Recommended Reading (My Friend's Journey with ALS)

I've been a "church goer" all my life. Seen lots of things and met a lot of people along the way. Of course, there are stand out individuals and happenings over the years that are etched in my mind. One of those individuals--Patrick McGoldrick.

Patrick McGoldrick came to be the "youth pastor" at my church when I was finishing high school. He turned that place on its head soon after he arrived when he disbanded the vast majority of the "activity" type things that the students were doing (choirs, drama, handbells, karate, puppets, etc). You see, he believed that the heart mattered much more than actions. At the time, I was a bit livid. He was taking away all of our stuff. I had poured my life into those things. So had a lot of others. He was RIGHT, though. He wanted to rebuild some foundational things, which required some stripping away. I am very thankful for the impact of "Pastor Pat", as we called him at the time. I am but one of many lives he has changed by following the LORD in whole-hearted obedience, even when it's not necessarily easy.

Pastor Patrick McGoldrick is currently the Student Pastor at Cornerstone Baptist in Roseville, MI. He announced Sunday that doctors have diagnosed him with ALS, commonly referred to as Lou Gehrig's Disease. It is not curable. He has started a blog over at https://patricksstory.wordpress.com/ I'd recommed you to head that way and follow his story. I'm confident that it's going to be an adventurous journey for him and his family, and I look forward to seeing all that God is going to do through him.

The Boss

I overheard my 4 year old yesterday yelling at her big brother:

"I'm not bossing you around! I'm just telling you what to do!"

Here Fishy Fishy Fishy

This would be my first muskie. I caught it Monday night at Alum Creek Reservoir, only 20 minutes or so from my house. My buddy, Greg Hastings, who fishes for muskie competitively(ish) in a league was having his best day on the water ever, and called me at 5pm, after releasing a fish that was 14 inches bigger than the one you see me holding. Of course, I immediately cancelled my plans for the evening and drove straight to his boat (barely stopping before my car entered the water!). He'd ended up landing 11 fish that day in total. Generally, muskie fishing is a bit like salmon fishing in northern CA. You can troll 2 or 3 big lures on a big body of water, and wait for a rod to double over. The difference is that muskie have HUGE teeth and it requires a special leader, etc. Similar to salmon, a 2 or 3 fish day is a great day. An 11 fish day is NUTS around here.

My fish was 33 1/2 inches long. They only care about length here. I bet it weighed 12-14 lbs, though (but not "official").

Greg's 47 incher was caught on a lure that he'd made himself--about 8" long or so whittled from cedar, then painted and laquered, etc. Made him feel great, as you might imagine. He has a simple aluminum 14' deep V with a small motor. Nothing fancy, but it catches fish!

Oh, we also caught a suicidal "saugeye"--a hybrid fish here in Ohio that's a lot like a walleye. No idea what that fish was thinking going after what we had on.

Conflict Resolution

I'm excited about a new message series that we're starting at Journey on the Beatitudes. I've been reading the two passages (one in Matthew and one in Luke) over the last few weeks, and again came across this passage, which immediately follows the Beatitudes:

Luke 6: 27-36

27 "But I say to you who listen: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, 28 bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. 29 If anyone hits you on the cheek, offer the other also. And if anyone takes away your coat, don't hold back your shirt either. 30 Give to everyone who asks from you, and from one who takes away your things, don't ask for them back. 31 Just as you want others to do for you, do the same for them. 32 If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners love those who love them. 33 If you do [what is] good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners do that. 34 And if you lend to those from whom you expect to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners to be repaid in full. 35 But love your enemies, do [what is] good, and lend, expecting nothing in return. Then your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High. For He is gracious to the ungrateful and evil. 36 Be merciful, just as your Father also is merciful."

I've had multiple opportunities lately to put this passage into practice--both with individuals and on corporate levels. It really never ceases to amaze me how far one will go in the choice to serve money (mammon) vs. God. People will absolutely sell out to make a buck, it seems. Even in those cases when I feel the most mistreated, I know that I am called to show mercy. To love. To give. To expect nothing in return. To do "the right thing", knowing that it will be used against me. And mostly--to trust God. He alone is the ultimate Judge in cases such as this, and there WILL BE a day of accountability for all actions. In the mean time, I again choose to follow God's clear counsel and trust Him for the outcome. So...I wait.

