Adventure!

Definately bath night!
-Steve

Daddy's turn.

-Steve

Ethan's turn.

-Steve

Swinging on a vine

What a great adventure day.
-Steve

Going to the show!

-Steve

Ethan Reece adventure

Ethan and static

Ethan and static

Simply Christian - Reflection 4

Not much reflecting here, but thought I would share a paragraph.

The church is the single, multiethnic family promised by the creator God to Abraham. It was brought into being through Israel's Messiah, Jesus; it was energized by God's Spirit; and it was called to bring the transformative news of God's rescuing justice to the whole creation.

Position Matters

I love riding bikes. Both trail and road bike. I don't get to do it enough, but I have enough cycling gear to make me look like I should be awesome at it.

This is an old picture when we brought bikes hoping to ride during a camping trip. From Camping 08 small group

I went to Lincoln Parish Park riding the trails with Derek Joyce a couple Mondays ago and I noticed how high he had his seat. I had always kept my seat position relatively low because when ever we were riding with the kids, I was constantly hopping on and off the bike to help Ethan or Caleb out. It felt more convenient being lower.

When I rode with Derek that day I was getting tired pretty early (a major result of not having ridden in a while and generally not staying in shape). Halfway through the ride we made the adjustment and raised my seat up. It felt strange. I did notice a big difference on my legs. I could tell immediately I was being more efficient with every stroke. It was pretty cool. Still, I was DONE riding for the day. I was exhausted putting my bike in the car, and I watched Derek take off to do a second lap.

I was able to ride again by myself on Monday and I began with the seat in this new position. At the point where last time I had to stop to catch my breath, I only paused for a little water. I made the entire trail in about an hour and 20 minutes (not exactly sure - I don't have one of those computer things on my mountain bike) and I felt great. I wasn't feeling like taking another lap yet, but I felt great. It had everything to do with that higher seat position. Now I did have a little trouble. I was having to adjust my riding style. I found myself leaning forward too much. Which can give you trouble with the back tire slipping while climbing. This also contributed to my minor crash as I went over the handle bars when trying to go through a creek bottom. Still, I can't deny the positive effect this new position had on my riding.

I started thinking about my position. Not my position on abortion, or my political position, or my position on the economy. We already have plenty of people defending all those positions. This morning I read Luke 18:9-14 and saw how much the position of our heart matters. Two men went to the same place to worship and pray. One man's heart position was high on himself and the other was humble. Jesus clearly lifts up in the story the man with the humble heart. What is your position?

I am praying that God will help me to ride high on the bike, but humble in my heart. It will probably feel strange at times adjusting to the position, but I can't deny the positive effect this position will have on me.

Swim Meet and El Dorado

We had a great family weekend. Saturday went to El Dorado for Caleb to swim in his first swim meet. Actually it was an international swim meet since there was a team from Germany there. Which is cool. I told Caleb that is something he can brag to his kids about someday. "I swam in an international meet against a German team." That just sounds cool.

Caleb did great. That was about the fastest I had ever seen him swim.

During the slow waiting times Ethan, Jill and I took turns touring around El Dorado. Very cool downtown area. Jill bought some fudge and brought me a local sample of Étouffée. Good family time.

Caleb loves to read!

He spent his own money to get the new Rick Riordan book.

Ethan, Go Get Ready for Your Bath

Dad: "Ethan, go get ready for your bath."

[1 minutes later]

Ethan: "Come check out my clothes monster"

I walk in and find this on the floor of the bathroom and him ready for a bath.

From Ethan Clothes man

Well, at least he did get undressed and ready for bath. Maybe a little more creative than I was anticipating, but he did the job.

Caleb n Ethan building a fort.

The boys built a fort while i was out.

Ethan wanted a website

Ethan wanted a website to display his art..... so here we go.

http://artofethan.blogspot.com/

LifeHouse Ministries Inc.

Bike Ride

I rode my road bike today.

17.65 miles :)

13.4 Average Speed :(

Was great to get out and ride! It was cold enough I rode almost a mile out and turned around to get full finger gloves and my a jacket. My teeth were chattering and my fingers were hurting. Still it was a beautiful day and a great ride. Sometimes I love just getting on my bike and going without a planned route and today I ended up going west near Ruston Jr. High, then south to highway 80 then east to the Ruston Airport. It was fun just wandering around. I was listening to Revelation. It seems like we get to taste moments in our life where heaven and earth meet up or intersect. Listening to Revelation was like watching Heaven and earth Fully collide.

