God's Man

The family and I were celebrating the baby dedication for one of our "new" cousins.  The speaker that week talked about how God shows up while you are sitting idle.  The question that I wrote down when he said that was "What happens when He shows up but your focus is elsewhere?" I hoped that I would be like the the disciples in the early days. As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen.  “Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will make you fishers of men.” At once they left their nets and followed him. Going on from there, he saw two other brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John. They were in a boat with their father Zebedee, preparing their nets. Jesus called them,  and immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him.  - Matthews 4:18-22 (NIV) My concern is that now that I have walked with Him for so...

See the full gallery on Posterous Party Time in our ladybug costume.

Being a father is a huge part of my life.  It is one of the most enjoyable, frustrating, rewarding, tiring and satisfying things that I have been blessed with.  I have 2 daughters, whom I refer to as Princess Mini and Mighty, 4 god-daughters, ranging in age from 20 to 6, and 4 god-sons(15, 13, 5, 5).  I appreciate every man who takes the time to invest in his children and the children of those around him.  I thought that I would share with everyone a list of bloggers whom I follow that also happen to be fathers.  This list is in no particular order.   E. Payne - Makes Me Wanna Holler Darren Rowse - Problogger, Digital Photography School, www.DarrenRowse.com Tony P. - The Anti-Jared Lamar Tyler - Black and Married With Kids Pastor Paul Schindler - Facing Eternity, Living Hope Church Scott Williams - Big is the New Small    

The most powerful lesson that we ever teach is a complete reliance on God's Word. HT: The Gospel Coalition

An interesting rebuttal to the concerns that many have raised about Campus Crusade for Christ's name change to Cru.  It is not the name of your organization that determines your authenticity.  Here one of the points that came from the article. There is no parachurch movement or denomination where all the leaders are equally theologically astute or articulate or solid. Therefore, our alignment with, and support for, missionaries and churches should be discriminating. No one should be assumed as doctrinally sound because of being a part of any organization. Neither should we assume they are unsound. The individual is key to what the individual believes. In our support of missionaries at Bethlehem we are far more concerned with their personal beliefs and commitments and practices than we are with the organization they are connected to . Read the rest of the article here  

I cannot stress how important it is for us who are part of a local church, which should be all believers, to pray for your pastor.  They are under a tremendous calling and do not often reach out for help.  Over the last 2 months our Pastor has been on a much needed sabbatical.  During that time our church's ministry council, with myself included, attempted to pick up his work.  It was amazing to me to see how much he was doing on a daily basis.  So I found this article over at Red Meat For The Soul entitled Praying For Your Pastor.  In it he shares 9 points where you can pray for your leader.  This one was my favorite. That I would have a consistent, powerful, diligent life of private prayer; that I would grow in my dependence on the Holy Spirit. Check out the rest of the article here .  Most importantly, Pray for your Pastor.   Be a blessing to the one who is serving you like Christ.

Today is Sports Team Day at Princess Mighty's Summer Enrichment class.  The Old King (My Dad) feels that they should always have some form of Ravens attire so here they are.

  HT to @ScottWilliams over at Big is the New Small

A little less than 2 years ago we took Princess Mighty(aged 5) to the North Arundel Aquatic Center for he 1st swim lesson.  While she was generally fearless she had, in my opinion, an unusual aversion to water.  If water got in her face she would run for a towel and probably cry.  So those early classes were a challenge.  Anytime her face would get wet she would want to get out of the pool. I didn't get it.  I tried to remember my 1st swim class.  My cousin and I went to the YWCA, yup the YWCA, in Baltimore City.  Early Saturday morning we would get in the water, blow bubbles, tread water, and eventually dive into the deep water. Anyway enough about me.  Today was Princess Mighty's Level 4 American Red Cross class.  She was nervous becuase it is completely into the deep water.  No more kiddie pool for her.  She is in the same pool that she watches me swim my laps.  I was worried at first as she seemed to struggle with not touching the bottom but by the end of class she was doin...

Ingredients: Rice - cooked Broccoli - steamed and in small pieces Diced onions and peppers Olive oil Eggs - beaten Scharachi chili sauce (optional) Directions Heat your oil in a wok or pan Add onions and peppers and saute. Sprinkle on salt and pepper to taste. Add in the rice and mix it all together.  If using the chili sauce you can add it here. Move the rice mixture to the edges of the wok and add some oil to the empty center. Pour in beaten eggs and scramble.  Once the eggs are cooked then mix in the rice. Add steamed broccoli at the end so it retains some crunch. Enjoy.