How To Get the Best Pizza Deal

So, Dominos ran their commercials one too many times for us to resist, so we just ordered their new recipe pizzas to try them out while watching my brother's kids for the evening (yes it gets crazy around here when our kids are together--yikes!). The big special Dominos has been advertising: 2 mediums for $5.99 each. Pretty good deal, right? However, while on hold to place the order, the automated message announced another special for our consideration: 2 extra larges and any bread order for $19.99 Also sounded like an OK deal.
Rookies would just try to guess which one would produce the most pizza for the buck. I'm no rookie. I needed to remember high school math equations that I learned from Mr. David Stockman NOW. Was that Pi r squared? What is Pi? Ugggh.
While searching quickly online for the correct equation to use, I found the solution that saved me: some guy named Abe More placed a pizza value calculator online, calculating the exact square inches of delicious pizza when you punch in a few basic numbers. By giving the size of the pizza (12 inch, 14, 16, etc.), and the amount you paid for it, the site will calculate for you the price per square inch of pizza. Click HERE to try it for yourself. It's quite simple, but is just what I needed.
So, the results? 2 extra larges was a significantly better deal, rendering a whopping 20.11 square inches of pizza per dollar (plus the breadsticks), vs the mediums, which came in at 18.85 square inches per dollar.
And was the new Dominos pizza good? Very.

Rose Bowl Parade vs Little Big Planet

So this morning, I thought it would be great for us to watch the Rose Bowl Parade together. I whipped up some breakfast first: oatmeal with raisins, cranberries, cherries, walnuts, maple syrup, butter, and a few other things (recipe credits to my dad--he sometimes puts things together that turn out really good...this one was!). After breakfast, we turned on the parade in spite of the fact that Noah really wanted to play a new video game that he received for Christmas--it's called "Little Big Planet." After going 'round and 'round about it for a while, he decided to try a different angle that he knew I would bite on. He was right:
Noah: "So dad, can we just turn this off and pray because God is more awesome than the Rose Bowl Parade."
Me: "Yes, He is. If we turned this off and prayed, what would you tell God?"
Noah: "I would pray that we could play Little Big Planet."
He's a smart one, that Noah. He's enjoying the adventures of Little Big Planet now.

Back With My Family

I've been in Columbus for the last week while my wife and 2 children have been in Richmond, VA. My mother-in-law had a relatively sudden surgery which triggered a number of dominos, including Jen and the kids staying down here after Thanksgiving for an additional week (all is well with my mother-in-law).
Coming back to my family was GREAT. Getting off the plane, I couldn't wait to see my wife and kids. When I finally saw them, I knew that they'd had the same feeling of anticipation. Everyone wanted me to sit by them in the minivan on the ride home (my wife won that one!). Everyone wanted a hug and kiss. Everyone wanted to tell me their stories (Noah won that one--evidently he's been creating a book of mad scientist inventions that you really don't want to be a part of...he's pretty scary for 8!).
Once we got back to Jen's parent's house, we had dinner with her family. Her brothers Andy and Ryan were over, and it was a lot of fun. The best part was little Morgen--she didn't leave my side all night. She constantly was telling me that she missed me. She said 3 times across the dinner table, "I love you, daddy." There was a moment when she stopped eating just to look at me for about a full minute (that's like an hour for a 3 year old). Her poppy got in her way at one point, and she just kept moving her head to be able to see me...she didn't want to lose focus. Later that night, she asked me to read her a story, then later to dance with her--I had her complete attention the whole evening.
As Jennifer and I were praying together later that night, I realized the parallel in my evening with the relationship that we are to desire with our Heavenly Father. As his children, we are to desire His affection and attention beyond anything else. We are to love Him and prioritize Him higher than anything else. More than success in business. More than dollars. More than that Christmas present that you are expecting and thinking about all of the time. More than all of the Christmas presents that you are acquiring to give to others. More than...well, more than anything.
Matthew 22:37 "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. "

Thanksgiving Dinner

Turkey
Ham
Potatoes
Stuffing
Cranberry Sauce
Corn Pudding
Sweet Potato Casserole
Green Bean Casserole
Pickled Beets
Glazed Carrots
Rolls
Little Lemon muffin things

Chocolate Pie

NO macaroni and cheese (but I still survived...)

