK...confession time. I'm really not much of a 'Green' person. Green...you know, the latest societal fad that has everyone from Al Gore (didn't he invent this too?) to the teachers in your child's school doing what they can to help 'Mother Earth'. Now I know that's not a very PC thing to say that and honestly, I do feel it's good to be a wise steward environmentally, but there are people that are fanatical about it.

I heard a radio commercial last week that involved two junior high school aged kids. One pointed out to the other that they weren't using energy saving light bulbs in their bedroom (I don't know about you, but energy saving light bulbs are the LAST thing ANY of my kids are thinking about...especially around their friends!). The 'guilty' kid at first tried to say that this really wasn't his room and then proceeded to try a few other ~~stupid~~ lame excuses. A couple things irritated me about this PSA, one was the obvious attempt to use peer pressure on our kids to get to us...that strikes me as wrong.

The biggest irritant is the lie surrounding these light bulbs. Have you actually sat down and read the packaging on the side? Probably not...after all, why would we? I'm pretty sure none of us needs to read instructions on how to install a light bulb, but you should...here's what it says:

And here is a reprint of a April, 2007 WorldNetDaily Newspaper article:

'Brandy Bridges, of Prospect, Maine, heard the claims of government officials, environmentalists and retailers like Wal-Mart all pushing the idea of replacing incandescent light bulbs with energy-saving and money-saving compact fluorescent lamps.

So, last month, Brandy went out and bought two dozen CFLs and began installing them in her home. One broke. A month later, her daughter's bedroom remains sealed off with plastic like the site of a hazardous materials accident, while Bridges works on a way to pay off a $2,000 estimate by a company specializing in environmentally sound cleanups of the mercury inside the bulb. With the Environmental Protection Agency promoting CFLs as the greatest thing since, well, the light bulb, consumers have been left in the dark about a problem that we will all face eventually – how to get rid of the darn things when they burn out or, worse yet, break.

CFLs are all the rage. They are the spirally shaped, long-lasting bulbs everyone is being urged, cajoled and guilt-tripped into purchasing to replace Thomas Edison's incandescents, which are being compared to SUV’s for their impracticality and energy inefficiency. However, there is no problem disposing of incandescents when their life is over. You can throw them in the trash can and they won't hurt the garbage collector. They won't leak deadly compounds into the air or water. They won't kill people working in the landfills. The same cannot be said about the mercury-containing CFLs. They bear disposal warnings on the packaging. But with limited recycling prospects and the problems experienced by Brandy Bridges sure to be repeated millions of times, some think government, the green community and industry are putting the cart before the horse marketing the new technology so ferociously.

Consider her plight...When the bulb she was installing in a ceiling fixture of her 7-year-old daughter's bedroom crashed to the floor and broke into the shag carpet, she wasn't sure what to do. Knowing about the danger of mercury, she called Home Depot, who sold her the bulbs.

According to the Ellison American, the store warned her not to vacuum the carpet and directed her to call the poison control hotline in Prospect, Maine. Poison control staffers suggested she call the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention and the Maine Department of Environmental Protection.

The latter sent over a specialist to test the air in her house for mercury levels. While the rest of the house was clear, the area of the accident was contaminated above the level considered safe. The specialist warned Bridges not to clean up the bulb and mercury powder by herself – recommending a local environmental cleanup firm. That company estimated the cleanup cost, conservatively, at $2,000. And, no, her homeowners insurance won't cover the damage.

Since she could not afford the cleanup, Bridges has been forced to seal off her daughter's bedroom with plastic to avoid any dust blowing around. Not even the family pets are permitted in to the bedroom. Her daughter is forced to sleep downstairs in an overcrowded household.

She has continued to call public officials for help – her two U.S. senators included. So far, no one is beating down Bridges' door to help – not even Al Gore, whose Academy Award-winning movie, "An Inconvenient Truth," urges everyone to change to CFLs to save the planet from global warming.'

The whole world, it seems, fearing global warming, is gearing up to ban the incandescent light bulb. It started in Cuba, moved to Venezuela, then Australia, Canada and the European Union. Now individual states in the U.S., including California, Connecticut, North Carolina and Rhode Island, are all in the process of legislating an end to Edison's greatest invention.

The issue with the incandescent is that it uses more energy to produce light. Advocates of CFLs say they save money and energy by producing more light over more time for less money and less energy. They prefer to minimize concerns about cleanup and disposal, usually saying more needs to be done in the area of recycling.

