From the Pickle Jar this evening.
What do you enjoy most about teenagers?
What is there that I enjoy about teenagers? I mean there has to be something right? After all, I work with them for a living. Why in the world would I do that if there wasn't at least one thing that I really enjoyed about them?
I think that one of the things that I really like about teenagers is that they have a great deal of energy. Granted there are times that I do wish they had either a little less energy, or a better way to release it, but all in all, I do like the fact that they are so energetic. To be honest it helps to keep me feeling energetic as well. Being with teens helps me to stay feeling younger than what I am, and that is a good thing I think.
Another thing that I enjoy about them is the fact that so many of them that I know really want to be able to make a difference. And the great thing is, they still believe that they can. I love that about them. To them a lot of times the outlook is that there is something that needs to be fixed or changed so let's do it. Let's fix it or change it. They don't always worry about all the peripheral things that adults worry about. In their eyes something needs to be done, so lets do it. It's that easy. I guess that in some ways there is an innocence in that. Why can't we change these things? All we have to do is this, this, this and this. There are times that I wish more adults would be able to simply look at things through the eyes of a teen and think about things in that way. Teens can be such an agent for change if we will only let them. What I like about this is the fact that it challenges me to look at things in that way and seek out those changes.
Another thing is the fact that they are old enough to have started figuring out who it is that they are going to be. Even though there is still going to be a great deal that changes in them as they grow (I hope), it is at this point that they are starting to figure out who they are and what they really believe about things.
These are a few of the things that I enjoy about teenagers. Peace and Love y'all.
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
Saturday, November 21, 2009
I Feel Good
What makes you feel good? (Occasions, food, people, etc.)
So I'm back again with a love letter to the kiddos (at least that is what I'm calling it). This is a good question too about what makes me fool good. Let's see if I can give a good answer to it.
So what is there that makes me feel good? I would say that there are lots of things that can do it. There are occasions that do it, there are some foods that do it, and there are for sure some people that do it. Let's see if we can hit at least those three things and then see what happens.
1) Occasions- There are a few occasions that make me feel good it seems. One is my anniversary. It makes me feel good to know that Roni and I have been blessed with our years of marriage. It makes me feel good to know that there is consistency there. Another occasion that makes me feel good is when I find out that people I love have great things happening in their lives. Right now I have two cousins that are pregnant, and three sets of friends that have just had babies in the last 6 months. These are occasions that make me happy. I feel good when people I love experience a joyful occasion.
2) Food- What? Like food doesn't make you happy too. We all like to eat, if for no other reason than to stay alive basically. The thing is though, there are some foods themselves that just kind of make me feel good. You know as I sit here and ponder this and write it, I realize what an odd choice it really is for something that makes me feel good. One of the things recently that has made me feel good is the chicken "salad" that Roni has done for sandwiches. It's very simple, but it is oh so good. I could eat a ton of it it feels like sometimes, which ironically I'm sure would not leave me feeling so good.
3) People- One of the things that makes me feel good above most everything else is people. I should probably clarify a little bit at least. It's not really just people in general, but rather people that I have a deep affection for. So that basically breaks it down into two categories: family and friends. That probably should have been pretty easy to figure out. These are the two that do the most to make me feel good.
So I'm back again with a love letter to the kiddos (at least that is what I'm calling it). This is a good question too about what makes me fool good. Let's see if I can give a good answer to it.
So what is there that makes me feel good? I would say that there are lots of things that can do it. There are occasions that do it, there are some foods that do it, and there are for sure some people that do it. Let's see if we can hit at least those three things and then see what happens.
1) Occasions- There are a few occasions that make me feel good it seems. One is my anniversary. It makes me feel good to know that Roni and I have been blessed with our years of marriage. It makes me feel good to know that there is consistency there. Another occasion that makes me feel good is when I find out that people I love have great things happening in their lives. Right now I have two cousins that are pregnant, and three sets of friends that have just had babies in the last 6 months. These are occasions that make me happy. I feel good when people I love experience a joyful occasion.