Simply Christian - Reflection 3

N. T. Wright's
Simply Christian
Why Christianity Makes Sense

I don't have much of my own commentary to add here, but here are some quotes that stood out as I read the chapter "God's Breath of Life".

"the point of the Spirit is to enable those who follow Jesus to take into all the world the news that he is Lord, that he has won the victory over the forces of evil, that a new world has opened up , and that we are to help make it happen."

I like this idea being invited to participate in the renewal and recreation of ... well of creation.

"The Spirit is given so that we ordinary mortals can become, in a measure, what Jesus himself was: part of God's future arriving in the present; a place where heaven and earth meet; the means of God's kingdom going ahead."

I loved his connecting the pillar of fire and the cloud to the Holy Spirit. God's mysterious presence with his people as a reminder, a promise, a guarantee that there is a promise land. They can live knowing that God is present with them right then and a guarantee that (if they keep their side of the covenant) they can live with God as God's people.

We are participating in the true exodus. The Journey from Passover to Promise land. and just like the pillar of cloud and fire was present with His people, not the "Spirit is the strange, personal presence of the living God himself, leading, guiding, warning, rebuking, grieving over our failings, and celebrating our small steps toward the true inheritance."

"The Whole world is God's holy land." It may appear a mix of suffering and beauty, but God is reclaiming it.

"They are, individually and corporately, places where heaven and hearth meet." Speaking of followers being the Temple of the Holy Spirit.

That's all I have for now.

My favorite picture of Gran

We love you.

Gran and Daniel

Gran and Daniel - beautiful moment.

Lord Save Us From Your Followers

This was really good. It is worth watching.

It is an interesting documentary.
http://www.hulu.com/watch/177536/lord-save-us-from-your-followers

Simply Christian - Reflection 2

N. T. Wright's
Simply Christian
Why Christianity Makes Sense

“Christianity is all about the belief that the living God, in fulfillment of his promises and as the climax of the story of Israel, has accomplished all this - the finding, the saving, the giving of new life - in Jesus. He has done it. With Jesus, God’s rescue operation has been put into effect once and for all. A great door has swung open in the cosmos which can never be shut. It’s the door to the prison where we’ve been kept chained up. We are offered freedom: freedom to experience God’s rescue for ourselves, to go through the open door and explore the new world to which we now have access. In particular, we are invited - summoned, actually - to discover, through following Jesus, that this new world is indeed a place of justice, spirituality, relationship, and beauty, and that we are not only to enjoy it as such but to work at bringing it to birth on earth as in heaven. In listening to Jesus, we discover whose voice it is that has echoed around the hearts and minds of the human race all along.” a paragraph from Chapter 7.

It was very interesting right before this paragraph he points to a list of things that Christianity is not. Some of the things he lists I have at one point or another in my life had thought or even claimed out loud that Christianity was. One example was that Jesus’s main purpose was to be a great moral example, as if all we had to do was follow Jesus’s example of great devotion to God. He likened that to watching Tiger Woods playing golf. For some it may help improve their golf game, for others it would make them depressed, because there would be no hope of coming close to playing like Tiger. It isn’t that we can’t learn from the example Jesus lead, but this isn’t the chief end of Christianity and of why Jesus came. He didn’t come to simply be a moral example.

This book has been refreshing for me in his connecting Jesus to the story of Israel and the Jewish tradition, which I think I don’t keep connected sometimes.

This is the “new world” I desire to participate in. The rescue and restoration of creation. God rescuing and restoring me and using me to bring about the same in all of creation around me. Participating with God bringing justice putting things to rights, healing relationships, experiencing and creating beauty, and sharing in the spirituality of communion with God and the Body of Christ.

Outhouse nationals. Choudrant

Fun day with the boys watching outhouse races

Mount Magazine Pictures

This was a great trip! We spent the night in Russellville, Arkansas at a great hotel. The boys and I swam while Jill exercised. In the morning had Hotel Waffles! mmmm.... good. Then drove to the mountain. We hiked the North Rim Trail. Fun and beautiful. Lots of butterflies, and caterpillars. Ethan even found a large millipede. Caleb was a man and helped carry the back pack. Caleb and Jill raced to the top and then started cheering for Ethan and Daddy. After we climbed to the summit (using the word "climb" very loosely), we had an incredible lunch at the Lodge. We had to walk the 3 miles back to the van. Ethan was tired so he ended up on Dad's back.

It was a great family - Here are some Pictures

6th high point

Six high points down

Arkansas highest point

murphy adventure Arkansas highest point.