So, in weighing energy and ecological responsibility against the saftey and welfare of my family, well...I guess I'm just not 'green' enough.

THAT is the real Inconvenient Truth!

~ V

Look at the point spread on THAT one!

2009-04-15T11:02:00.003-05:00

I absolutely LOVE my wife! Among the many reasons is that she makes me laugh and isn’t afraid in the least to laugh at herself! Last night, Lisa and I went to bed around 11pm and we did our little routine of shutting off the lights, etc and so we found ourselves walking across a dark house towards the hall that leads to our bedroom. I had seen that one of the kids had left an oversized ‘bouncy-ball’ on the landing, just in front of the hallway, so, not wanting Lisa or I to trip over it in the dark, I gave it a little kick and sent it rolling downstairs…Lisa didn’t see the ball, nor did she see me kick it. I heard her pause and she said, ‘Who’s there?’ Not quite sure what she was talking about, I stopped and turned and saw her with her head slightly ‘cocked’ sideways, looking downstairs. Again, she said, ‘Who’s there?...Did you see it?...Was that a Deer?’ At that point, I finally realized what had happened and I said, ‘No dear, that’s a ball! She saw this ‘shadowy figure’ bounding gracefully down the stairs and associated that with a Deer bounding gracefully across a field…

We laughed until our sides hurt and tears came to our eyes!

I LOVE my wife!!!

~ V

Plastic Easter eggs...$.99...The Cross, PRICELESS

2009-04-11T09:15:00.010-05:00

Note: Please scroll to the very bottom and PAUSE the music player there before playing this video...

Tomorrow, millions of people all over the world will be celebrating Easter. Easter brings back many memories for me, some religious, some not so religious. I’m not going to go on a tirade about the commercialization of Easter, but I would like each of you to put the thoughts of Easter grass, eggs, baskets, candy and even the Easter bunny aside for a moment and think about the gift freely given & the sacrifice endured some 2000 plus years ago by Gods only son Jesus. Neither Pontius Pilate (the Roman appointed Governor), nor Herod (the figurehead King) could find Jesus guilty of wrong doing, but through pressure from the Jewish religious leaders, Pontius washed his hands of Jesus and told them to do with him as they will. John 19:1 says that Pilate then had Jesus scourged. ‘…and scourged him…’ Just three words ... the mind absorbs them in a second and passes to the next sentence.

The Bible gives no further explanation. There is no footnote explaining what it means. Most of us read over it for years without really contemplating that word...scourged. It was somehow a part of the crucifixion. Maybe we heard a preacher say it was some sort of a whipping. Oh, but it was so much more. Pilate knew the Jews delivered Jesus out of envy (Matthew 27:18), and that He had committed no real crime, certainly not one worthy of death (Luke 23:15). Pilate also knew that something had to be done as these people were far too worked up to go home without any action, so he decided a scourging might satisfy their lust for vengeance. Today’s Humane Society would not allow a dog to be treated the way our Lord was.

An “examination by scourging” (Acts 22:24, 29) was a legal preliminary to every Roman execution. This brutal flogging was called the “little death” and preceded the “big death” (crucifixion). Only women, Roman senators, and soldiers (except deserters) were exempt. History tells us that a criminal was flogged either by two soldiers (lictors) or by one who alternated positions. Under Hebrew law a penalty was limited to forty strokes (Deuteronomy 25:3), so they normally stopped at thirty-nine in case they miscounted. The Romans, however, imposed no such numerical limitation. A scourging’s severity depended entirely on the lictor’s disposition. The only rule for the lictor who scourged a man about to be crucified was that he was to expire on the cross—not at the stake. Thus he tried to bring his victim to the very verge of death, without crossing that threshold. The scourging post was usually about two feet high. A criminal’s wrists were strapped to an iron ring that projected from two sides near the top. Sometimes the victim’s arms were stretched instead above his head and fastened to a beam. The usual instrument was a short-handled whip (flagrum, flagellum) with several single or braided thongs of variable lengths, on which sharp pieces of sheep bones were tied at intervals. Sometimes the whip instead was made of several thin, iron chains which ended in small weights. Clothing was stripped so the prisoner stood naked, or at the most with a loincloth. (Is it any wonder the Bible says, “Who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame...” Hebrews 12:2?) The man’s wrists were tightly fixed to the iron rings. He was stretched, face down, with his feet pointed away from the post (or in the case of the beam, he was hoisted vertically). In both cases, the shoulder blades were positioned to provide little protection for the underlying flesh. The tension of awaiting the first blow was cruel. The body was rigid. The muscles knotted in tormenting cramps. Color drained from the cheeks. Lips were drawn tight against the teeth. Then it came ... the whistle of the whip and the dull thud as it made contact with flesh, followed by the burning sensation and the first trickle of blood. Again and again, more rapidly they came, blow after blow. With seemingly unbearable agony the naked back, neck, sometimes face, chest (as the whip was allowed to encircle the body), buttocks, and legs were repeatedly struck. At first, it caused deep bruising. Then, as the lictor continued his well-practiced procedure, the thongs, sheep bones, chains, and weights cut into the skin...ever deeper, with each lash...After what seemed like an eternity to the victim and those who loved Him, His limp body was finally taken down from the post or beam. As was the custom, His wounds were washed but not otherwise medicated.