2) Food- What? Like food doesn't make you happy too. We all like to eat, if for no other reason than to stay alive basically. The thing is though, there are some foods themselves that just kind of make me feel good. You know as I sit here and ponder this and write it, I realize what an odd choice it really is for something that makes me feel good. One of the things recently that has made me feel good is the chicken "salad" that Roni has done for sandwiches. It's very simple, but it is oh so good. I could eat a ton of it it feels like sometimes, which ironically I'm sure would not leave me feeling so good.
3) People- One of the things that makes me feel good above most everything else is people. I should probably clarify a little bit at least. It's not really just people in general, but rather people that I have a deep affection for. So that basically breaks it down into two categories: family and friends. That probably should have been pretty easy to figure out. These are the two that do the most to make me feel good.
- Family- These are the of course the people that I get to see and talk to and spend the most time with. I love to get to spend time with Roni and Boo and Puck and Little Man. It makes me feel good to be with them. I love getting to hang out with Roni because she is my best friend and because we get each other. The kids of course are just fun to be with. Each has such a different personality and all three are so very sweet. I hope and pray that I am a good husband and father for these four very special people. Beyond that I enjoy spending time with my parents and my brothers. It makes me feel good to get to see and talk to them. We all get along well and that is a big help.
- Friends- After family it is my friends that make me feel good to be with. Due to the fact that the people that we are closest to as far as friendships go are all at least an hour and a half away or more, it is a big deal to get to spend time with these people. I love being able to share life with them as we are all growing and learning and experiencing things. It makes for a fantastic life experience to have people whom are as close a family members.
- Working out- I know that seems like an obvious thing what with the health aspects and such, but for me the fact that I am actually doing something makes me feel good.
- Moments in my job- There are times that with what I do as a youth minister it can be very frustrating and discouraging. In fact our church right before coming to Quitman was like that. But, there are many times that something will happen-either a message will click just right, or an activity will lead to something deeper, or a kid will just open up-and I know that God is actually using me to help build His kingdom. When that happens, none of the rest of it-the frustrations and the discouragement-none of it matters anymore. When something clicks for these kids about what it means to be a follower of Jesus rather than simply a church goer, there is very little that makes me feel as good as that.
- Working on mission trips- It makes me feel so good when at the end of the week I can look and know that we have done our best to have an impact on someone else life with the work we do. And it's not only seeing the impact on the lives of the people being served. It's seeing the change in the lives of the ones doing the serving as well. That feels good.
- Those times when something clicks for me- There seem to be plenty of these times. I will be going along and be thinking about various things and/or praying and all of the sudden something will just make sense to me. When that happens, it does feel really good.
Monday, November 16, 2009
Marriage and Such
Here is my next Love Letter to my kids.
How old were you and your wife when you were married? Describe plans, hopes etc. at that time.
In a lot of ways when Roni and I got married, we were still just kids. I had turned 23 less than two months before and she had turned 22 less than a month before. Yet we knew this was what we were supposed to be doing. I will say this, I'm not sure 22-23 is the age that I want my own kids to be getting married, at least as I look at now.
I can't really say that we had any really big plans at the time we got married. I was working for Budget Rent-A-Car and Airport Valet in Amarillo at the time and Roni had just recently finished up a stint as the youth minister at First United Methodist Church in Quanah, TX. Early on our plan had been to get married and move to the Midland area where I could finish school at UTPB and continue as the youth minister at FUMC in Stanton. At the time it had seemed like a good plan. As the wedding got closer however I ended up leaving Stanton and going to work at Budget. All the while however we were looking for a job in youth ministry since that was really where I felt I was called (and still do).
We finally landed in Abernathy, TX as the youth minister after being married for about 2 months. Once we were somewhat stable, we began to try and figure out what those hopes and dreams of ours might be. Our first hope was to get my bank account straightened out. As a result of being a college student and an idiot with my money, I had been in a state of constant overdraft it seemed. Once we got married and finally found a job in youth ministry that was going to pay us enough to live, that was our first priority. We were able to do that fairly quickly too, so that was nice. After that we just wanted to be the best we could be as far as youth ministry went there in small town West Texas.
