The Porch

Been a while

noreply@blogger.com (Sam) — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 05:15:12 PST

If you are still out there, I know it has been a while. I have gotten out of the habit of blogging for a while, but am looking forward to starting the conversation up again, about life, and about worship. Feel free to chime in!

Music of the morning=George Gershwin, Rhapsody in Blue. Ahhhhhhh!

And the little shall lead them...

noreply@blogger.com (Sam) — Sun, 13 Jun 2010 06:06:32 PDT

As a worship leader, I constantly struggle to find ways to engage people in worship. Don't just go through the motions, engage God with your hearts, and your intellect. We try any number of different things to keep worship fresh and engaging.

This morning I was reminded that the worship of God is largely in God's hands. Midway through our morning service, a young boy stepped up and played one verse of Amazing Grace on his violin as an introduction to the song "My Chains are Gone". Through that simple and beautiful line, and this boy's willingness to lead a congregation in worship, I could see peoples defenses, distractions, and walls crumble, and their hearts open up to God's presence around them. It was humbling to watch God do so perfectly what needed to be done. It was awe inspiring to feel the presence of God in that way. And it was a reminder that worship is always in His hands.

Why God's Wisdom is a body

noreply@blogger.com (Sam) — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 13:38:21 PDT

Choir rehearsals have started for the year, and I have thoroughly enjoyed being back with the choir. This year and a half has been a tough stretch. I haven't had the weekly contact with them, since most of my time is spent working on the contemporary services in the gym. Phil Woodworth, Christopher Kraus, and Ruth Ann Stovicek have done a wonderful job in my absence, but I have missed my time with the choir.

Yesterday was an especially powerful rehearsal for me, because it was a keen reminder of why God has us in community; why God, in His wisdom created the church as a body. One of our members informed us of an unfavorable medical prognosis. We were all very saddened at the news. But then, a response that could only happen in the body of Christ took place. We surrounded this member, laid our hands on them, and prayed for healing and blessing for all involved.

I was blown away to watch this member receive the blessing of our prayers. I was blown away as I watched our members fervently seek God's intervention on behalf of this member and the family. We all needed this time, and God in his love gave it to us and blessed us.

So how was this evening a display of God's wisdom? God places us in community that people would know Him though how we love each other. Jesus told his disciples in the week leading up to his death;

John 13:34 “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.35 By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

We love each other to show Christ to each other and the world. If you find yourself a part of this church and are looking for that kind of community, please talk to us, Pastor Karl Nockengost in particular, about becoming part of a small group. Through this ministry, we look to find authentic community where God's love can show through our love for each other to the world around us.

I didn't think the Granny Car was my midlife crisis

noreply@blogger.com (Sam) — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 15:46:11 PDT

Yesterday, I drove home something I never thought I would, a Honda Goldwing!

A friend from the congregation let me know that his father was selling this bike, and at the end of the chain of events, Jen and I bought this 1985 Honda Goldwing (1200 cc, Interstate dress). My uncle Bob has driven a Goldwing as long as I have known him, so I had always hoped to someday own one, I just thought it would be a midlife crisis purchase, or at worse a retirement purchase. It is easy to say that we didn't see this one coming!

So today I spent the morning, and a good part of the afternoon, riding motorcycle in the tri-state area! This bike is ALOT bigger than the bike I drove in college, so it is going to take some time to get used to. Thank you all for your admonitions to safety. Believe me, if you saw me driving, you would laugh!

Happy riding! If you are out, give me a call!

oops!

noreply@blogger.com (Sam) — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 19:01:33 PDT

Imagine my shock on Sunday when, on my way to worship, I saw the following sign in front of the door to the gym (our current sanctuary for contemporary worship)...

Some well intentioned public sing poster put the sign up, trying to get traffic used to the new pattern around the building. But the comedy was not lost on me! We may want to move that sign...

Are we saying what we think we are saying?

noreply@blogger.com (Sam) — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 06:55:04 PDT

I was recently confronted with the challenge of communications, and both incidents involved my youngest son Andrew.

