I just wanted to share with you a cool story that happened this past week.  I was talking with Mike Rand who leads a men’s LifeGroup on Saturday mornings at Hillary’s.  He told me about how this guy came in using a walker.  He had been disabled through a medical procedure and he was holding a lot of bitterness inside, not letting it go.  It just so happens that Craig’s message this past week was on being held by bitterness.

They talked about it in group, he had questions, and the next thing you know he was praying to receive Christ in his life.

God had set this up that morning that he should attend.  And kudos to you to Frank! Thank you for constantly inviting people to come experience what God is doing around here!

You all Rock!

Welcome to my world of camping. You know a lot can be said about a person by the way they camp. There are those that have decided that they don’t like camping but like to travel so they go for the RV experience. Then there are those savvy outdoor types who go for the pop up giving them the camping experience while still having the comforts of home. Then there is someone like me who hasn’t figured all that out and decides to take two kids, one not out of diapers, camping out underneath the stars in a tent. I have to tell you I hope to make it up to the ‘savvy ones’ before I go through this again!

Now many of you are thinking either, “Ah, Jody you don’t know what fun is.” Or your thinking, “Been there and done that and you’re right, get a camper!”

We stayed at Anastasia state park in St. Augustine and it was a nice little camp site. It had power and water at the sites and semi-clean bathrooms where you could grab a warm shower. This is good, because, it rained every night we were there! (Oh yeah, thank God for the power because without my coffee maker I would not have ever made it!)

Oh man, it was raining when we pulled up and kept raining the whole first night we were there! And wouldn’t you know it? Avery decided to get sick in the middle of the night! He woke up and threw up in Heather’s hand, Yuk! Well, we had to save the air mattress, because we didn’t want to get stuck in the tent all night with puke smell on the sheets. The next day went well until the next night when it rained all night and was lightning heavily. At this point my wife stated to me, while fearing for all our lives and being washed away, “That’s it we are leaving tomorrow morning!”

There is a lot I’m leaving out of the weekend story. It’s enough to say that I will either wait till the kids are all potty trained and can feed themselves or I will definitely be in a camper. It was just a little too much work for a two night trip.

BUT here are the reasons why I wouldn’t have changed it for the world:

· I got to spend time with my LifeGroup and talk about life and I would have never had this time unless I went.

· I got to see true examples of Christian love being shown through the weekend. It is really special seeing people pull together and make the best of a not so great thing!

· My kids learned what it was like to live in a biblical community.

· Heather and I were put through a test of patience and tolerance with each other and we came out great. I felt so proud of my wife in the way she handled a trying situation.

· I had an excuse to eat junk food for the weekendJ.

· Heather and I realized that most of the world lives like that every day. We appreciated being RICH!

Yes, it was challenging but I wouldn’t have changed it if I could. If we always look for the ‘comfy seat’ we are liable to miss out on a ‘God’ thing. Learning to be a Christ follower will cost you your comfortableness and sometimes that’s ok with me.

19 Then a scribe came and said to Him, “Teacher, I will follow You wherever You go.” 20 Jesus *said to him, “The foxes have holes and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.” Matthew 8:19-20

Our savior was the ultimate camper and yet through His hardships he was the most well rounded individual there ever was. Why not see what a couple of days in a tent can do for your outlook on life. I bet it won’t be the same.  At least you will sleep great when you get home because you will definitley appreciate your warm bed. Amen?!

Man, I’m wondering how many of you are having trouble dealing with your child on a behavioral issue?  Here I am an ex behavioral specialist and sometimes I get so frustrated with my two year old and all over his eating habits.    Then I start this wondering thing as in, “Is it me? Did I teach him to do this?”  I mean tonight, it boiled to a head where we squared up and I had enough, my poor wife had enough, and I think Avery finally had enough!

It was like dreading going to the dentist, you know it’s going to hurt but you know if you don’t go it’s going to hurt more later.  Knowing this I tackled it head on which meant several trips to time out, a little whack on the backside towards the end (while the prisoner was making an escape attempt), and a stern tone of voice.  After about ten minutes he finally broke.It was all over like it never happened.  He was eating his food, smiling, and enjoying it.  Now I start to think, “That’s not so bad, so why did I wait so long?”  Several reasons come to mind;

· I wanted Heather to be the one to do it because I knew she spent a lot more time with him in the day and he needed to know the boundaries with her.

· I didn’t want to be the bad guy.

· I’m scared to death that I might hurt him whether that would be emotionally or physically.

· My appetite was more important at that moment.

All of these are not good reasons and here is why.  First, because I am the ‘daddy’.  That means I am the lead and I am suppose to set the expectations for behavior with the rest of the family.  Secondly, I shouldn’t expect Heather to know how to do it.  Expectations get us in trouble because usually they are unrealistic. I’m the one with the training so I need to teach by showing examples not correcting when she is not doing it right.  Lastly, because I am the model for God with my children.  I know that sounds weird to some of you but it’s true.  They need to learn from me that God means what he says. He is slow to anger but He can be quick to discipline.  That He cares about everyone in the family equally and it’s not always about you.  And that He always forgives and forgets because His love knows no bounds.

These are actually great moments of growth for human beings.  When we face these challenges we become more like the image of God ourselves.  When we shirk our responsibilities as fathers and leaders our families are damaged by the fallout.  Just like a bad tooth it will eventually have to be pulled and by then it will leave a gaping hole, possibly with nothing to take it’s place.