Besides that, we were beginning to talk about having a family. We both knew that we wanted to have kids, but the time line was not in focus at first. I would have been fine with having kids right away (at least I thought I would be), but Roni wanted to wait. We ended up waiting over 2 1/2 years before we got pregnant with Boo, and had been married for nearly 3 1/2 by the time she was born. It was one of the best plans we had ever made, both to wait to have our kids but also to have kids. That has been one of the hopes from the early days of marriage that has far exceeded anything we could have imagined.
At the time we got married we were still kids basically. We didn't know what our long term hopes and dreams were, and even the ones we did have been tweaked and changed in the near 11 years the beginning of this crazy ride. We are still yearning to be the best ministers we can be to the youth of our church, now located in Quitman, TX. I know that I still love Roni with all my heart and truly far beyond that. In all honesty, that is all that I really ever hoped and dreamed for: to be able to marry a woman that I would be able to love for the rest of my days, and that is what I have been given. I hope that her plans and hopes of the time were at least similar to what mine were, and I hope that our hopes and plans continue to grow with us as we grow together. Peace and Love y'all.
How old were you and your wife when you were married? Describe plans, hopes etc. at that time.
In a lot of ways when Roni and I got married, we were still just kids. I had turned 23 less than two months before and she had turned 22 less than a month before. Yet we knew this was what we were supposed to be doing. I will say this, I'm not sure 22-23 is the age that I want my own kids to be getting married, at least as I look at now.
I can't really say that we had any really big plans at the time we got married. I was working for Budget Rent-A-Car and Airport Valet in Amarillo at the time and Roni had just recently finished up a stint as the youth minister at First United Methodist Church in Quanah, TX. Early on our plan had been to get married and move to the Midland area where I could finish school at UTPB and continue as the youth minister at FUMC in Stanton. At the time it had seemed like a good plan. As the wedding got closer however I ended up leaving Stanton and going to work at Budget. All the while however we were looking for a job in youth ministry since that was really where I felt I was called (and still do).
We finally landed in Abernathy, TX as the youth minister after being married for about 2 months. Once we were somewhat stable, we began to try and figure out what those hopes and dreams of ours might be. Our first hope was to get my bank account straightened out. As a result of being a college student and an idiot with my money, I had been in a state of constant overdraft it seemed. Once we got married and finally found a job in youth ministry that was going to pay us enough to live, that was our first priority. We were able to do that fairly quickly too, so that was nice. After that we just wanted to be the best we could be as far as youth ministry went there in small town West Texas.
Besides that, we were beginning to talk about having a family. We both knew that we wanted to have kids, but the time line was not in focus at first. I would have been fine with having kids right away (at least I thought I would be), but Roni wanted to wait. We ended up waiting over 2 1/2 years before we got pregnant with Boo, and had been married for nearly 3 1/2 by the time she was born. It was one of the best plans we had ever made, both to wait to have our kids but also to have kids. That has been one of the hopes from the early days of marriage that has far exceeded anything we could have imagined.
At the time we got married we were still kids basically. We didn't know what our long term hopes and dreams were, and even the ones we did have been tweaked and changed in the near 11 years the beginning of this crazy ride. We are still yearning to be the best ministers we can be to the youth of our church, now located in Quitman, TX. I know that I still love Roni with all my heart and truly far beyond that. In all honesty, that is all that I really ever hoped and dreamed for: to be able to marry a woman that I would be able to love for the rest of my days, and that is what I have been given. I hope that her plans and hopes of the time were at least similar to what mine were, and I hope that our hopes and plans continue to grow with us as we grow together. Peace and Love y'all.
Monday, November 9, 2009
Brotherly Love
Here is the newest Love Letter.
Are your siblings also your friends? Have you always gotten along or were there times that you fought? Tell stories about each of them.
Well ok. So there are four of us in case any you didn't realize that, and we are all boys. According to Mom that is all she ever wanted was to have boys. I guess she got her wish. Growing up there were of course times that I fought with all my siblings. We never really got into any kind of knock down-drag out fights, but we fought for sure. Most times it was more of a case of just getting on each others nerves.