The first incident occurred on the golf course. I took him golfing for the first time last month. Being his first time, success was not the goal, fun was. He hacked his way down the fairways, trying to get comfortable swinging a club. Midway through the round he was getting confident, and decided he wanted to hit the ball as far as daddy. As any golfer knows, when you try to hit the ball far, you tend to "pull off the ball", oftentimes missing it completely, which he was. My appropriate encouragement to him was, "Andrew, keep you head down." Imagine my surprise when his next swing was attempted with his head 15" from the ball. He took me literally! "I kept my head down dad, but that was really hard!"

The next incident happened yesterday, as I was playing badminton with my kids on vacation. Andrew and I were teamed up against Alex and Anna, his older siblings. At a particularly tense moment in the match, I hollered the encouragement to him, "Alright Andrew, let go get em!" He proceeded to charge under the net and whack his brother with his racket! Again, in the mind of a 4 year old that was probably the correct response. (That and he loves any chance to hit anyone with anything. He is four, remember!)

I made the mistake in both occasions of assuming my audience would understand my cliched instructions. He responded based on his experience in a way he thought would honor my request.

After both incidents, I was challenged to rethink how I approach planning worship services on Sunday. Oftentimes we use "insider talk", words like "sanctification, justification, atonement" and phrases, "saved by grace through faith", "Christ's blood covers our sin". The list is endless. While these words communicate strongly to those of us striving to understand their meaning, to an audience with no understanding or background, these words can be quite confusing, without proper explanation.

We are building a new building with the anticipation that many people with limited or no church background will join us at our invitation. It is a challenge to me to make sure the experience they find won't be cluttered with confusing "insider talk", but will provide opportunities for people to experience the Love of God that is waiting to transform their lives.

1st (hopefully) annual Stein Family Triathlon

noreply@blogger.com (Sam) — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 18:31:32 PDT

This Spring, Anna came up with the idea of doing a family triathlon. So we decided to try one on this year on vacation. This afternoon, we left the house and headed for the Glenwood beach to start the triathlon.

Daddy, Alex and Anna started with the swim, about 150 yards from the shore to the far tower and back.

The five us then did the run, about a half mile around the Chalet.

The Daddy, Alex and Anna finished the day with a 4 mile bike ride to Grandma and Grandpa's house.

The ride was followed by Gatorade, an awards show, in which everyone was recognized for their particular area of specialty. We also received our family triathlon t-shirts! This was followed by a victory supper at Wendy's in Alexandria, and Ice Cream at the Glenwood Dairy Queen.

We look forward to next years triathlon, when we hope to swim a little farther, run a little faster, and bike a little stronger.

Jen kicks it at the Waterama 5k

noreply@blogger.com (Sam) — Sat, 25 Jul 2009 09:33:29 PDT

I am so proud of my wife! We are currently in Glenwood, MN, my hometown. This weekend is Waterama, our community festival. They had a 5k run this morning which she ran in. She ended up finishing in 2nd place in her age catagory, with a time of 23:25. Way to go sweetie! It was a lot different than the Philly half marathon, but fun was had by all.

So Much to Update!

noreply@blogger.com (Sam) — Sat, 06 Jun 2009 02:21:06 PDT

Well, we are officially flying! As I told you in the last post, the sink is in and operational. We have been doing dishes, and life is getting back to normal.

We were also able (Daddy, Mommy, Alex and Anna) to put in the new microwave. Carl sent it up with Seth, and amazingly enough, we were able to follow directions and get it mounted AND running properly!

Daddy was able to get the dishwasher put back in place and hook it up, and as soon as the electric is hooked back in by the Joe's, we should have an operational dishwasher. (Other than Jen! :} )

Carl and the gang were over today and got a very exciting piece of the project done. They got the countertop cut and laminated for the peninsula. It looks amazing, and exactly what we dreamed it would be. In fact, I am writing this post seated on a stool pulled up to the peninsula!