Thanksgiving in Richmond, VA today was a great time with Jen's family. We all have much for which to be thankful.

Yesterday

Yesterday would have been the 40th birthday of my good friend, Jim Hvisdos, who left this world nearly 7 years ago after a bout with cancer. Jim went to school with me at Liberty University, for whom we traveled the country together recruiting (with a great team of others, I might add). Really fun times.... I followed Jim to California to work at Big Valley Grace Community Church in Modesto, where he was the Jr. High Youth Pastor (and I was the worship leader). We had a blast goofing off together in staff meetings, golfing together, praying together and encouraging one another to press on.
Jim was a devoted follower of Christ, who loved God and loved people as well as anyone I know. He was an amazing example to the hundreds of young teens who looked up to him as a role model and leader...many of whom are serving God today because of his influence in their lives.
Jim passed away on Jan 7 (my birthday) as I was getting on a plane to go see him. He had been taken to the Cleveland Clinic here in OH for treatment. While I didn't get to see him that last time here on Earth, I can't wait to see him again soon in heaven. It will be a really good day.

New House Church in Powell

My friends John and Debbie Stickel (also members of Journey Church, Columbus) are taking the leap and starting a house church in Powell. Jen and I are just wild enough to hop in on the deal.
The first meeting will be tonight, where we'll just hang out and watch a movie together. For our future meetings, we hope to begin to look at our marriages, seeking God regarding what it means to be a loving, faithful, God-honoring spouse. Sound scary? Sound fun? Either way, you should join us. It will be worth it...

Beauty Will Rise

At the recommendation of a good friend, Aaron Conrad, I downloaded the new Steven Curtis Chapman CD, Beauty Will Rise. I'm listening to it now as I write. Only to the 6th song at this point, I'm absolutely blown away by this CD. I would recommend NOT listening to this for the first time while you're driving (unless you're able to easily pull over for a while when necessary).

Since the tragic loss of his daughter over a year ago, many have wondered how he and his family would respond, and countless people have prayed for this family. "Beauty Will Rise" is a glimpse of what God has done through this season in their lives.

I remember the time a doctor asked me why God would "let bad things happen to good people." This had been in regards to the premature birth and extremely difficult period that followed with my son, Noah. My response to the doctor was that somehow God is glorified and would be glorified through the situation, no matter how difficult it was for us to see or understand it. I was confident of the truth, although it was not easily visible at the time.

God is glorified through Steven Curtis Chapman, his family, and their response to this last year, by the help of our God.

Matt. 11:28 "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest."

Noah's Birthday Present

OK...so I'm a little late posting this, with Noah's birthday being nearly a month ago. That said, I wanted to let you in on one of Noah's birthday gifts. We went to a recording studio!! Noah was (of course) enamoured by all of the bells and whistles that my friend, Felix Weber, has available at his studio. Noah didn't hesitate to push all of the buttons, move the faders, play the instruments, etc. He even recorded his first song! It was really fun teaching Noah some of the basics in recording, song writing, producing, etc. Even better to have a master producer by my side helping me...thank you Felix!

In Memory of Grandma

Today was the memorial service for my loving grandma, Jenny Belle Ashcraft. Asked to write out some memories, this is what I came up with. It's been a good day.

"Grandma"