At this point though, with all of us being grown I would say that I am friends with them all. There are still times that we get on each others nerves I'm sure, but I would say that I am friends with all three of them. And throughout the years, I have been closer to each one in turn, depending on the circumstances. In high school, Bryan and I were closer mainly due to being the into the same things. When I lived in Abernathy and Brock was going to Tech, we were closer and spent a lot of time together. And when we lived in Sweetwater, it was Caleb that I was closest too and spent the most time with. That is just the way that it goes honestly. The more time you spend with a person, the closer you get to them, and that is what happened in our case.
Let me tell you a story about each brother now. This should be interesting.
Bryan- He is the next oldest after me, so by default we have been together the longest. I remember a time when I was about 9 years old and he was 6. Being boys we liked to at times pretend to fight and punch each other. We didn't really hit one another. Then one day as he and I were walking along, I asked him this question: "Hey, do you want to real fight?" and he replied, "OK." So after we had walked a few more steps, I tapped him on the shoulder and when he looked back at me, I punched him in the face. Needless to say, he was rather unhappy with this development and went to tell Mom what had transpired. Upon being called into the house, I explained to Mom what the situation was and that I had first asked and he had accepted the invitation to "real fight." What Bryan and I both remember from this experience is that after giving my explanation, I did not get into trouble for punching my younger brother in the face. (That was the fighting story)
Brock- He is number 3 in birth order and is 5 years younger than I am. So when he was about 4 Brock started playing t-ball in Greenwood. In that first year he was on the gold team, which was always about a 3rd place team (not a lot of parity in little league back in the day. The gold team switched to the black team eventually, but it was still the same). So in one of his games, Brock gets a hit and reaches base. As he is standing there, the first base coach gives him some instructions. They went something like this: "OK Brock, see our other coach over there at third base? When we hit the ball, I want you to run to him, OK?" Now Brock was one that was good at following directions, and sure enough, as soon as the ball was hit he took off...straight across the field skipping second base all together. Brock now refuses to play baseball and softball due to a fear that they are actually trying to hit him with the ball, no matter where he is on the field.
Caleb- Finally we reach the youngest of us. Caleb has many stories from which to choose from. There are a couple that come to mind right off. Caleb also began playing t-ball when he was about 4 years old. I remember being at one of his games once when he reached base. Eventually he ended up on third (going the traditional route to second base). Once the ball was hit with him on third the coach sent him home. As he crossed the plate and turned back to the dugout, he stopped briefly in front of the fans on his teams side...to take a bow.
Another story that stands out to me is from his early elementary days. When I was in the middle of high school, 10th or 11th grade, Caleb's age group was doing a fundraiser and selling candy bars. This happened to be during basketball season, and one night while at a home game Caleb decided to peddle his wares in the stands. This however was not enough. At one point during a timeout of the varsity boys game, Caleb recognized the assistant coach and decided to see if he would be interested in buying some candy from him. So as the team stood near the bench during a timeout Caleb laid down and reached under the bottom rail and tapped Coach Poss on the head and asked if he would be interested in purchasing some of his chocolate. Needless to say, Coach declined at that particular moment.
So there you have it. We are friends, and really have been from the beginning. We have had our moments when we fought and didn't get along, but in the end we are family and we love each other, and that is what is really important. Peace and Love y'all.
Are your siblings also your friends? Have you always gotten along or were there times that you fought? Tell stories about each of them.
Well ok. So there are four of us in case any you didn't realize that, and we are all boys. According to Mom that is all she ever wanted was to have boys. I guess she got her wish. Growing up there were of course times that I fought with all my siblings. We never really got into any kind of knock down-drag out fights, but we fought for sure. Most times it was more of a case of just getting on each others nerves.
At this point though, with all of us being grown I would say that I am friends with them all. There are still times that we get on each others nerves I'm sure, but I would say that I am friends with all three of them. And throughout the years, I have been closer to each one in turn, depending on the circumstances. In high school, Bryan and I were closer mainly due to being the into the same things. When I lived in Abernathy and Brock was going to Tech, we were closer and spent a lot of time together. And when we lived in Sweetwater, it was Caleb that I was closest too and spent the most time with. That is just the way that it goes honestly. The more time you spend with a person, the closer you get to them, and that is what happened in our case.
Let me tell you a story about each brother now. This should be interesting.
