Connor Hates Elmo... I Think?

I take Fridays off... So I try to spend them doing something with my son, Connor. Today for example we took him to the Dallas World Aquarium. After the aquarium mommy got tired so I decided to sit down with Connor and watch his Sesame Streets that we have TIVOed (God bless the invenor of TIVO). Anyhow his mom always tells me that he LOVES Sesame Street... that is until Elmo comes on. So while his mommy was napping Connor and I watched Sesame Street. He was loving it! Clapping his hands and bouncing up and down... until Elmo's world came on. At that very moment he stopped watching and proceeded to play with blocks. At first I thought maybe his attention just runs out by the time Elmo's World comes on. Wrong. I fast fowarded it to a part with Bert and Ernie and he was back to watching it! So now it was time to try a few more experiments. I decided to wait until about 6PM when he had been playing with toys for a while and had already had dinner. I put on an episode from earlier this week. Immediately he started bouncing up and down clapping his hands. About 15 minutes later Elmo's World comes on and he stops watching. In the name I science I will continue testing my hypothesis and change up the variables (start Elmo first, no Elmo at all, etc). I want to see if it is an attention thing or if Connor is like his daddy and thinks Elmo is incredibly annoying. Long live Bert and Ernie (there is nothing wierd about to heterosexual guys living together all their lives... right?) j/k

Can't Please Everyone

Today has been a stressful one. The issue that I have been dealing concerns our church's student mid-week bible studies. In a perfect world, the congregation of the church that hired me to run their student ministries would let me run the student ministries. When I make a decision about bible studies, I make the decision with a bit of discernment. Meaning I put it to prayer, I talk to people, and then I make a decision. I thought I had made a good decision and most people seem to approve, however right before I am about to turn in for the night I decide to check my email. BIG MISTAKE! Now I am sitting here stressed out because I am starting to feel like I cannot do anything right. I am not gonna go into the details of the email. I just was annoying enough to bother me.

I made the best decision... I am gonna stick to it and thats it. By the way... the decision was to spilt up our High School bible study because of growing numbers. That should be a good problem, right?

God, give me the strength and calm my nerves so that I can continue to do your will.

I am a Lazy Blogger!

It is the funniest thing when there is a lot of stuff going on in my life... that is when I don't take time to blog. However when I have time to blog is when I don't have much going on, thus not much to write about. SO even though today I am busier then ever I decided that during this little time I have for lunch I am gonna write something.

This summer has been one crazy ride. From May 16 - July 27th I had spent nearly 27 days away from my home and family. I was building house for 2 weeks in Juarez, Mexico with High School kids one week and College kids the other. I took some 30 something middle school students to work in a homeless shelter for a week. I also spent countless days on random team building and spiritually uplifting retreats.

When I finally did get back home I realized that the rest of my summer was not a downhill coast but instead I was a pack-mule getting ready to venture up Mt. Everest. All of August I have been planning Fall bible studies, New Sunday School classes, Confirmation Class, Pumpkin Patch Fundraiser, Winter Ski Trip, and a week long Youth Event! That weekend long Youth Event ran from August 12-17 and I thought I was gonna burn-out bad. However everyday no matter how stressed or tired I would get... God gave me strength.

It seems that even when I was not taking ANY time to devote myself to Him, He did devote Himself to me! Praise God that when I am not aware of Him in my everyday... He is ALWAYS aware of me.

(the above picture is the Middle School Students I took to San Antonio! Awesome Kids!)

Spurs Win!

I was just arriving into the El Paso, Airport when I was able to see the nations BEST team win the NBA Championship! Go Spurs Go! Suck it Mavs fans.

Why the Dallas Mavs Make Me Dry Heave

1. Fair weather fans.

2. Avery Johnson (traitor)

3. Cry Babies (Devin Harris)

4. 7 footer white man who can shoot insane jump shots because he sold his soul or something.

5. Owner Mark Cuban who can't shut up.

6. not the Spurs!