Afterword they put Jesus’ clothes back on His massacred back. Imagine how uncomfortable it was to have that rough material scratch against His open wounds! As the blood began to clot, His clothing became stiff and dry. The Roman soldiers, amused that this weakened man had claimed to be a king, began to mock Him. One of them fashioned a robe out of some purple material (or perhaps used the one Herod had used earlier); another ran out to a thorn bush and gathered some prickly limbs and formed them into a tight, pointed circle; another found a rod or stout stick to use as a scepter. Just about the time His bleeding stopped, they ripped His clothes off and placed the robe on Him (thus opening the wounds again). Imagine how that must have hurt! Even an area as small as that covered by a Band-Aid hurts terribly if it adheres itself to the Band-Aid. One soldier grabbed His head and forced the thorns down over His scalp. Think of the sharp thorns piercing His skin in dozens of places. Another took the reed and hit Him over the head, thus driving the thorns in more deeply. How He must have hurt! How He must have bled! Since even a small cut to the head bleeds profusely. The soldiers finally had all the fun they wanted with Him and took Him back to Pilate.

Pilate presented Him, beaten, bloodied and weak, to the people. Picture, if you can, Pilate leading this purple-clad Man, with scepter dangling from His hand, and bloody crown on His head, out for these sick people to see. Pilate said simply, “Behold the man!” (John 19:5). He must have thought that surely this would satisfy their hatred. Surely they will say, “You’ve done enough. Let Him go.” But he underestimated them. They wanted more, they wanted him crucified. And so, He was forced to carry a heavy cross (between 75 and 125 lbs just for the crossbar) upon His torn and bleeding back a distance of maybe 1 or 2 miles, tripping and falling who knows how many times and with each fall, jarring His battered body (until he could carry it no farther). Once they got to the top of a hill called Golgotha, the Roman soldier laid Jesus’ unresisting body on top of the cross, stretched out His hands and feet and drove spikes through them to attach Him to it. Can you imagine the pain He felt as the base of the cross slid into place with a thud, when they raised it? Then He hung there for many hours as people spat at Him and cursed Him and the soldiers even gambling for His clothes. In the end, He shouted, ‘My God! My God! Why have You forsaken me?!’ and with a clap of thunder and an earthquake, He surrendered His spirit…

But it didn’t end there…Why did Jesus go through this? He didn’t have to. He could have called down 100 legions of Angels to rescue Him. With a single word, He could have removed Himself from the cross and restored His own body...why, then? Why did he suffer such agony, such humiliation? Because He loved us and wanted to save us. And He still does to this day. John 3:16 says, ‘For God so loved the world that he gave His only Son that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.’ This means that God offered up His only son (Jesus) as a one-time sacrifice for ALL sins (past, present & future) and that if we truly believe that Jesus is the son of God & that He died for our sins and rose again, that we will not go to hell, but will go to our glory in heaven.…Three days after Jesus’ broken, pierced body was taken down from the cross and buried in the tomb, He rose from the dead! He appeared before over 500 witnesses and even had Thomas (one of the disciples who doubted) touch the wounds on His hands and put his hand in His side.…

Buddha didn't suffer for you...Muhammad didn't die for your sins...Krishna didn't fulfill over 200 prophesies written about him...Confucius didn't face death by the very ones he came to save and said, 'Father, forgive them, they do not know what they do...'