Bryan- He is the next oldest after me, so by default we have been together the longest. I remember a time when I was about 9 years old and he was 6. Being boys we liked to at times pretend to fight and punch each other. We didn't really hit one another. Then one day as he and I were walking along, I asked him this question: "Hey, do you want to real fight?" and he replied, "OK." So after we had walked a few more steps, I tapped him on the shoulder and when he looked back at me, I punched him in the face. Needless to say, he was rather unhappy with this development and went to tell Mom what had transpired. Upon being called into the house, I explained to Mom what the situation was and that I had first asked and he had accepted the invitation to "real fight." What Bryan and I both remember from this experience is that after giving my explanation, I did not get into trouble for punching my younger brother in the face. (That was the fighting story)
Brock- He is number 3 in birth order and is 5 years younger than I am. So when he was about 4 Brock started playing t-ball in Greenwood. In that first year he was on the gold team, which was always about a 3rd place team (not a lot of parity in little league back in the day. The gold team switched to the black team eventually, but it was still the same). So in one of his games, Brock gets a hit and reaches base. As he is standing there, the first base coach gives him some instructions. They went something like this: "OK Brock, see our other coach over there at third base? When we hit the ball, I want you to run to him, OK?" Now Brock was one that was good at following directions, and sure enough, as soon as the ball was hit he took off...straight across the field skipping second base all together. Brock now refuses to play baseball and softball due to a fear that they are actually trying to hit him with the ball, no matter where he is on the field.
Caleb- Finally we reach the youngest of us. Caleb has many stories from which to choose from. There are a couple that come to mind right off. Caleb also began playing t-ball when he was about 4 years old. I remember being at one of his games once when he reached base. Eventually he ended up on third (going the traditional route to second base). Once the ball was hit with him on third the coach sent him home. As he crossed the plate and turned back to the dugout, he stopped briefly in front of the fans on his teams side...to take a bow.
Another story that stands out to me is from his early elementary days. When I was in the middle of high school, 10th or 11th grade, Caleb's age group was doing a fundraiser and selling candy bars. This happened to be during basketball season, and one night while at a home game Caleb decided to peddle his wares in the stands. This however was not enough. At one point during a timeout of the varsity boys game, Caleb recognized the assistant coach and decided to see if he would be interested in buying some candy from him. So as the team stood near the bench during a timeout Caleb laid down and reached under the bottom rail and tapped Coach Poss on the head and asked if he would be interested in purchasing some of his chocolate. Needless to say, Coach declined at that particular moment.
So there you have it. We are friends, and really have been from the beginning. We have had our moments when we fought and didn't get along, but in the end we are family and we love each other, and that is what is really important. Peace and Love y'all.
Monday, November 2, 2009
Hopes and Dreams for my Kids
Wow, I haven't written on here in a long time. I got into the mindset of not writing just to be writing, and it seems to have stymied me a bit on the whole writing thing...and that rather sucks. I've barely even written on my other blog, The Bull's Horn, or even my youth blog, 2Forty2. I resolve now that I shall remedy that soon. OK, anyway, I was on here for a reason. I have pulled a new question out of my trusty jar and will now prepare to astound you with the way I answer said question...OK, so I will just try to answer the question and you can respond to it as you see fit. Here is the question that I have pulled forth:
Tell about dreams, expectations, hopes that you have for each of your kids.
(Right I know. It's not really phrased in the form of a question, but what is this Jeopardy? Yeah, I didn't think so.)
Man where do I start? I can say that these are not things that I ever really put much thought into before I had kids. That kind of changes once the kids are here. You start thinking about what you want for them: how you want to be able to provide for them and what you want to be able to do for them. How you want to see them grow and be loved. It is crazy to start thinking about. I never knew that I could desire so much for someone else like I do for my kids.
First and foremost, let me start by saying that I want each of my children to know without doubt that their Daddy loves them with every bit of himself that he can muster. I would do anything for my three babies. Thanks to them I have an inkling, albeit small, of how God must feel toward me, and how deep His Love and Grace must really run. It is my hope above all else that they realize how very much I love them.
