Twas The Day Before

Twas the day before Christmas and all in the office
People were working, all grumpy and scoffing
Last minute shopping and presents to wrap
Never made it to Santa to sit on his lap
Presents and in-laws, wrong sizes too
Somewhere in all of this we forgot about You!

Is that you're experience? Have you gotten so wrapped up in the busy stuff of Christmas that you've left Jesus out of the mix? Christmas is all about PRESENCE, not presents. Don't misunderstand... giving gifts is entirely appropriate... that's exactly what God did for us by giving us Jesus. I'm just saying that in all of our celebration, let's take effort to place priority on God's presence... Jesus - Emmanuel - God with us.

Recent Events and Stuff from my world:

Sunday night LifePoint partnered with Newsong to deliver a Christmas concert / story. During the show the band had a little break. I got to sit on the floor with Nick (one of Newsong's guitarists) and talk about what it looks like to have 2 very similar churches partner to behave in a KINGDOM MINDSET and give people an on ramp to experience Jesus.

Haley, my 12 year old daughter, has basically wrapped all of our family's gifts. This is a much bigger GIFT to Vange and I than Haley realizes.

Ashli, my oldest daughter, just turned 14. She got a laptop for her birthday and she is super pumped!

My boys, Dawson - 6 and Griffin - 5, finished up shopping for Vange last night. They really enjoyed shopping cart surfing! (Does that make me a bad Dad or a cool Dad?)

Vange has recently learned to text message on her cell phone..... Several days lately she has sent a quick text to me asking how I'm doing. It is the words she finishes the text with that makes me feel warm and fuzzy: I LUV U. There is something wonderful about seeing that pop up on my phone.

Last thing - I would love as many of you as possible to reply to this question:
If you were to actually give Jesus a present this year, what would it be?

Live loud, live intentionally, and love God and People with every word and every action!

I'm Crazy About You Jesus

One of the coolest things I've had the privilege doing is teaching my kids God Stuff. My boys are 6 and 5, and when we pray together we always make sure we thank Jesus for stuff, ask Him for stuff, and ask forgiveness for stuff we did wrong. The prayer from all 3 of the James guys starts with this phrase: Jesus, I'm crazy about You. The boys thank Jesus for stuff like toys, warm PJs, trees, Batman..... the list goes on. They ask Jesus for stuff like helping Juan Encarnacion be able to see so he can play baseball again (google it), help Grandpa and Grandma get better, help us be able to roller skate better so we don't fall.... Some of this stuff may not seem all that "spiritual" to you, but my boys are engaging God in a very real and personal way. They are on their JOURNEY.

So, today's blog is just a simple prayer:
Jesus, You are incredible! Thanks for putting such wonderful people in my path. You continue to make provision for us. Thanks for continuing to wrap Your arms around me and tell me You love me..... even when I smack You in the face. Today I had an opportunity to shine Your light.... and I walked away. Forgive me for being lazy and putting my petty wants above Your purpose for me. I've got several hours left today - help me love You and love people. I'm going to open my eyes and follow the spotlight You are shining down the path You have for me. Love You - Talk to You later.

Side note - The Meyer lifegroup did manage to beat the James lifegroup in volleyball Sunday night. (I'll keep my thoughts about their team stacking strategies to myself... :-) ((Actually it was a lot of fun - Steve and I tried an intimidation technique that failed miserably - we dressed up like women.... UGLY women.))

Live loud, live intentionally, and love God and People with every word and every action.

Is that a STICK in your nose?

Wow... I just noticed that it has been a month since I last blogged.... I'm a SLACKER! OK - on to recent events. The stick thing? Close your eyes and follow along..... I was taking care of a lawn client a few days ago... I have one of those shredder/vacs that mulches leaves into an attached bag. I was bending down and lunging under some branches on a small tree when one of the branches got caught in my hearing protection headset. When I moved, the pencil sized stick jammed up my nose. As my reflex jerked my face away from the tree, the stick broke off.... IN MY NOSE. I had about 3 inches of stick hanging out of my nose..... OUCH! Uhhhh... no spiritual lesson here.... Sorry. (Yes, this is the 2nd blog in a row dealing with nose stuff...)

Next item - My LOVELY wife who I am totally in love with..... happenedtodriveourminivanofftheroadandcausemuchdamage. Since our minivan was suffering, we sent it to Mexico to be enjoyed by another family (we sold it at an auction.) In our search for another mini van, we entertained the idea of an SUV instead. We went to a local dealer to look at a used van, and noticed a Ford Expedition sitting there. I found one of these SUVs on line that was for sale by owner in St Peters, MO (about an hour away from our house.) I had the bright idea to have my LOVELY wife who I am totally in love with TEST DRIVE the much newer and more expensive Expedition. Here's a quiz: Can anyone guess what is in my garage?

Next - cold weather sucks - enough said!

Next - Trixie is painting some VERY COOL waves on the walls in my boys' bedroom... it is going to be a beach theme...... Sweet!

Next - (serious moment) I am an unbelievably blessed man. My LOVELY wife who I am totally in love with is actually my best friend... and I fall for her a bit more every day. My 4 kids are very tight, a ton of fun, very smart, athletically gifted, and generally a delight to be with! I have a good job (not my favorite, but very comfortable). And last but not least, I get to partner with some incredible people at Lifepoint to help people in our communities want to pursue a relationship with God; Bob, John, Greg, Jeff, Kyle, Dan, Brandon, Chad, Lisa, Martha, Tammie, Nikki, Diane, David, Mike, Aaron, Josh, Alana, Steve, Kraig, Sam, and many others.... You all ROCK!

For those of you who pray.... the families of Lifepoint are being really hammered by a bunch of Satan stuff... Please remember us all in prayer. Also, The steel plant in Granite City is scheduled to temporarily close impacting about 3000 employees... several of these people call Lifepoint home. Pray for God's guidance and mercy.

Live loud, live intentionally, and love God and people with every word and every action!