Home is where the heart is but a building helps

Since the move my wife and I have been living in a 3 bedroom apartment with our 6 month old and her father. It is so hard going from an apartment to a house to an apartment. I hate the struggle for parking, the noise of your neighbors and the inconviences associated with apartment dwelling. We are in an apartment for the next three months while we wait for our house in SA to sell. Luckily we have an offer on our house and we are just one signature away from completing the sell. What I realized is that it is much more stressful to be the seller then it ever was to be the buyer. From the offers and counter-offers to the amendments it is just one of the most difficult processes. LIFE IS STRESS. To top it all off we have a 6 month old who wont sleep on his own, new jobs, new loaction, and new financial situations (fun, huh?)

Well I know God has me in His grip and I will just be strong and rely on his knowledge and not my own.

Goodbyes

Tonight was my last night as Youth Minister at Trinity United Methodist Church in San Antonio. Goodbyes are never easy and it makes me wonder why they call them goodbyes cause they are often don't make you feel good. However despite how much I am gonna miss the youth in San Antonio, I look forward to making new relationships at Creekwood UMC. Tonight I reflected on all of the experiences good and bad I had with each one there. One girl in particular, Stacie, was one of my first ever youth at Trinity. She and I had what I would say is a roller coaster of a relationship. She is now in college but when I first got to Trinity she was in the eighth grade. At first I don't believe she trusted me all too much mainly because of the lack of solidarity to the youth ministry before I got there. Tonight Stacie and I stood outside the activities building and reminisced about our battles, our growths and all our times together. It is so awesome to see the maturity in growth of so many kids. I thank God that he gave me a chance to be a part of their lives and that they got to be a part of mine. Goodbye Trinity youth I will miss you so much. Till we meet again at His heavenly banquet.

Going to the Big D...

Today my wife and I decided to except a postion as Student Ministry Pastor at Creekwood UMC in Allen, TX (northeast Dallas). We are both filled with all sort of emotions but trusting God that this was the right decision. Dallas area offers a lot of opportunities for me such as a top Methodist seminary, new ministry experience, and a wonderful new Church. This last weekend my wife and I were invited to visit Creekwood and we were overwhelmed with the welcoming response from all of its members. I am very excited. Now the hardest part comes... telling those at Trinity UMC that I am leaving. There will prolly be tears, anger and a whole lot of other emotions. I just pray to God that we made the right decision. Financially this might be tough but we will trust in Him who provides to us all. Oh yeah please let us sell our home and find a new one in Allen area!!!

There is always someone smarter

Today I had to drop off a PC that I was building to a place called PC Repair Zone. You see I have been working on this thing for about 3 weeks and for some reason I cannot figure why I cannot get it to boot right. I have built three other PCs in the past and never had a problem... as a matter of fact the first one I built is still here at home and running strong. SOOO I broke down and did what I never like to do and asked for help.

I always hate walking into places like that. You know what I mean? When you go to a place and they make you feel like an idiot because you don't know as much as they do. Like when I went to Gamestop and I was looking for a game for the Xbox. I didn't know that the game hadn't released yet, but the 17 year old kid behind the counter acted all snooty. His reply to me was "Well if you looked at the release date you would have known that the game releases next week." Kinda reminds me of Jimmy Falons character on SNL, you know the "Nick Burns the Company Computer Guy" I wanted to respond, "Well if you would put down your game controller and put on some acne medication, then you might get a chick!"

Well, I am hear waiting at home so some computer tech guru can tell me that I used the wrong cable or something stupid like that and make me feel like an idiot... Oh well.

Its been a good year

MAKE WAY FOR THE J-TRAIN!!!

Final score Aggies 12 and t.u. 7. This was the cherry on top for my year. I would say that God has been pretty good to me. My son was born. I have a loving wife. Aggies are good in two sports. We beat the t-sips in the Lonestar Showdown. I have a pretty successful youth ministry. I am on my way and in the process of becoming an ordained minister of Jesus Christ. Life is sweet. I thank God for all the blessings I have. I also thank him for all the hardships I have had in my life as well. I believe it is the sour times in life that makes the good times extra sweet.