Christ did...Jesus Christ, the only son of God fulfilled ALL of these things and much much more...
He loves you and patiently waits for you...

He is risen indeed!

~ V

something that makes me scratch my head...

2009-04-09T21:48:00.004-05:00

Ok...can anyone tell me what's wrong with this picture???

sigh...

~ V

Speaking of American Idol

2009-04-04T11:33:00.007-05:00

Ok, now that I've had my fun. I want to share with you two of my favorite performances so far from this season. The first is by Adam Lambert, who in my opinion (win or lose) is already well on his way to an incredible career. Here he performs HIS version (notice I stress HIS) of Johnny Cash's iconic 'Ring of Fire' I found this incredibly unique...see if you agree! Oh, don't forget to scroll to the bottom and PAUSE the music player first! (trying to listen to two music files at once is extremely annoying!)

Here is Kris Allen. He's been growing on me (no, NOT like a fungus!) This performance of 'To Make You Feel My Love' a song that I wasn't familiar with (originally sung by Bob Dylan), made me sit-up and take notice of him...VERY heart felt.

Two firsts for Trevor that I thought I'd share. This past week, he officially entered the ranks of 'Gainfully Employed' as Mc Donalds hired him on the spot after his interview! Congrats Trev!
And last night, he went to the first concert by himself! He and Whitney went to see Red Jumpsuit Apparatus and Second Hand Seranade. Fun!

~ V

Let's play 'Who's the Idol'

2009-04-03T17:42:00.022-05:00

American Idol...how many of you watch this show? It's one of Lisa's favorites and I like to watch it as well...however, I must admit part of the appeal for me is watching the initial couple of weeks during the try outs. Honestly now...how can some of these people actually think they're good?? Yeah, there are some who make it a complete joke...these people know they're bad and they actually play that up. But there are those who come in, perform seriously and have absolutely NO clue as to how incredibly bad they are. It's kind of like watching a train wreck, you know you should turn your head, you KNOW it's going to be horrific, but you just can't help but watch...

Well, a few weeks ago, I started noticing that this years contestants, either looked like or reminded of some other well known people...or "ahem", icons. See if you agree!

Ok, here's the first one. Compare the following two photos. Which one is Scott MacIntyre and whic is Art Garfunkel?

Number two: Who is M. Night Shyamalan and who is Anoop Desai (yes...that's a real name)

And we're now on to Number 3: Wherever Art shows up, Paul Simon can't be far behind, which of these is indeed Paul and which is Kris Allen?

Here's number 4: I've seen both of these guys, one while I was a kid and the other on Amer. Idol. Who is Eddie Munster and who is Adam Lambert??

Last, but not least, #5: Although they have matching hair, these pictures are NOT the same person. Which is Allison Iraheta and which is the loveable Troll Doll?

Ridiculous? Sure! But BOY was it fun!!!

~ V

Setting the blender on puree...

2009-03-29T21:59:00.005-05:00

A few days ago, Lisa related in her blog about what a great weekend we had together as a family (Family movie night on Friday and a spontaneous trip to the Mall of America on Saturday) and how it feels that we are starting to come together as a family. I started writing this entry last Saturday on the way to MOA as Lisa drove...

This 'blending' of families is tough! Lisa and I read a great deal about blended families before we were married. We wanted the upper hand or at the very least, wanted to go into 'the blender' if you will, as prepared as we could be. The study we did together was called 'God Breathes On Blended Families' and the author's quote a statistic that said that it takes a blended family 4 to 7 years before they start feeling like a whole family. When I read that statistic, I know I thought, 'Well, we're going to be different...I'll make us different.' In retrospect, that's alot of pressure I put on myself and I took the control of that away from God. It wasn't long after we were married when I found myself running here and there, putting out squabbles, listening to how unfair something was.

For a time, there wasn't a day that went by that something didn't happened that chipped away at my vision of the family I wanted and knew we were supposed to be. Hearing comments like 'I wish it were still just us' or 'You did this, you ruined my life' would leave my spirit crushed and made me feel like all I was trying to do was for naught...all in vain.

