Category Archives: Personal Growth

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Responding To The Devastating Tornado In Joplin, Missouri

Yesterday evening a very destructive tornado hit Joplin, Missouri.  This is a devastating event, for a lot of people, and there has been a tremendous loss of life and property.

Tornado Damage in Joplin, Missouri

Tornado Damage in Joplin, Missouri

St. John's Regional Medical Center, Joplin, Missouri

St. John's Regional Medical Center, Joplin, Missouri

I have several close friends and family members in the area, and my wife’s sister lives very close to where the tornado hit.  We spent some time on staff at a church in the Joplin area in 2004-2005.  Our son Titus was born there, in Freeman Hospital, just down the road from where the tornado struck.  And Heather and I both graduated from Ozark Christian College, on the north side of Joplin. We are well acquainted with the area and the people.

After several phone calls yesterday, we’ve finally determined that our friends and family are all ok.

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Why I Love Mondays

I’ve noticed a trend recently that disturbs me.

As a youth minister, I use FaceBook a lot.  I connect with teens easier through that medium than almost any other.  But I see a trend developing, and has been for some time, that bothers me.

Lots of people hate Mondays.

Monday

Every week, I read some variation of how great someone’s weekend was and how much it stinks for it to be over and now they have to go back to work.

I really don’t understand this. I mean, I get the idea behind why people hate Monday.  The weekend is over, and it’s back to the grindstone.  But that is a philosophy I just can’t comprehend.

I love Mondays.  Most people can’t relate to that concept, I know.  But I don’t think even they know why.  So many people seem to dislike the first weekday so much that it seems like cultural peer-pressure to conform to Monday hatred.

I love Monday.  And I feel like I need to share why I do.

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How God Instills Margin When You May Not Even Know You Need It

One of the big buzzwords in my life recently is the word “margin”.

I hear it everywhere.  I read about it on blogs.  I was even handed a book recently on creating margin in my life.

I placed it on the shelf.  I’ll get to it soon.

Right.

A couple of weeks ago, I hurt my lower back.  I was making the bed, and I just twisted wrong or stretched too far.

X Ray Displaying Lower Back Pain

That should teach me to make the bed…

I suffered in pain for a few days with no improvement, so I went to our local chiropractor.

I used to be that guy who made fun of people who went to the chiropractor.  Not so much anymore.

He looked at my back, made a few adjustments, and told me that my spine was about a mile out of line.  He asked me what I’d been doing.  I just made the bed!

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I Just Bought A New Laptop Computer… And I Love It!

I bought a new laptop computer last week.

It’s true.

I’ve been using a Toshiba Satellite for the last few years.  It’s been a great computer.  I’ve used it pretty hard, harder than I should, probably.  I’ve used it for writing, video editing, graphic design and much more.  I’ve upgraded it about as far as I can take it.

Samsung Laptop

Finally this week, I’ve come to the realization that it’s time to let it go.

I love this computer.  It’s small and very portable.  It’s only got an 11 inch screen.  I usually use it paired with a second monitor. I love this computer.

But it has to go.  It simply can’t continue to keep up with the demands that I place on it.

And so, last week I purchased a new Samsung laptop while I was on a few days of vacation.  My new unit is a little larger, it has a 15 inch screen.  It’s got a bigger processor and a lot more hard drive space, which I’m sure I’ll fill rather quickly.

This week, I’m in the process of transferring all my software and files from one machine to the other.  After I get all my stuff transferred, I’ll uninstall most of the software off of the Toshiba, and it  will be a machine my wife can use for her at-home business.  It will be more than sufficient for her needs.

I don’t know about you, but I find setting up a new computer extremely tedious.  I just don’t like it.

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Taking A Much Needed Break

We took a break last weekend.

As a family.  We took a break.

And it was nice.

I’ve been reading a lot recently about creating margin in your life.  I haven’t been actively looking for such a topic; it has just been discussed on several blogs that I frequently read.  When you create margin in your life, you allow yourself a chance to refresh and renew.  One of the areas I’ve been actively pursuing in my Personal Life Plan is an area of rest, of margin.

And so we took a break.

We went up to St. Joseph, Missouri and spent a few days with my brother and his family.

St Joseph Skyline

It was extremely relaxing.

My wife and I decided that this would be a break from work, from worry, from ministry concerns, from blogging, and texting and tweeting (mostly).  Heather mainly encouraged this.  She’s a very wise women.

We left last Thursday and headed to St. Joseph.  We didn’t plan a travel itinerary, which was a major step for me.  I like to have even our spontaneity planned out ahead of time.

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Creating A Personal Life Plan

Developing a life plan is one of the most important things you can do if you intend to grow.

For years, I’ve developed personal and professional goals.  And for years, I’ve been hit or miss in accomplishing them.  I wasn’t ever sure what was keeping me from achieving my goals; but I was missing something.

A couple of years ago, I changed my approach to goal-setting.  I continued to create an annual list of goals, but I added an extra dimension.  I started breaking my goals down into quarterly action steps.  And I posted these on the wall above my desk.

When I completed a task or a goal, I crossed it off the list.

This process helped my increase my completion percentage by a good amount; but I was still not as effective as I knew I could be.

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An Unprecedented Opportunity!

Joining The Ministry Of The Creation Truth Foundation

An opportunity of incredible proportions has come our way. Many of you many know of the Creation Truth Foundation and Dr. G. Thomas Sharp. I have had the opportunity over the last three years to study under Dr. Sharp in one of the Institute for Biblical Worldview Studies Cadres. These Cadres meet twice a year for a week of intense worldview formation, studying Genesis 1-11. Over the course of these studies, I have become convinced that without a proper view of these early chapters of Genesis, one cannot have a proper understanding of the rest of the Bible.

Creation Truth Foundation

As a result of my interest and passion for Creationism, Dr. Sharp has offered me a position with the Creation Truth Foundation. My role there will be to work closely with Matt Miles in the area of student worldview development, a crucial area in today’s youth ministry.  Our division is called the  S.W.A.T. Team — Student Worldview Advanced Training.

One of the reasons for my sense of urgency in this is our world’s biblical illiteracy. Woodward Kroll, in Taking Back The Good Book, says,

“One of the consequences of Biblical illiteracy is that those searching for answers to the great questions of life are left clueless. Without God’s eternal Word, they have no place to go for certain truth…. If we don’t have a reliable source of information, how will we know that any answer to any question is the right one?”