Daddy was so excited, that when we got back home from supper and a movie (Night at the Smithsonian), he got crazy and hung the last remaining cabinet, the long one over the peninsula, with Alex and Mommy's help.

Alex was very excited, and gave the countertop its first test dance!

Carl taught us well!

We are getting close to completion. We have to put the back piece on the peninsula, the put the back splash on, the flooring down, and paint the walls. Daddy still has one coat of mud to put on, but all in all we are coming along great. We will send more soon!

The sink is in and operational

noreply@blogger.com (Sam) — Sat, 30 May 2009 04:31:21 PDT

Yesterday's task was to hook up the sink, both the water in and out, and I am happy to report that it was successful! In fact, I am on my way home to do a load of dishes with my wife!

More Progress on the kitchen!

noreply@blogger.com (Sam) — Wed, 27 May 2009 23:38:06 PDT

Carl, Seth, Jim and Rob have been going gangbusters this week. We were able to get all the lower cabinet bases in the peninsula anchored to the floor and level, which was no small thing. The HVAC duct comes up in the end cabinet, and that cabinet sits on the joint between the hardwood floor and the new kitchen floor, which gives it a little roll. Carl the expert got it fitting tight to the floor with no roll. On top of that the base is airtight to send the air out the duct, as planned. Carl is the man!

The Joes then showed up and hooked up the electrical, which meant the outlets now work, and the recessed lighting worked as well.

Rob took care of the drywall mudwork, twice! There were some tricky joints between old and new sections, but Rob got it looking great. While he was doing that, Carl, Seth, and Jim made the countertops for East Wall (the one with the sink/dishwasher/lazy susan) and the small cabinet between the stove and the fridge.

Today, Carl, Jim and Seth put the Fermica on that countertop, and laid the sink in place. Sam got home from work and hooked up the stove.

The spacesavor microwave oven came in today, and we will put it in shortly. We will keep you informed!

Kitchen Installation, part 2

noreply@blogger.com (Sam) — Thu, 21 May 2009 19:32:14 PDT

Well, it has been a busy week in the kitchen! Carl, Seth and Sam were busy getting things done. We started by putting some of the cabinets up on the wall.

Carl and Seth worked on the plumbing, so it fit into the sink cabinet.

And the duct work for the space saver microwave.

By the end of today we had the hanging cabinet all in place (save the one over the peninsula), the sink base secured, and the lazy susan in the corner leveled out.

Where we sit so far!

Tomorrow we will set the rest of the floor cabinets, and after some drywall work, we will hang the last cabinet over the peninsula. Then we will work on the counter tops. It has been an amazing trip! I enjoy learning how this comes together.
Carl has been amazing! The neighborhood kids love him! Erin stopped over today to give Carl a school picture. Sterling stayed on the deck for a couple hours watching.

We will get some more pictures up tomorrow. Love you all!

The Kitchen Project, Day One

noreply@blogger.com (Sam) — Fri, 15 May 2009 20:13:33 PDT

Today it started! 8:30 this morning Karl, Seth, I and the Joe's (Sr. and Jr, the electricians) started working on our kitchen. Today's progress, we stripped the entire kitchen; Old cabinets, drywall, and flooring.

The electricians then went to town! They ran new wiring for new outlets in the proper locations, put in 4 recessed light receivers, and ran new wires to the fuse box. In the process we discovered that the fuse box was not functioning properly and needed to be replaced/updated. The Joes will take care of that early next week.

After that, Rob, Karl's brother-in-law; helped us put down the new flooring, and insulate and drywall the kitchen.

To finish the day, Karl and I unpacked the base cabinets and put them roughly in place, and moved the hanging cabinets in from the deck. Tomorrow we will hang the wall units, and rough in the plumbing, all that worked around a trip to Central Baptist for an outreach event. Here are some pictures.