I remember finally coming to God...I was tired, hurt and frustrated. He simply told me 'You're laboring in vain...' Oh, Lord...how could I have forgotten? The very foundation of the message Lisa and I had Pastor Sonny speak about at our wedding...Psalm 127:1 'Unless the Lord builds the house, its builders labor in vain...' was brought to my mind. Who's building the framework of this family? Am I letting God, or am I trying to shove nails into the frame of our 'house' with my bare hands and shear force of will? He was right...I had taken the building of our 'house' upon myself...and I was seeing the fruits of my labor (or lack thereof).

I had been SO singularly focused on whether people where happy or OK and focused on if they were progressing according to MY image of where I thought everyone should be, that I had missed the slow blending that has been going on. In the months that have past since Lisa and I were married, we have seen our share of bickering, but we have also seen a bonding. Sometimes it's a couple steps forward...other times, it's a couple back, but God is build this house and besides, doesn't that honestly happen in families, blended or not, anyway?

~ V

Germaphobe?...Well, I am now!

2009-03-29T01:09:00.005-05:00

Ok, I'm going to start right off with an apology for this post. Some people might call this a NO TOUCH subject, but honestly...well, let me explain.

Ok, you're out shopping (you know, it's Saturday, time to run your errands) and inevitably somewhere along the line nature calls...yeah, great...so you find the restroom, enter the stall...can someone PLEASE tell me why they insist on installing the TP dispenser 10 inches off the floor? And it's not just Wal-Mart or Target...EVERY place does! 10 inches off the ground makes it virtually impossible to to either A) Get a long enough piece B) Not touch the unimaginably filthy floor with the TP OR my hand...

It makes me shudder!

~ V

Quiet...too quiet

2009-03-24T21:47:00.002-05:00

The kids are on spring break this week and you'd think that the house would be thriving with kids, friends, etc running around all day...that's not the case as Nick and Kyle went with their dad to Florida (lucky's!) So, it's been quieter...emptier.
I miss the boys...alot! and if I do, you can't imagine how Lisa feels...The boys are having a great time and we're glad they have the opportunity, but our home just isn't the same without them.

I wonder if God feels the same way about us...haven't prayed in awhile? Haven't read His word?? I don't know about you, but when this happens to me, I start to feel very disconnected and then I start to feel like I'm floundering...I NEED Him...every day, every hour, every minute...He miss's you and all you have to do is look up...He is there.

~ V

Happy St. Kilt...er, Patty's Day!!

2009-03-17T22:04:00.005-05:00

Ok...It's St Patty's day and for those who know me well, should know that I can NOT pass up the opportunity to share one of my favorites...well, if not Irish, then Scottish!

Enjoy!

~ V

The Plan, The Teens & Tweens, and the Apple

2009-03-16T20:11:00.003-05:00

Jeremiah 29:11 'For I know the plans I have for you,' declares the Lord, 'plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.'

If you have followed my BLOG at all, you’d know that I have written about this passage on several different occasions. God is quite plain in telling us throughout His Word that He has plans for us and that those plans are to provide hope for a future that is in Him. During church a few weeks back, a young woman got up and shared this verse. She explained that the Holy Spirit had pressed this verse on her and after reading it, she admitted that she almost flippantly told God, ‘Yeah…you have plans for me…and?’ God came right back and told her, ‘No…you don’t understand. I, the Lord your God, have plans for you…when are YOU going to accept my plan and by faith, walk in it?’

Now, I’ve read this scripture countless times, but God, through the testimony of this girl, revealed a perspective that I had never considered before. God, in His infinite wisdom and all encompassing love, has a plan for each and every one of us. It’s not some vague, general, meandering plan, but one that has been customized for you…for me…but the deal is this, we have to decide to accept, claim and walk in His plan. God doesn’t force us to accept Him, nor does He force us to believe or accept the ultimate sacrifice His son Jesus paid for us and He’s not going to force us to accept His plans for us either. As with salvation, this is a choice we have to make...follow His perfect plan, or follow our imperfect one.

Why is it that we feel we know what’s better for our lives than God? It’s funny…we experience this very thing from our own kids…we don’t know what we’re talking about, or we’re ‘not in the know’, no matter how you cut it, our kids feel they know what’s better for themselves than us and we, well, we’re just clueless. It doesn’t matter that we’ve been down the same roads and that we have the advantage(?) of knowing the pain and disappointment that often comes from ignoring the wisdom of our parents. And on the flip side, I now know what my own parents must have felt at those times…fear that he might not make it on his own…frustration over her lack of motivation to get good grades…If he’d just take school seriously…if she’d just take my advice…and God says, ‘Hmm, apples don’t fall far from the tree…’ Wha?...Hey! I was talking about my kids! And He says, ‘Yeah, so was I!’