Recollections abound. I’m sure you recall too.
These memories of grandma—I’ll share some with you:
Food is a memory not quickly forgotten
Pot Roast, mac-n-cheese, and corn kernels for poppin’.
Pickled pig’s feet, ham salad and limburger cheese
That one’s for grandpa—smells horrible, you see.
Coffee is best when it’s been percolated.
Water cup’s on the sink if you need rehydrated.
Cheese spread with pimentos and liver with onions.
Fiddle Faddle as well, along-side the Funions.
Neapolitan ice cream in mugs, just don’t drop it.
I want the strawberry—give Tyler the chocolate.
Dr. Pepper and root beer were things not to touch.
Most people enjoy them—JennyBelle—not so much.
Now on to the games and a few other things:
Yahtzee and books made from clipped magazines.
Green light signals go—run as fast as you can.
Try to stop when red’s called. Good luck with that, man.
Gin Rummy and puzzles, and time on the swing
Choosing cars on Decoursey was quite the big thing.
Picking up twigs and leaves out in front of the house.
Hearing stories of grandpa, who just trapped a mouse.
Gathering seashells while off on vacation.
She’d send me a postcard, I’d read with elation.
Her necklace with gold flakes through glass I could see
When sermons at church weren’t of interest to me.
Music was always a thing well displayed,
From guitars to pianos, which everyone played.
Time for bed—brush your teeth. When you flush, shake the handle.
Wash your hands, then come watch scary movies with vandals.
Try to sleep after that as you stare at the wall.
That makes eyes go buggy—worst wallpaper of all.
We’d walk to Latonia—with a stroller for miles.
By Bob’s Five and Ten, and we’d get lots of smiles.
She came out to visit California’s Pacific
When we moved way out there—our time was terrific.
There are things we all miss and it seems so unfair,
That we’re now without, while she parties up there.
But it won’t be too long ‘til again we all meet,
And walk, looking for treasures, on an upgraded street.

Obituary from Cincinnati Post:

TAYLOR MILL, KY - Jenny Belle Ashcraft, 81, died Monday, Feb. 23, at Rosedale Manor, Latonia.
She was a homemaker and member of Calvary Baptist Church.
Her husband, Thomas Jewell Ashcraft, died in 1991.Survivors include her daughters, Linda Williams of Kenton County and Roxiena Hanks of Ryland Heights; sisters, Roxiena Cook of South Bend, Ind. and Mary Pat Van Denplas of Rock Rapid, Iowa; six grandchildren; and 20 great-grandchildren.
Visitation will be 9-10 a.m. Friday, Feb. 27, with service following at Swindler & Currin Funeral Home, Latonia. Burial will be in Floral Hills Memorial Gardens, Taylor Mill.
Memorials: Calvary Baptist Church Mission Fund, 3711 Tibbatts St., Latonia, KY 41015; or Campers for Christ, P.O. Box 15038, Covington, KY 41015.

Resting

Noah (my 7 year old) has been sick for a few days, coughing a bunch, etc. We'd planned to have relatives over today, so the rule was that he had to stay seated, resting on a chair/couch. After the second or third time I saw him walking around, I asked him (rather sternly) what he was doing. I could see his wheels turning as he came up with the classic answer:
"I'm resting from chair to chair."
The teenage years are going to be interesting....

Prediction

OK--I'm NOT going to post a billion entries about Idol this year. That being said, here's the winner. I made my prediction last year as well (wrong last year...I thought it was going to be Michael Johns early on, as I recall). This year, I'm right. You'll all see. Danny Gokey is the guy.
Honorable mention goes to his buddy, Jamar, who will also likely be top 5 or so. They would be my top 2 at this point.
Go Danny, go.

The Sheep and the Goats

Matthew 25
31"When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his throne in heavenly glory. 32All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.
34"Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. 35For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.'
37"Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?'
40"The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.'

I've been thinking a lot lately about the response of the church is to be as our world is in global economic crisis. What does it mean to live in community? Who are we to help? How does God view that? How much is too much to give a person in need? How many people can live in a 2000 sf house? (yes, kind of joking, kind of not...)

I certainly have more questions than answers. I am also absolutely confident that we are to change. A lot. May we respond in a way that shows our love for Jesus (by showing our love for one another).

Your suggestions and comments are appreciated on this one....

Give Us This Day

I thought I'd freak everyone out and actually do a quick post, since I've been kinda missing in action for...well, a while.
"Give us this day"--it seems pretty simple. It's even almost redundantly emphasized in the most repeated prayer of all time, as it reads "...give us this DAY our DAILY bread...." I'm learning more about what it means to have provision as I actually need it. I've always tried to be the plan way out guy (or sometimes the way-out plan guy, maybe), and do things as safely as humanly possible. As our plans go different directions than intended, it gives God yet another opportunity to step in and show His power.
Interestingly, looking further at scripture, it's often God's plan to step in at the last moment, when things appear to be going quite badly for his children as they do EXACTLY what He instructed. I'm sure some stories come to your mind from both the Old and New Testament.
In fact, Jennifer and I came across another one of those last night in Exodus 5, where in verse 22 and 23, it says, "Moses returned to the LORD and said, "O Lord, why have you brought trouble upon this people? Is this why you sent me? Ever since I went to Pharaoh to speak in your name, he has brought trouble upon this people, and you have not rescued your people at all."
He had no idea what was about to come and the deliverance God would bring, if Moses remained faithful to the call.
I wonder what would have happened of Moses had actually given up. It might not have turned out so well. It makes me think that as we're given clear direction from God, we probably shouldn't give up either, no matter what the opposition seems to bring.