Before Demolition

After Jen knocked out the the upper cabinets

The Joe's took care of all electrical issues

Demolition Crew

Wiring progressing nicely

Lunchtime for the crew!

Taking up the old floor

Drywall going up, floor already in place.

Drywall done, working on the plumbing

Putting the cabinets "roughly" in the right places

Andrew takes care of the empty boxes.

Day at the Beach

noreply@blogger.com (Sam) — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 20:00:41 PDT

We miss mommy, but we did have fun at the beach. It was sunny and just a little short of warm (60) and the wind was a little too brisk for comfort. That being said it was a wonderful day! We played catch, grabbed a bunch of shells, and laughed a lot.

A New Car for Uncle Seth

noreply@blogger.com (Sam) — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 19:27:30 PDT

Uncle Seth's Purple minivan has breathed it's last. The transmission is out, and replacement was not a practical option. So, today Seth brought...

A 2003 Chevy Monte Carlo SS. Isn't she a beaut!?

Our friend Micah Molin at Union Park Auto Dealership guided us to the car. Below are a few pictures!

Jay Cutler = Messiah?

noreply@blogger.com (Sam) — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 18:33:05 PDT

As I was driving to a funeral today, I was listening to my vice (sports talk radio), and one of the commentators made the statement, "Jay Cutler is walking around like he is the Messiah...". I laughed to myself and thought, "Just what do they think Jesus thought of Himself?" How much of the story does our culture not know anymore? Do they not remember His birth in a humble cave? His youth in a humble carpenter's shop? His days of traveling the earth without home or possession? His choice to live with the dregs of society, though embodying the name, "King of kings, Lord of lords"? His accepting public humiliation, physical abuse, and eventual death; though he was completely innocent of any wrong-doing?

No, I am afraid I fail to see the similarity between my savior and a spoiled rich kid whose pride was hurt. Might want to choose a different analogy.

An Amazing Addendum to Project 1825.

noreply@blogger.com (Sam) — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 08:44:38 PDT

Catching up at work has kept me from updating you on the conclusion of Project 1825. What you are about to read isn't the conclusion we were expecting. While Jen and I were plotting to surprise the kids, little did we know there was another plot afoot!

While we were in Florida, Uncle Seth and his boss (and our friend) Carl Jones were plotting to finish up the French Drain project (among other things). As you recall, we left the house a mess, with the basement packed in the living room. When we got back, we couldn't believe what we found! A crew of Carl's employees and our friends and family had clean out the living room, including the carpet that had two weeks of mud and clay ground into it! To clean out the living room, they needed to have a place to put everything, so they...

Built a work bench...

Assembled some shelving for storage and reloaded the entire basement!

But that wasn't all they did! They...

put the bullnose up in the Bathroom Project that the French Drain Project postponed. They also put the light in and the marble threshold down. (Paint job is mine, first coat)

They pressure washed our deck, sidewalk (getting all the mud off it!), and the doll house.

They fixed a broken upstairs bathroom sink, attaching it to the wall.

They also started a project that we weren't planning on starting for a couple years. Jen and I had been talking about knocking down a wall in our kitchen and redoing the room. The room was small (I have been in fishhouses bigger than our kitchen), and poorly conceived. (The largest storage cabinet has no access because it is hidden behind the oven.) The cabinets were the original 50 year old cabinets, and needed to be replaced. When we got back, that project was already started! Notice the absence of the wall that used to separate our dining room from the kitchen, and the addition of a much larger window. There was also a full plan drawn up by Carl of how the room might look. He also informed me that some money had been donated by some very generous people to jump-start this part of the project. We were blown away!

I can't tell you how amazing the experience was. We had driven back through the night, and from about 7:00 on we were getting text messages from Seth saying, "When are you getting back?" I thought maybe he had broke something, or he had to get the girls and the booze out (haha!), but when we got in at 10:30 he was waiting to show us what they had done. Being complete exhausted, and then having the emotion of this amazing act of love revealed to us was almost too much to bear. It was exhilarating and humbling all at the same time. (It was our own version of Extreme Home Makeover, except we didn't know it was coming!)