Oh…yeah…

~ V

Come on Baby Light my Fire…

2009-03-06T22:07:00.000-06:00

The last couple of days have been in the 40’s and I’ve been LOVING it! I actually saw a couple of Robins in our yard…so either it’s official and spring is here, or those two Robins are total bird brains! Anywho, I am here to make an official proclamation (if you were here, you could hear the fanfare trumpets and timpani drums): I hereby declare Friday, March 6th, the official start of the 2009 grilling season! During lunch (yes…I actually get to have lunch with my wife almost every day!), Lisa and I talked about what to have for supper and that’s when I said that it’s nice enough out, we should grill. You should have seen her face light up! You would have though I offered to take her on a cruise or something! We decided to have grilled Salmon and veggies. Salmon is something that I’ve never enjoyed in the past, but honestly that was just Salmon patties…(shudder). So baked or grilled Salmon is something Lisa introduced me to, and I really love it grilled. We’ve tried several recipes (Mediterranean herb or Rosemary), but tonight I left it up to Lisa and she proposed a simple house seasoning and butter recipe. Honestly, I was a little skeptical because I AM so picky about fishy taste, but it turned out perfect! It was moist and flaky and it was obvious that the Salmon was very very fresh as it tasted clean and YUMMY!

So…all of you barbecue and grilling enthusiasts, it’s time! Fill up the tanks, stock up the Kingsford, clean up the surface and fire up the grills!

Grill long, and prosper!

~ V

30 hours a day...

2009-03-05T21:35:00.003-06:00

Ok, bear with me…add this up:

.5 - Wake-up and get kids started/off to school
1 - Get ready for work
.5 - Drive to and from work
9.5 - Work (on average I work 8 to 5:30)
1 - Help/make supper
.5 - Clean-up after supper
1.5 - Fix/repair something in or around the house or computer or car
1 - Deal with an issue (with 7 people in the house, there’s ALWAYS an issue)
1 - Get the little ones ready for and in bed
1.5 - Get the older ones to bed (yes…it takes longer!)
7 - Sleep

So, what’s that come to...25? Yeah, I’m quite aware there are only 24 hours in a day and yes…it’s not this way all of the time, but I think you get my point! Where’s my time spent in God’s word or prayer? Where’s the time spent with Lisa that I SO treasure? Or time to read or to BLOG or to…well, anything else? Honestly, it’s not as bad as all of that, but there ARE days that really do come close. There is SO much more I want to do…feel that I NEED to do. I’d love to try out for the agency’s yearly musical production, but where would the time come from? What would I have to sacrifice in order to commit to rehearsals? Time with the kids? Lisa? God? I’m simply not willing to make that sacrifice. This blending of two families is challenging enough as it is…I need to be here to grow Lisa’s and my relationship and nurture my relationship with her boys.
And so, as David did in Psalm 57:2, ‘I cry out to God most high, to God who accomplishes all things for me.’ And almost instantly, the Holy Spirit brought Luke 12:31 to mind…’ But seek first the kingdom of God, and all these things shall be added to you.’ …Um, honestly was that necessary? OK, maybe I did deserve that. I seriously wonder if God ever gets tired of me forgetting the basics and acting like I’m wandering around a darkened room…

What do I need to do, oh Lord? Give me wisdom…Your wisdom, Your peace, Your grace! Oh, and while you’re at it…can you give me about 30 hours in a day??

~ V

New look...

2009-03-02T19:48:00.002-06:00

Just a quick note to announce the new look of my Blog. I feel the background and image, better reflects the title...hope you feel likewise!

Vince

Facebook and other scary things...

2009-02-19T07:50:00.002-06:00

Yes, I have succumbed to the prompting of family & friends and have
joined the ranks of millions of others on Facebook. For those of you who live under a rock and may not know what Facebook is, it’s a free social networking website where users can join networks (groups) organized by city, workplace, school, and personal interests to connect and interact with other people of like interest. People can also add friends and send them messages, and update their personal profiles to notify friends about themselves. While I generally consider Facebook an incredible waste of time, there are some aspects of it that I find interesting. It's fun to 'find' and reconnect with people I've fallen out of touch with and it's fun to read people's funny comments.