On top of that, collectively, it is my hope that they will realize they are free to be who they are. I hope they never feel any kind of pressure from me to be something that they really are not. I would love for my kids to be athletic, but if they just don't dig it, I don't want to force that. I would love for them to be into drama and such, but again if not, that's fine. I don't want to project my self onto them. From punk rock, to (gasp) cowboy, to (bigger gasp) cheerleader...I will support them as best I can all along the way.
Finally, it is my hope and dream and expectation for all three of them that they will follow hard after God. That they will understand the life of Love and Grace that He has for them and is calling them to in His Son Jesus. I want them to choose to go after Him with all their might. To dig into what it means to live out faith and to be that light to a darkened world. I love them too much to not want this for them.
I want them to each be individuals.
For Boo, it is my desire that she will grow up and into her heart that is so full of compassion. She is such a loving and caring little girl. My hope and dream and desire is for her to understand how that is such a wonderful benefit not only for her but for those that she will come into contact with. Above all else, I hope and desire that she will be a woman of God.
For Puck, it is my hope that she continues to live life to the fullest that she can. She is such a sweet little girl and so generous. I desire to see her living and loving as she grows. I hope she continues to march and dance to the music that is inside of her rather than deciding that the music on the outside is better. Like her sister, I hope and desier that she will be a woman of God.
For The Little Man I hope and desire for him to be a man of God and action. To be someone who isn't afraid to act on his convictions and to live a life of faith. It's hard to say much more for him though really since he is only 2.
I guess I don't really have any specific hopes or dreams for my kids as far as careers go. I can joke that it would be nice to have someone who can and will make enough money to one day take care of me, but a joke is all that would be really. I love my children, and I find it difficult to imagine my life without them here. Most of all, I want the best for them. Peace and Love y'all.
Tell about dreams, expectations, hopes that you have for each of your kids.
(Right I know. It's not really phrased in the form of a question, but what is this Jeopardy? Yeah, I didn't think so.)
Man where do I start? I can say that these are not things that I ever really put much thought into before I had kids. That kind of changes once the kids are here. You start thinking about what you want for them: how you want to be able to provide for them and what you want to be able to do for them. How you want to see them grow and be loved. It is crazy to start thinking about. I never knew that I could desire so much for someone else like I do for my kids.
First and foremost, let me start by saying that I want each of my children to know without doubt that their Daddy loves them with every bit of himself that he can muster. I would do anything for my three babies. Thanks to them I have an inkling, albeit small, of how God must feel toward me, and how deep His Love and Grace must really run. It is my hope above all else that they realize how very much I love them.
On top of that, collectively, it is my hope that they will realize they are free to be who they are. I hope they never feel any kind of pressure from me to be something that they really are not. I would love for my kids to be athletic, but if they just don't dig it, I don't want to force that. I would love for them to be into drama and such, but again if not, that's fine. I don't want to project my self onto them. From punk rock, to (gasp) cowboy, to (bigger gasp) cheerleader...I will support them as best I can all along the way.
Finally, it is my hope and dream and expectation for all three of them that they will follow hard after God. That they will understand the life of Love and Grace that He has for them and is calling them to in His Son Jesus. I want them to choose to go after Him with all their might. To dig into what it means to live out faith and to be that light to a darkened world. I love them too much to not want this for them.
I want them to each be individuals.
For Boo, it is my desire that she will grow up and into her heart that is so full of compassion. She is such a loving and caring little girl. My hope and dream and desire is for her to understand how that is such a wonderful benefit not only for her but for those that she will come into contact with. Above all else, I hope and desire that she will be a woman of God.
For Puck, it is my hope that she continues to live life to the fullest that she can. She is such a sweet little girl and so generous. I desire to see her living and loving as she grows. I hope she continues to march and dance to the music that is inside of her rather than deciding that the music on the outside is better. Like her sister, I hope and desier that she will be a woman of God.
For The Little Man I hope and desire for him to be a man of God and action. To be someone who isn't afraid to act on his convictions and to live a life of faith. It's hard to say much more for him though really since he is only 2.
I guess I don't really have any specific hopes or dreams for my kids as far as careers go. I can joke that it would be nice to have someone who can and will make enough money to one day take care of me, but a joke is all that would be really. I love my children, and I find it difficult to imagine my life without them here. Most of all, I want the best for them. Peace and Love y'all.
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