We don't understand, nor deserve the love God shows us through His people. Please know I don't share this with you to brag or gloat. I want you to know that God loves you and me. There are times like this, when that love is crystal clear. They aren't frequent! More often than not, I am left in my own ignorance wondering if God is there. There are many times when life is just the opposite, full of pain and hardship. I just hope that you will see my faith as strong and excited in those moments as it is now.

We don't deserve what we just received, but we are grateful, and we pray that God will use us to bless others in a similar way. To those of you who helped out, thank you! You were God's hands and feet, and those are amazing things to be. We feel so loved, and blessed to know you and call you friends and family. May He richly bless you!

So What is Project 1825?

noreply@blogger.com (Sam) — Sat, 21 Feb 2009 20:29:13 PST

Many of you have asked about Project 1825. Here is the story! Last July I did a wedding for a dear friend of our family. As a thank you for doing the wedding, she and her husband gave Jen and I a weeks stay at their beach house in Delray Beach, FL, and airfare. Jen and I were looking forward to some time away. Then in October, our family was blessed with another amazing gift, a 2005 Chrysler Town and Country with very low mileage, and the plan changed.

After much conversation, Jen convinced me that instead of being a romantic weed away for the two of us, it would be a much more fulfilling use of these gifts to include the whole family. So, starting in December we started planning the trip to the beach, kids and all.

A very generous Christmas from our family led us to a final tweak to the trip. We decided to spend one day in Orlando with the kids at the Magic Kingdom before heading to the Beach house. The dates? February 18-25 (hence the name Project 1825). Jen and I needed to have a codeword when talking about it. See, our plan was to keep this a surprise to the kids. We didn’t tell it was coming.

So on February 18th, Jen and I dropped the kids off for a normal day of school, packed the van and loaded the technology (long trips need DVD’s and video games!) 2:55, school ends and we pick up the kids. As we head south the kids asked, “Where are we going?” We knew this question was coming, and would be a tough one to side-step. So… we ask for some help from the family. Uncle Dave, Auntie Sarah and Emma met us at the “Red Robin, hmmmmm” in Owing Mills, just outside Baltimore for supper, and more importantly, the answer to the question, “Where are we going?”

After a great supper, and more importantly, nightfall, we left for the south. Just short of 10:00 p.m. we stopped for final trips to the bathroom, and the question, “Why are we in Virginia?” The answer, “A little detour”, seemed flimsy, but thankfully was enough to get them back in the van and to sleep for the night.

The original plan was to drive through the night, with the hope that they would wake up in the Disney Parking lot for a wild day of enjoying the Magic Kingdom! However, we thought better after driving through an evening of downpours through North and South Carolina, and Georgia. Daddy was exhausted, so we checked into the hotel early (9:00 am) and spent the day relaxing (sleeping for daddy), swimming in the pool, and getting ready for a day at Disney on Friday, the next day.

The original plan would have worked, by the way. Alex was up early (6:00), but never suspected anything. He thought we were on our way to Rehoboth Beach in DE. (oi! Lot of work to do with that boy!) The other two woke up in downtown Orlando, then spent the next 20 minutes trying to deduce where we were. There were some great answers!

1. Tropical trees must mean we are in Hawaii.(don’t know how we drove the van there!)
2. Since we were in a big city, we must be in New York or Philly. (? Driving in circles all night?)
3. This was a big city, so we must be in Chicago, since we always go to Minnesota for vacation.
4. Michigan (Anna saw a sign that said “Michigan Street”)

They finally put 2 and 2 together when they started looking at license plates. Once they figured out we were in Florida, they guessed Disney World right away. At that point we were 5 minutes from the park, pulling into a Waffle House just outside our hotel.