Now, my older sister, Denise, has been on Facebook considerably longer then I, which if you knew Denise is actually pretty odd in and of itself, and so I've just sat back and have observed her postings, comments...etc for awhile now, partially to see how Facebook operates and to see how technically savvy my older sister has become (again...if you know Denise...). To her credit, it has become apparent that she is very comfortable with Facebook and I'd even go so far as to say that she's most likely an expert! She has mastered most of the on-line speech acronyms and has even taken it to a new level and has added some of her own 'short-hand' (which, at times, takes me awhile to decipher!). The other night, I logged into my Facebook page and looking through the comments of my various friends and family, I noticed one from Denise, which read; 'Denise Became a Fan of Kinder Surprise.' This intrigued me because along with the comment was a picture of this egg shaped...something, wrapped in a colorful wrapper.

So I clicked on the picture, which took me to a Facebook 'Fan' site for Kinder Surprise...I thought, 'OK...a candy egg...big deal.' and then I noticed that there was a link to a video for Kinder Surprise...to say that I wasn't prepared for what I saw next is a HUGE understatement. Now...it wasn't crude or graphic in anyway, so don't worry about that...however, in MY humble opinion, it DOES warrant a completely new category of weird, odd and yes...creepy! See if you agree...

And now...ladies and gentlemen, let me introduce you to the disturbing weirdness that IS Kinder Surprise...(click link below)
Kinder Surprise

~ Vince

Superman Who?

2009-02-11T23:01:00.005-06:00

The father clutched his son’s tiny hand warmly.

"Do you know what I wanna be when I grow up Daddy?" The child brightly asked.

It was a sunny Sunday morning...too early for many people to be out, but Josh had insisted. All through the week, the boy would wait anxiously for his father to come home from work. Working late, there wasn’t much time left for him to play or get involved with his son like he wanted or should. A sweet boy with a heart of gold, the innocence of the young surrounded him and lit his face. It was the age of dreams and seeing only happy endings; the age of dreaming about what one wants to be when one grows up and believing that it would turn out exactly that way.

“What?”

“I wanna be a pilot!” Josh said loudly, laughing with pure happiness. “I wanna fly and see where the birdies go off too!” His eyes shone with joy.

“And what will you do once you find out?”

“I will try to find Tootsie...and then I’ll bring him home!” The child smiled, cute little dimples forming at the end of his lips as he did.

“Good! I bet we'll have a great time with Tootsie”, Josh seemed very sure of that and nodded eagerly.

Tootsie was Josh’s pet parrot. Tootsie and Mr. Cuddles, the teddy bear, were the best; and while Mr. Cuddles went to bed with Josh, the parrot stayed out of the bedroom. One day when he woke up, he realized he had left the cage near an open window, giving Brutus, the neighborhood alley cat, the chance to have him as his personal "dinner guest". Josh would never have forgiven himself, so he was told that Tootsie had gone to visit friends, and maybe he’s staying because he likes it there with his old pals.

“Daddy?”, Josh said with imploring eyes.

“Yes son?” he said as he pulled him up in his arms.

“When I’m big and strong like you, will you take me to your office with you?”

“Of course I will champ!”

“And… and”, the boy was trying to think of different possibilities. “And when I’m big and strong just like you, will you still play with me?”

“Of course! You’ll be a big man like daddy is, and daddy will be proud.” He smiled warmly at Josh. Josh hugged his father in as tight a hug as he could muster.

“Daddy”, The boy hugged his father tighter. “You’re the only one who can open the jelly jar when mom can’t. I told Pete at school that you're just like Superman! He said his dad is stronger than my dad, but then I told him you can even go into the basement without any light on and the monster in the basement can’t even scare you off!” The child laughed with satisfaction.

“Did you now?” Daddy smiled at Josh.

“Yes”, the boy was in such high spirits. “And I also told him about that day you cut yourself shavin’ and you didn’t get even kissed for it and… and it didn’t hurt you ‘cause you’re brave and… and you weren’t sad for getting’ cut.” The boy swelled with pride. “Daddy…” the boy grew serious.

“Yeah bud?”

“How come you take so many pictures of us, but you’re never in them?”