I look foward to a new year. This might be a tough year or it could be a piece of cake, but despite what happens I thank God for life. It doesnt take a win after Thanksgiving to be thankful but it helps me remember. For all you t-sips out there buck up... you won a National Championship last year, so what if the aggies dominated you this year. It will all be okay soon... wait you have basketball to look foreward to. Yikes I forgot yall aint so hot this year. Oh well.

How big is he gonna get

My son Connor is only 3 months today. At his doctors appointment he weighed 16.7 lbs and was 26 inches long. That makes him in the 97th percentile for both weight and hieght. He is gonna be huge! You are looking at the next Texas Aggie linebacker class of 2029! That sounds crazy doesn't it.

Bad Adivce

Yogi Berra was famed for his verbal bloopers. "Always go to other people's funerals," he once advised, "otherwise they won't come to yours."

Ever since my wife and I were blessed with a son (and even before) we have been given a plethora of advice. Some good and some bad and some just plain stupid. What is worse is when you get adivce from different phsicians and nurses that conflicts. Today my wife and I visited a lacation center for help with feeding our child. The nurse there completely frustrated me. All the adivce she would give us would conflict with what our pediatrician would say. When she weighed our son and measure him at 11 lbs she was suprised and asked us how much we have been feeding him. Well, from what our pediatrician says is that you should feed an infant whenever he/she is hungry and also that as long as they are gaining weight there is no such thing as too much weight gain in the early stages. Listening to this nurse I expected that at anytime we would ask her is she was a real nurse and she would respond "No, but last night I stayed at a Holiday Inn." All that the visit did was stress my wife into believeing that we were over-feeding our son and that everything we were doing with the feeding was wrong. Tomorrow we are going to contact our pediatrician and get the final verdict. So I see it like this advice is like milk in the fridge you don't know if it is good or bad unless you try it. (because as I also see it that expiration date is a crock... how do they know that exact date it will go bad?

The Spirit of Aggieland

Last Saturday night, despite getting sick, was a great night. I went with some friends to watch Texas A&M play Army at the Alamodome in San Antonio, TX. Before the game my friend Ian had to wait on a colleague from work to give a ticket to. As we were waiting I saw some old familiar faces, it was some of my buddies from my days as a cadet at Texas A&M. I haven't seen most of those guys in almost 5 years. I think it is awesome how despite time and distance people can maintain a close bond like we do. Without skipping a beat we were reminiscing about days past and times we had. Sometimes I miss those days and wish I could go back. The game was so-so. I wished we had beat Army by a little more, but it made the game more exciting to see it come down to the wire. As we left the game I called my wife and she told me that when her and my son Connor were watching the game and the Aggies did not convert on 4th down in the final minutes, my son spit up all over his aggie outfit that he was wearing. At that moment I knew that he truely was my boy. I also realized no matter how great the days of my past might have been or how much I miss it. The days before me are just a precious. Thank you God for my past, present, and future.

New BABY!!!

Hello all out there. I am excited to inform you that their is a new addition to my family. Connor William Church was born on August 20th 2006 at 5:49pm. This is the reason I havent blogged in such a long time.

I have learned that you can never be fully prepared for a new baby's arrival. Life with Connor is an experience that I never expected. Of course you hear people tell you about not getting any sleep, getting frustrated and having your whole life turned upside down. I believed them but what I didnt understand was the scale at which it happens and all at once. He is one awesome gift from God. Oh yeah! He is also a very quick learner. Check the picture out, I think he is throwing gang signs. I am gonna call SAPD to find out which one he is throwing. Hopefully he gets out quick and doesnt have to live the thug life, like his pop.

War... When and what for?