I found this gem in my reader today.  From the post 12 Ways to Glorify God at Work from the Desiring God Blog: Focus on the work you've been given. Whoever works his land will have plenty of bread, but he who follows worthless pursuits will have plenty of poverty (Proverbs 28:19). Oh how often have I be guilty of not focusing on the work that is in front of me. Especially working in an office where internet access is readily available. Surfing, blogging, and social media-ing can strip away the hours in our days. Is this a something that you struggle with? Let me know below in the comments. @Gods_Man

I have been working with Princess Mighty, my oldest daughter, on bicycle safety as she is now riding on the road through our new neighborhood.  It is an older community with very little traffic so mommy doesn't worry too much.  I found this video today about biking in NYC.  The guy that is in the video gets fined for not riding in the bike lane and then proceeds to ride around showing why that could be  hazardous.  *** BAD Language Warning in the beginning of this video ***     Some of these falls would make Chevy Chase cringe.   Happy Friday

Here is a random collection of photos taken with my HTC Hero. See the full gallery on Posterous

  h\t to Touch ya Neighbor Ministries

I spoke at my home church, Living Hope Church , last week so I thought I would share the notes.  Please leave some comments.  If you prefer you are browsing on your mobile you can view the mobile friendly link . ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The epistle, or letter, of 1st John is written to all of us in general and specifically to the church at Ephesus. John is writing this as he nears the end of his life. The Ephesian church is not that different from our own American church. John speaks about the Ephesians in Revelation chapter 2 verse where he writes that “… You have forgotten your first love.” There are 4 issues that are impacting the church at Ephesus. An Easy Familiarity with Christ – The believers that John is writing to are the older children and younger Grandchildren of the believers that Paul met in Acts 19. He spent 2 years with them and God lit a fire there. The issue is that over time the intensity of the fire was being maintained. This lead to a ...

Doing what Dad's do.  This video made me smile.

I have always enjoyed listening to people who are older than me. Especially those who are on the same faith journey that I am. It is amazing to hear the depth of lives that have been well lived. People who have walked through struggles and grown as a result. It is also enlightening to talk with those who have let their struggles hinder them. A friend of mine would always say that you are either a warning or an example. When I think about these things I wonder about how life must have been for our early family. Let's take a look in the book of Genesis, in chapter 5 , we see the line of Adam stretching to Noah. Adam lived for 930 years and during his lifetime he was able to see 9 generations of his descendants. Can you imagine? Nine generations were able to sit and listen as Adam would tell them about walking with God in the cool of the day. I am sure that he was able to recall with vividness the splendor of the garden, the first time he saw Eve, and the Glory of God. I a...

Here are 2 happy Princesses enjoying the fact that Daddy's dinner was messed up. Thanks to the folks at Pizzeria Uno's for making my girls' night. God's Man sent from my phone so please give me grace for any typos.

Pic From Luv My Kynxx Makes Me Wanna Holler.com - Man, Dad, Husband: Really Home Alone This is a great post and @EpayneTheDad highlights one of my biggest pet peeves: "No I'm not Mr. Mom, or "babysitting" my own damn kids, or frazzled or hanging on by a thread. Have I been tired? Yes. Have I had moments where I've been at wit's end? Definitely! Have I had any time to myself? After midnight when I can't leave the house and I'm delirious with fatigue. Have I ever once considered that I can't do this? Not even once. I'm DAD, doing what I'm supposed to be..." I cannot tell you how many time I hear that as I am out with my girls. It frustrates me because like E says, these are my kids. No one should be more involved in their lives than me. No one should be more engaged that I am. Men, if you are leaving the work of child rearing to your wives or girlfriends then I need you to rethink your title as man. Clearly you are not one...

9 years ago I nervously stood and waiting for my bride to come down the aisle.  It was the culmination of close to 4 years of emails, phone calls, voice mails and video conferences.  It was the apex of nervous firsts, arrogant seconds,and relaxed thirds.  It was the punch line to jokes that only we got.  It was the climax of something that we could only dream of. When God said that, " He who finds a wife finds what is good and receives favor from the Lord ", he was talking about the woman pictured above.  When Solomon wrote, " A wife of noble character who can find? She is worth far more than rubies... " he wasn't exaggerating... Check out the rest of this post here .

Five minute drill time again.  Here are 5 lists of five things done in 5 minutes.  While the lists were compiled in the 5 minutes getting all the links took much longer.   5 People I am grateful for My God My Bride of almost 9 years (1 day to go!) whom I refer to as the Queen My 2 daughters know affectionately as Princess Mighty and Mini (Cheating I know) My Pastor @PaulFSchindler My church family http://livinghopechurch.info 5 Random things I am grateful for The Oppurtunity to Serve God's Glory Coffee My Job Being a Nerd 5 Sites I hit every day Black and Married with Kids The Anti Jared LifeHacker The Old Black Church You Version   5 Random people on Twitter I follow Andy Andrews Marriage Today One Chele The Marriage Bed La Shawn Barber 5 Books I have reread, so far, this year Fami...

Here are two snippets from 2 more of my blogging mentors who don't know it.  Number 1 is taken from @theantijared at http://theantijared.com entitled Struggling is not Quitting : No matter how successful you are, you will struggle. It is different for everyone. Some people beat themselves up for three hours for 12 minutes of eating. Some people beat themselves up for not going to the gym. Some people think they can only have one bite, but get fooled every time.   The one piece of advice I can give is do not quit. Whatever your goal is, do not quit. When you are at a plateau, remember the times when it was worse. When you are confused what the scale says, look at the decisions you made. When someone makes a snide remark to you, know that there is a light at the end of the tunnel.   You are not alone. Everyone struggles. All of the great paper tigers can tell you they do not. They can have beautiful pictures o...