So that is “Project 1825!” There will be more updates, and pictures to follow, but know that it has been more than we could have ever asked for. The look on their faces in the van will never be replaced! The looks on their faces as the watched the parade down Main Street, and the fireworks over the Enchanted Castle will never fade! Thank you all for your interest, prayers, and generosity! We have been so blessed.

Lessons from the basement

noreply@blogger.com (Sam) — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 07:43:56 PST

Saturday I spent about five hours in my basement with a gas powered pressure washer cleaning mold and old paint off the walls, prepping it for drylock. Alan Steinl, a friend from church, let me use his pressure washer. This particular pressure washer has a HUGE gas tank. So I started with a full tank of gas and warm feet. 2 1/2 hours and frozen toes later, the gas tank finally ran dry, and the pressure washer shut off... and there was silence.

In that moment I was reminded of Psalm 46:10 "Be Still and Know that I am God." How often do we try to grab time with God on the run, in the middle of the noise? How effective is that time? How refreshing are those moments when we can be in the silence? There are times when my wife calls me at the office, and becasue of what is on my desk, or what is on my computer screen, she doesn't get my attention. She knows that, and I know that, and that isn't good! How often does God have to speak to me through the noise and clutter of life?

The frustrating thing is that I know this lesson! It amazes me how often I have to be reminded! I hope this is a reminder and an encouragement to you. Struggle mightily to create the environment to meet God in silence. He is longing to be with you.

It's Done!

noreply@blogger.com (Sam) — Wed, 11 Feb 2009 12:36:56 PST

Got this picture in a text message from my brother Seth, with the caption, "Hey Man, it's done!" More to follow, and a lot of work still to do, but man are we pumped!!! (sump pumped?)

Making Progress

noreply@blogger.com (Sam) — Wed, 11 Feb 2009 07:33:57 PST

Hi all,

Progress has been steady on our French Drain project. Between Seth and I, we have got 80% of the concrete work done, and today Carl Jones is coming over to set the Sump pump crock and move the water heater so we can finish the concrete installation. Lord willing, we will be cleaning out our living room this weekend, and re-loading our basement! It will be fun to watch that start to take shape.

Anna checking out the "Big Truck".

She also helped daddy with the cement. First we put the cement in the wheel barrow.

Then we add water...

...stir...

dump...

...level...
... and wait for it to dry!

Another Day in the Dirt

noreply@blogger.com (Sam) — Wed, 04 Feb 2009 08:38:47 PST

O.K. This post has no great spiritual tie in. It is simply an update on another great day of work. On Tuesday, my brother Seth was foreman on site at our house as phase II of the French Drain Project began. At 1:00, he got the dump truck in place, and at 3:00 he got the stone delivered and poured on the side of the house.

When I got home after work at 3:00, he had already started hauling out the broken up rock and concrete we jack hammered on Friday. You remember what that looked like, right...

The process went something like this...

First, we shoveled the debris into 5 gallon buckets.

Then we carried the buckets up the stairs...

... to the Dump Truck. Our family enjoys watching the "World's Strongest Man" competition on ESPN (Phil Pfister is our favorite!) One of their events, the Power Stairs, involves lifting a 245 lb keg up 20 stairs, one step at a time. It looks punishing! I know these buckets of rocks didn't weigh that much (maybe 50 lbs each), but after putting 30-50 of those in the back of the truck, I felt this desk jockey got as close as he ever would to that kind of event.

Jen was waiting for us in the back of the truck, and she emptied the buckets, and sent us back downstairs for more!

Three hours after we started, the clean up was done!

Our task for the day was not done, however. The next part involved digging a three foot hole in the trench to set the new sump pump crock in place. This is where living in Claymont (mount of clay) becomes an issue. Seth and I spent the next two hours digging, prying, chopping, doing anything we could to get this whole in place. We hit three very big rocks, one of which is still there. The biggest challenge we had was that the whole kept filling with water, obstrucing our view of what we were doing. I got the brilliant idea to move the current pump into the new hole and use it to pump out the water. Unfortunately, I didn't take the time to disconnect it, put a longer pipe on it, then plug it in. Halfway through the pumpout, the connection hose let go and I got whole face full of sludge, to which Seth laughed! PUNK! (it was really funny, and I am sure if I wasn't the one eating dirt, I would have laughed whole-heartedly!)