In my last blog I wrote about war in a negative aspect. Sometimes war is necessary especially when we are protecting those who cannot protect themselves. When Nazi Germany brutally exterminated millions of Jews, ethnic cleansing in of Serbs; and other atrocities like that it is worse for us to not do anything. When Christians stand-by and do nothing evil prevails. Is the war in Iraq good? I don't know. I know the evils of Saddam Hussein and his regime, and about the hundreds of thousands he has had exterminated. If we went to war for that, why haven't we done the same for places Rwanda? Was it for WMD's, is so what about North Korea and Iran. Was it for oil or personal vendetta? I certainly hope not. I don't know for certain the motives of our president, but I will not judge him. I will support him and his decisions and trust that he will do what is right. What I do know is that I don't want to be president. I dont know if I could handle the criticisms, pressures, and all the advice both good and bad. Am I a democrat MOST DEFINITELY not! Am I a Republican I don't know about that either. What I do know is that I am a Christian and I will support what I think is right. The life of all children born and unborn, helping those that are unfortunate, equality among all, and the freedom to believe, speak, and live the way I want to.

We are missing something

Jesus said, The greatest commandment is love the Lord your God with all you heart and second love you neighbor. There is a reason that He said it like that, because for most of us "Christians" we see the sin of others and ourselves, and are willing to condemn them for fornication, murder and other deeds of sin. We often forget that while condemning them we are committing the greatest sin and not loving. By God's definition love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. (1 Corinthians 13:5-8) Yet we condone capital punishment, go to war and do the darkest of things in the name of God. How wrong are we!!! Lets remove the hatred in our lives. Share Gods love the right way, not by force! It is one thing to share the truth with someone and it is something completely else to beat them over the head with it.

Vacuums suck!

My wife really wants one of these things. It is a Dyson and according to them it never stops sucking. I mean it never loses suction. Well I dont know about that because eventually the motor inside has to wear down. Anyways my wife is trying to convince me that we REALLY need one of these. I agree that the vacuum that we have is pretty sucky or should I say not sucky. Anyhow it is prolly about time to replace it seeing how it was the vacuum that I had when I moved in to my dorm room for the first time some 8 years ago. I paid a couple of hundred dollars for it then which equates to about $25 a year not bad. However the one my wife wants is the Dyson DC14 Animal vac that is supposedly the best at picking up pet hair plus it cleans hard wood floors which our old vac doesnt. But at $549.99 we would have to have this vacuum for about 22 years in order to get the value I did out of my last one. Is it really worth it, I dunno. I have been watching ebay and looking around to see if I can find it cheap. but all I am finding is refurbished. I dont think we need it but we'll see.

Friendship is a Rare Commodity

Why do we fall apart? Why do our friendships fade? It makes me sad to think about the friendships that I have lost. How do we go from one day sharing with someone are thoughts, concerns, joys and fears to not being able to even say hello?
As we prepare for the arrival of our first child I started to think about the people I will call when the bundle of joy arrives. Of course I will call family like my mom, dad, sisters, and extended, but what about my friends. As I thought about that I realized that through the hustle and bustle of life I have neglected relationships that I have truly valued and now I feel guilty to even call about the arrival of my son. If I had only listen to the message of the letter to the Hebrews “25Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.” (Hebrews 10:25) However I have let it become a habit of my life to ignore one of the things I am called to hold dear, Fellowship.
I write this thinking about one friend or I should say an old friend. I am sad to think about the close bonds we once shared. The laughter, the dreams and even the tears we have had together. I feel guilty about the loss. I desire to pick up the phone and call but I am afraid it is too little too late. Is it my job that pulled me away? Or maybe my family? Or is it something else? Most likely it is just me. I cannot even make the friendships I have in town valuable. I know the priorities in my life should be God-Family-Friends-Work but I too often put Work-Family-God-Friends. The sad part about that is that I am a Youth minister my work is for the kingdom of God yet I still neglect my personal relationship with God and horribly neglect my relationships with my friends. To top it all off I know I am not the husband I need to be to my wife. I just pray I will be a better father then I am a follower, husband, friend, and minister.
Lord, today I pray for restored relationships and for the building of stronger ones. I ask you to make me a father in the image of the Holy Father. I ask to be more like you and less like me. Lord, hear my prayer. Amen!

Lord, have mercy!