I want to have a conversation with the men about something that has become increasingly more important to me. Let me paint a scenario for you. Guy meets girl... They hit it off instantly...  Guy dates girl... Guy realizes that she is awesome... There’s just one problem...   He’s not ready to be locked down...  He’s not ready for the future... He's worried about the life he is giving up... As the Dad of daughters, god-daughters, and god-sons I am getting frustrated when I hear about waiting to "settle down".  My question is why wait? Don't believe the lie that your life ends at marriage.  Do you know what you are telling your future spouse?  I have sucked all the enjoyment that I can out of life and now I am ready to grow old with you. Does that sound romantic to you?  Is that the ideal that God has for you?  To my sons did you know what God proclaims?  He who finds a wife finds what is good and receives favor from the Lord. - ...

From Evernote: What To Do When Exhausted Day 2 Clipped from: http://www.youversion.com/ I love this photo by Dalla over at Flikr .  It had me thinking about one of the letters to my bride entitled, What to do when you are exhausted .  Here is some more thoughts from God's Word. When I called, you answered me; you made me bold and stouthearted. Though I walk in the midst of trouble, you preserve my life; you stretch out your hand against the anger of my foes, with your right hand you save me. The Lord will fulfill his purpose for me; your love, O Lord, endures forever— do not abandon the works of your hands.   - Psalm 138:3, 7-8 When you begin to feel exhausted, overwhelmed, put upon remember to call on the Lord.  Reach out for help.  He will protect you.  Know that God loves you and So do I. God's Man

One of my blogging mentors, who doesn't know it, is Scott Williams ( @ScottWilliams ) over at Big is the New Small started a conversation about Chasing Leaders .  While talking about his sons he shares this nugget As leaders, business owners, bloggers, parents and whatever our deal is.  We will get better stronger and faster if we Chase The Leaders in that particular field.  If you want to be a great writer, follow the leading writers.  If you want to be a great leader, read the leadership books and learn form the leaders of leaders.  If you want to be better, stronger & faster… Learn from the best, strongest and fastest. We tend to be creatures of comfort and habit but that is not where the growth comes.  You've got to have challenges and challengers in life in order to grow.  If everything is cake and life is sunshine and lollipops than your progress will be slow.   That doesn't mean that you don't...

and Nebuchadnezzar said to them, "Is it true, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, that you do not serve my gods or worship the image of gold I have set up? Now when you hear the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, pipes and all kinds of music, if you are ready to fall down and worship the image I made, very good. But if you do not worship it, you will be thrown immediately into a blazing furnace. Then what god will be able to rescue you from my hand?" Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego replied to the king, "O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to save us from it, and he will rescue us from your hand, O king. But even if he does not, we want you to know, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up." http://bible.us/Dan3.14-18.NIV84 At some point YOU will get this question, "Who is your master? Who is your ...

Found this here  

Makes Me Wanna Holler.com - Man, Dad, Husband: COMING SOON: Love Notes - An eBook by E.Payne Eric Payne of Makes Me Wanna Holler is going to be releasing his first ebook soon.  I am looking forward to what he will be sharing.  Having lurked around on his site  http://www.makesmewannaholler.com and his posts over at http://www.blackandmarriedwithkids.com . Check him out! I am excited about what 2011 has in store.

A couple of years ago I bought Where the Sidewalk Ends" by Shel Silverstein  for Princess Mighty.  It is a collection of poems and drawings that I remember finding at the library in my elementary school.  She has been carrying this book around and reading the poems and commenting on the drawings.  I love the fact that she loves to read and write.  As someone who reads like crazy and fights my way through NaNoWriMo every year I want my children to enjoy being creative. Here is one of my favorites from way back then. LISTEN TO THE MUSTN'TS Listen to the MUSTN'TS, child, Listen to the DONT'S Listen to the SHOULDN'TS The IMPOSSIBLES, the WONT'S Listen to the NEVER HAVES The listen close to me-- Anything can happen, child  ANYTHING can be.  This take me back to this word from Phillipians chapter 4:13 I Can Do All Things Through Christ Who Strengthens Me You will hear all kinds of voices in this life.  There is only one voice, howeve...

Today is our national observance of Martin Luther King Jr 's birthday which was actually last Saturday Jan 15th, 2011.  Today I want to share 2 letters that were written in 1963.  The first letter below was written by eight clergymen and published in a local paper in Birmingham, AL.  Their letter was a rebuke of demonstrations that were going on in Birmingham during that time.  It was also a call to the blacks there to disassociate themselves for the "outsiders" that had come in to make trouble.  The second letter is a response from Dr. Martin Luther king Jr, written while he was sitting in jail in Birmingham.  This is going to be a super long post and different from what I normally post but it will be so worth the read.  All emphasis below is mine.  I have a tendency to highlight what jumps out at me when I read things.   ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~   April 12, 1963   A Call for Unity   We clergymen are ...