We eventually got it done, and with a great sigh of relief, we called it a night. (after a shower, we were filthy!)

O.k, maybe there is a spiritual reflection coming out of the events of yesterday. One of my favorite books in the bible is Ecclesiastes. It is a book written by the wisest of men (Solomon, or another teacher in Israel) who was struggling mightily to make sense of the world around him that doesn't make sense. One of those conclusions resonated with me today.

Ecclesiastes 5:18-20

18 Then I realized that it is good and proper for a man to eat and drink, and to find satisfaction in his toilsome labor under the sun during the few days of life God has given him—for this is his lot. 19 Moreover, when God gives any man wealth and possessions, and enables him to enjoy them, to accept his lot and be happy in his work—this is a gift of God. 20 He seldom reflects on the days of his life, because God keeps him occupied with gladness of heart.

Though the work was tough, and part of me wasn't looking forward to it, I felt very good in my soul at the end of the day. (in my soul, not necessarily in my body! That just hurt and tasted and smelled bad.) Thank you, God, for this time of toil that has refreshed my soul.

I was also reminded of how thankful I was for my brother Seth, and Ecclesiastes has something to say about that as well.
Ecclesiates 4:9-10

9 Two are better than one,
because they have a good return for their work:

10 If one falls down,
his friend can help him up.
But pity the man who falls
and has no one to help him up!

Thanks Seth! I am so thankful that God has you with us at this stage of our lives. You have been a blessing to my family, a joy to Jen and I, and to your neice and nephews. And this last week you and I have shared a burden, and I am thankful for that!

A hard days work

noreply@blogger.com (Sam) — Fri, 30 Jan 2009 20:02:13 PST

I have always valued a hard days work. Today I experienced one of the hardest days work in my life.

Over Christmas I put in many extra hours, so I took this past week off. There were a couple projects that made the weeks "To Do" list. My brother Seth and I got the drywall up in our downstairs bathroom, taped and mudded it. We were looking forward to sanding and painting it today, but plans changed.

I got a call last evening from Carl Jones, a friend and construction contracter. He and I have talked about putting a French Drain in our basement. He called to let me know that he had the men and equipment to do it tomorrow! So at 7:00 a.m. we emptied our basement, and at 9:30 the jackhammer arrived.

Our home is a split level with an additional basement. Since we moved into the house 5 years ago, that basement has been little more than storage because there is usually water running across the basement floor. By putting the French Drain in, we will regain the use of almost 1/4 of the house, space we plan to use for a band rehearsal place (complete with drums/guitar/bass, the whole works) and for the workshop. To put in a French Drain, we needed to jack hammer a one foot trench around the perimeter of the basement in the concrete, then dig out the trench deep enough to put a corrugated pipe in, hook it to the sump pump, then fill it with rock and cover it with concrete.

Living in Claymont, (Clay- Mont; mount of clay) we thought the toughest part of this was going to be digging the trench deep enough in the clay. We were sorely mistaken! As soon as we started with the jackhammer, we realized we were in for a long day. We discovered that there was not just one floor to jack hammer through, but 3, to the depth of a foot. It seemes that there was some attempt at an earlier type of drain, but that wasn't working well.

So 6 hour and 4 men later, our basement looked like this.

We still have a lot of work to do, but we kicked tookie on it today! I can honestly say I have never worked such a physical day in my life, and that includes 100 degree days throwing 80 lb bales. It made me appreciate deeply the men and women who do this kind of labor day in and day out. My job has me often behind a desk, and certainly not in shape to daily do what we did today. I hurt!! These people work hard, and I would say never get the credit for what they do. God gives each of us abilities. I am grateful for what they shared with my family today. I enjoyed the workd today, and though I hurt and am (apprehensively) looking forward to another day of hard work tomorrow. That is if my body will let it happen!