Simply Christian - Reflection 1

Book 1

N. T. Wright's

Simply Christian

Why Christianity Makes Sense

The first thing Wright discusses is the echo of a voice. It is the voice of God the creator "echoing off the crags, murmuring in the sunset." We hear this echo in four things: Justice, spirituality, relationship, and beauty.

-"...all people know, in cooler moments, that this strange thing we call justice, this longing for things to be put right, remains one of the great human goals and dreams." This chapter discusses this longing in all humans for things to be put to right is the echo of the voice of God. He goes on to say that the reason we hear that "echo of a voice, is that is someone speaking to us.... who cares very much about this present world and our present selves, and who has made us and the world for a purpose which will indeed involve justice." and all things being put to rights (ourselves included).

I have enjoyed that he has even commented on other major religions that have also tried to answer the similar question of where does this sense of justice come from. It feels like we are taking an honest look at Christianity doing this.

-Next he looks at spirituality and comments that it is bubbling up as a spring within human hearts and human societies. It is another "feature of Human life which, functions as the echo of a voice; a signpost pointing... toward the possibility that we humans were made for more than this."

-Relationships. "how is it that we ache for each other and yet find relationships so difficult?" the idea of being made for relationships is another echo of the voice of God.
-Beauty. From a sunset to music, to photo, painting or mountains. He wrestles with why things move us and again it is the echo of the voice of God the Creator of all.

That's all i have right now. On to sleep and then tomorrow more reading.

Book Reflections

Self imposed accountability with a global partner (the internet)

Let's just see how well this works....

I have a list of books I am trying to read, and I thought if I would commit to reflecting on them periodically on the blog/facebook it would provide an added incentive of not simply glazing over these books, but really processing them. I am not promising a spectacular book reviews or revolutionary insights that will change your future. I am just hoping to grow and mature, and writing these reflections should help these things I learn press deeper into me.

First up:

Simply Christian

Why Christianity Makes Sense

N. T. Wright

First day of school.

Creator's Art Video

Trinity held an art camp this week. The 3rd - 6th graders (including Caleb) participated in Music, painting, and video production. I lead the video production part. It made for a very busy week, but I am really proud of what the kids came up with.

I hope you enjoy the video. The kids wrote how they wanted to represent each day of creation. I just edited it together.

Caleb's first swim meet

Shreveport Adventures

Daddy missed the fun, he was stuck at home editing a video. Jill and the kids had a great time seeing their cousins and the grandparents!

Garage Sale

We are having a garage sale... Come one come all. We will see you in the morning.

Here is some of the things we are selling:

Deep freezer

Leather recliners

bike ramp

gas grill

large digital antenna kit

shelving unit

stereo

electric bass guitar

plates

picture frames

Vision of the future

Horse riding

Date night w Ethan

New Ring

I just got my new ring. Bought it right off the hand of the artist. The material is made from recycled laundry detergent bottles. He mostly deals with wood.

Be on the lookout for my friend Todd Cloe during the Peach Festival.

Check out his site: www.clostudios.com he has some neat wood sculptures too.

Deep Caves

Found this fascinating. Heard this report on NPR, then followed the story on National Geographic's website. Here is the National Geographic link: http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/ngm/0505/feature4/multimedia.html

Check out the pictures... I can't imagine diving in lakes 6000 feet underground hoping to find another way out to just go deeper. Or turning out the lights and it being THAT dark. Or not being unable to stand up crawling and descending through holes that are only big enough to squeeze through.

Now we explored Ruby Falls...

From Ruby Falls

It was completely amazing to be in that cave, but these supercaves... gosh that is incredible.

Celebration of Life - McCoy Ransom

Daniel joseph

Vacation Picture Collections

Just click on any of the collections below to see all the pictures. (there are probably more pictures here than you have time to look at, but I thought we should share.) We had a great adventure! Three state high points, Duke University, hanging with cousins, caves including Ruby Falls, and a great deal of fun!

Ruby Falls

Lookout Mountain

exploring North Carolina

Parks and Trails adventures

Pool Time w Cousins

Fun at Aunt Amy's

Mt Mitchell adventure

Cheaha

This is my wonderful traveling buddy!

Morning jog 2

Morning jog route

Ben n jerry's ice cream. Yum.

River walk Chattanooga

Duke Gardens - amazingly beautiful

Butterfly Exhibit

Ethan Weaving a web

I thought I lost these... but they were here in the Museum all along

North Carolina Museum of Natural Science

Duke Chapel

Be transformed...

Duke

Lunch w a view

Hiking to the top mt mitchel