Right now I am sitting on a southwest flight heading to Tampa, Fl. This past week I had been with some 112 youth on a mission trip in La Grange, TX. This week has been a rollercoaster of emotion for me. I arrived with our 8 youth in LaGrange totally prepared for an amazing week of serving God’s people. The week started of great, we were totally prepared because we had all of our tools, materials, and supplies ready and loaded in the trailer. However when we get there we discover that D.H.S (Department of Human Services has not done their job, we had ZERO projects to work on about 2 weeks before the camp and by the day camp started we had about 10. Now for a mission camp with about 112 youth you need approximately 35 projects to keep the youth working all week. I was what is called a color group leader which basically means I over saw 5 teams made up of an adult and 5 youth each. My job was to basically act a foreman for all the site these teams would work on. On Monday the first day of work we had a job for each team to work at and many more sites that needed to be surveyed. The next thing to go wrong at camp was that the programming or non-work activities were not well planned. Most of the time worship would start late, things were shuffled around and it was a real mess. I was worried that the 8 youth that I had on the mission trip were really annoyed or unhappy with the camp. Not only that I wa supposed to share the Thursday night message with the youth about salvation, well actually it was first Tuesday and then Saturday and finally set for Thursday, but instead I was cancelled all together because on older lady from another church wanted to do a skit all by herself that last 30 minutes. Finally on the Friday of camp I get a call that my grandfather had passed away (the reason I am on a flight right now). This whole week I have been asking God to help me to understand all that was going on around me. I was feeling spiritually demotivated. As I reflect here on the airplane I have begun to realize that just because I don’t have control, doesn’t mean that God doesn’t. As I talked with the kids on the way back I discovered that God hadmoved each and everyone of them. We had a total of 18 sites completed and 2 of those sites we restored 2 small country churches which required the work of 4 teams each. We had a big impact on the lives of the people in La Grange. As I fly to Tampa I know that God has control of my life and that is something that this world cannot take from me.

OHHHHH NOOOOO!!!!

"Mr McGee... don't make me angry... you wouldn't like me when I'm angry..." -Incredible Hulk

Sometimes I know that people feel that I can be "overly sensitive". Not like "aaaawwww, look at the cute baby" or "that movie was so touching"sensitive. More like "I hate the Dallas Mavs and hope that Mark Cuban loses all his money, wife, and is back at being just a geek." kind of sensitive. Well tonight (15 minutes ago) the San Antonio Spurs lost their '06 playoff series. That is not what I wanted to write about, instead I want to write about something my wife said. At the end of the game my wife looked down at my dog Chloe and said "Well, daddy is gonna be real moody tonight." Ouch!

I wish I could control my mood like Jesus. He was awesome at that. For example, while standing in front of Pilate, Pilate asks Jesus many questions. Pilate asks, "Are you the king of the Jews?" and Jesus calmly responds "It is as you say." It is as you say!!! I would be like, "Hey dude, dont be a moron I am God's son. I am so powerful that I am not only king of Jews but I am king of YOU!!! However instead he just respond peacefully.

I am trying hard to be more like Him, but its something that creeps up on my like Lou Ferrigno in the Incredible Hulk. Like the other day I am driving down the highway and am about to exit. I am not in a rush, I am actually heading to a Youth Ministers meeting at Chuy's (Mexican food joint) and I am gonna be real early. After I exit I am driving down the access road when someone pulls out of a shopping center and cuts across 4 lanes just to get over to the turnaround. Now this area is ALWAYs busy so leaving that center you are bound to cut someone off unless you wait there for a couple of days. So anyway this person pulls out cuts across and cuts off me and 3 other drivers. I slam on the brakes and here comes the Hulk. I want to plant the grille guard of my 1/2 ton in the back of that over-priced luxury suv. How dare they disrespect me like that. As I get closer the the person on thier side in order to stare them down I realize that this is a parent of a youth I minister to. Boy didnt I feel like a capital "J" "E" "R" "K".

My wife made a good point "Do you want my son to grow up and be like that?" No of course not. Jesus let me be like you so he will not be like me!