“Well…” he thought for a moment. “That’s ‘cause…”

“Daddy I want a photo of you so I can show Pete how big and strong you are!” he said without letting him finish. The boy hugged his father again and smiled. He held Josh closer to him.

“I love you Daddy. You’re the best! And you ARE just like Superman! My daddy's SUPERMAN!" he gave his dad a sweet kiss on the cheek.

“I love you too son! You’re the purest form of love I have ever seen.” The boy clearly didn’t understand what his father meant and he didn’t even bother with it. He just hugged his dad…his very own Superman and clung on to his protective arms.

The images of being a young boy, looking up at my father and seeing him as the man of steel, is very real for me. Dad was stronger than anyone I knew and I was sure he could lift a car! He was smarter than anyone I knew as well...he knew how to fix a car, knew how to start a campfire and knew just when the fish would bite. He knew how to play baseball, knew how to make something out of wood and knew advanced math. To my young mind, dad was a superman...

I'm not exactly sure when it happened, or how old I was, but something happened and one day I noticed that his red boots were really just old, worn work boots...his cape was nothing more than a windbreaker. My dad wasn't superman. For a time, that realization really shook me. Finding out that there really isn't a Santa Clause or Easter Bunny, is a passage of maturity, but realizing that your dad really isn't superman...well...it changes how a boy views the world; If dad isn't superman, maybe he isn't so strong after all...maybe he doesn't know as much as I thought... maybe he doesn't always know best. There was even a time when I marked dad as a villain...sort of an anti-superman if you will. Perceived injustices, stubbornness and seeking my own independence, often pitted my will against dad's (and if you know my dad, that isn't always the smartest thing to do)...at times, I wondered what happened...where was superman?

The years past and I eventually had a son of my own... I had came to terms with the fact that dad wasn't superman long before, but the shock of that realization still affected me...as I proudly held my new son, I swore that things would be different...I would be different. I was there when he took his first step...there when he first said 'Da-da' and I was there to see the wonderment of his first Christmas on his face. I taught him how to throw a ball...catch a pass and I taught him how to ride a bike. Many times, while Trevor grew, I caught him looking at me...almost exactly the same way I would look at my own dad.
As he got a little older, I started coaching the baseball and basketball teams he was in. I loved coaching, especially baseball, and I took pride in watching how the boys matured and improved their skills over the 3 or 4 years that I coached them. It was during the last year that I coached that I started seeing a change in Trevor. I don't know if it was expectations on his part or simple familiarity with me being his coach for so long, but he started challenging my coaching and while I was OK with him talking to me privately about his issues, there was a particular game where he let it all out for all to hear...in the middle of an inning...while he was on the pitchers mound. As head coach, you MUST maintain the respect and authority of the team as a whole and with that in mind, Trevor gave me no choice, but to send him to the bench. He threw his glove into the dugout and as he past me I again, caught a look in his eyes that brought memories crashing back...this time however, it almost brought me to my knees...there was disdain in that look and a sense...a feeling of betrayal...I no longer was superman...I was the villain. Guilt and remorse weighed down on me like heavy bags of wet sand...I was no better...despite my promise, I was no better. What did this mean? I KNOW I loved my son...wanted nothing but the best for him. I freely gave of myself and enjoyed doing so...and in spite of that, I was no longer superman. I felt like I had failed...

I've had several years to contemplate my fall from hero status and I've come to the conclusion that the 'fall' is inevitable. Every father/son relationship WILL pass through this valley at some point in time and honestly, that's not a bad thing! I think what matters is how the father handles it afterwards. Do you withdraw from your son and let yourself become a shadow of the man you once were? Or do you persevere and press on with your son? The choice is OURS...he is waiting...if you don't pick yourself up, dust off the remnants of your alter-ego, and just be the best dad you know how, your fate and your son's memories both will be sealed...

Oh...and I've finally come to understand that while some of the choices that dad made may have been harsh or not ones that I personally would have made, I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that he tried his very best to provide for us. He worked LONG, hard hours to give his family a home, clothes and food. And many times, after working all day, would come home to find a broken down car or appliance that needed to be fixed. He took pride in his work and the fact that he was a self-made man. Dad did the best he knew how to and it was through his providing that he showed his love to us. Dad? I just want you to know that after these many years, I understand and I want you to know that I appreciate the sacrifices you had to make for us and that I love you for it and you know what? I think that's pretty Super...

Thank you Dad...thank you for being my Superman...

Vince