All We Like Sheep

Noah and I were reading Psalm 100 this morning, and he got a little tripped up on the sheep bit ("...but dad, we're not sheep...).

Being a good dad, I decided to explain this one to him:

"Noah, what does a shepherd do for sheep?"

"Feed them?"

"Yes."

"Water?"

"Yes."

Simple things like this went on for a bit, when we got to the protection aspect:

"Noah, what would a shepherd do if a sheep got lost?"

"Call 911?"

"right...uh...what else might he do?"

"maybe use a sheep tracking invention?"

Welcome to the 21st century Bible analogies....

Conviction

WOW. I’ve been at the Xenos Summer Institute for the last 3 days with the likes of Mark Driscol, D.A. Carson, Mark Mittelberg, Dennis McCallum, Gary DeLashmutt, etc. Tonight is the last session, and I am utterly exhausted, but this has been really good for me.
Some big things I’ve taken away at this point:
-I am both very convicted and very affirmed.
-as a whole, the church in our country is (generally) in a very scary state of both rapid decline and a turn away from the truth of the gospel.
-we cannot pretend to live in ignorance of the changes taking place, and must seek God with a whole heart, living in a place of humility and repentance
-people need Jesus. The gospel IS relevant. Jesus IS relevant.
-I need to be led by the Spirit of God, with a heart of compassion for the thousands of people all around me who need the love of Jesus.
-I need to do a better job of making disciples.
-The gospel must remain central (I recently heard it said that “the gospel is both the milk and the meat”.) to all we do—both in us personally, as well as the message that we take to the world around us.
-I'm very thankful for my local faith community, where I have freedom to ask a lot of questions as we continue on our journey. God is leading us. It is exciting.
-I really need a nap.

I'd Like to Teach the World to Sing

So, I've been asked a bunch lately when to start a child with singing lessons...below I've copy/pasted the most recent email reply to the question...in case one of you might be wondering my thoughts on the subject. This is from a parent of a 4 year old girl (or so) who constantly is singing around the house. I'd really appreciated dialogue on this one, if any of you have any other thoughts on the subject....

It sounds like she needs to begin learning MUSIC, as she already knows how to sing. I've seen so many bad singing teachers in my life...even on a university level and beyond. Singing teachers CAN be a very good thing, bringing great training, encouragement and a great source of confidence to a student. They can also completely ruin a great gift, or, on the flip-side, completely fabricate/mislead a non-gift, leading to thousands of potentially wasted dollars, and a lot of pain on multiple levels.
For these and other reasons, for the time being, I would recommend beginning to teach her music theory when you feel that she's ready. The easiest starting place, in my opinion, is to begin with a good piano teacher (or a stringed instrument of some kind). With pianos and stringed instruments, one has the ability to clearly see intervals as they're played, unlike instruments like a flute, trumpet, clarinet, etc., which are much less visual. I would go to a teacher or a place that will agree to eventually implement some sort of music theory curriculum--where your daughter would begin to have an understanding of what is really happening when her voice sings higher and lower, or longer/shorter, etc. Read my blog entry called Tribute , and it will give you some things to look for in a teacher. Also, don't hesitate to switch teachers, if you feel like the things you're hoping for are not being accomplished. Well, that's what I've got for now.
Regarding age, I've seen kids start with the "Suzuki" method (one option for training for you--not the only one, though) before they can talk...there are a lot of studies on it, and starting too soon doesn't hurt. Just don't turn into a freakazoid, way out of proportion music Nazi with a little one...do everything in moderation. The best and most fulfilled musicians are (in my opinion) those who have developed a legitmate love for their art, not just highly trained performers.