What it means to Witness

noreply@blogger.com (Sam) — Mon, 26 Jan 2009 13:05:04 PST

We had a scare in our neighborhood last weekend, a situation we actually saw from our porch. For the forensic details, take a look at the 6 ABC story. In short, the driver of an SUV had a seizure and lost control, crashing into our neighbor's living room.

Mr. Irv, our neighbor, is a former state policeman, and a devout follower of Christ. As horrible as the event was, it is amazing to watch how Mr. Irv gives God all the credit and all the glory for watching over a difficult situation. No matter who Mr. Irv tells the story to (local media, insurance adjusters, rescue workers, contractors working on the reconstruction), he praises God that he and his wife weren't in the front room, praises God that his daughter only had minor cuts and bruises, praises God that the driver of the SUV wasn't seriously hurt. He also praises God that it was cold outside, which kept the neighborhood kids inside. On a normal Saturday, 5-20 kids would have been outside playing.

It has been amazing to watch a lifelong follower of Christ live out his faith. Oftentimes people will give God the glory simply because it is the "Right thing to do", but you wonder about their sincerity, (see post-game interviews.) In watching Mr. Irv, I don't see any posing. I see a man who is sincere in his faith, who is simply telling life as it is. God isn't the "Right Answer to give", he is the only answer to give. God is reality, not giving him the glory is like ignoring life's very existence.

People who seek spiritual truth are rarely swayed to faith by a well presented argument. They are constantly looking for authentic faith lived out in peoples lives, and it is that winsome personality that guides people to their moment with the God of the Universe. Seeing Mr. Irv live his life through this situation is an inspiration to live an authentic Christian life. There is no telling the impact he had on those he came in contact with. If nothing else, he was an encouragement to me!

What happens when you are 20 years behind the time

noreply@blogger.com (Sam) — Fri, 23 Jan 2009 21:47:29 PST

First of all, if there is anybody left watching this blog, hello! It will be a pleasure to share life with you again. I hope you all had a blessed Christmas and are having a wonderful New Year.

Recently, we at BVBC have been talking about the changing church culture we minister in. No longer are we ministering in the "Churched Era". We have entered the era when most people we meet don't have a history that involves a church. If we continue to minister as we did 20 years ago, we will find ourselves out of touch at best, irrelevant at worst.

I was reminded of this with a recent experience I had "Prepping for a trip!"

Jen and I are taking the kids to see the M-O-U-S-E at the end of February (It is a surprise, so don't tell them! More on that later) The last and only time I was in Florida, I sunburned through SPF 11000. Not wanting to repeat that on this trip, I decided to try a tanning salon to try to get a base tan before we headed down.

I walked into the local Nail/Tanning salon this afternoon. My clerk didn't speak English very well, but once we got the initial business done, she instructed me to a booth. I asked her how much time she had put on the clock, and she said "12 minutes". 19 years ago was the last time I was in a tanning booth. 12 minutes sounded about right for the most fair skinned whiteboy in the world, but just to be safe, I said, let's lower it to 10.

Ten minutes later, as I am getting out of the bed, feeling a little bit prickly, I noticed a sign on the side of the bed that said "Danger". It looked like one of those, "Make sure you unplug this unit before servicing it" Danger signs. On further examination, the sign actually had a timetable on it that basically read, "No basetan, Paste-white burn freaks should only tan for 2 minutes.

Two Minutes!!!! I just fried for 10! Two valuable lessons were learned from this experience. Number 1 ask for and read the directions! Number two, don't assume 19 year old rules apply. I forgot to take into account that over the last 19 years the technology changed, allowing what used to take place in 10 minutes to now take place in two.

Are we, the church, running the same risks if we don't seek out the new rules, seek to understand the culture we are now immersed in? I look forward to finding those answers... Just after I put on another layer of Aloe Vera!