The Life and Times of Phil Strahm

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-15T16:04:00.001-05:00

I'm really debating on whether to get back to serious blogging about faith, ministry, and so forth. Or maybe I'll continue to just use links through facebook and twitter.

We shall see...for now you get Strahm Christmas pix!

AJ Getting Everywhere

2011-10-21T15:19:00.000-04:00

How am I supposed to concentrate in the office when Michelle sends me pictures like these?

AJ is currently fascinated with the fridge. Every time it opens he gets excited and crawls as fast as he can to it.

Sorting our recycling bin. Notice the empty shelves as we begin the "remove breakables from child's reach" process.

AJ's Old School Football Helmet

2011-09-17T12:01:00.001-04:00

AJ has his chin strap ready for the under 1 football league he just joined. Just kidding, but they do start kids pretty early these days.

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A Good Light for College Athletes - Big10 Kirk Cousins

2011-08-29T16:02:00.001-04:00

Perfect speech from Kirk Cousins, Michigan State Quarterback, speaking on behalf of all Big10 football players at the Big10 luncheon. I wish this made the headlines more than Univ of Miami football boosters, Buckeye tatoos and cars, and Notre Dame DUI's. I'm still an IU fan, but I'm hoping Kirk Cousins continues to make a positive impact beyond just speeches.

"Privilege should never leave to entitlement. Privilege should lead to greater responsibility."

Kirk also includes Luke 12:48 "From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked."

Many other great thoughts during the speech.

It is WELL WORTH YOUR TIME TO WATCH this 8 minute video.
Watch it here if it doesn't display below (for you facebookers).

Trying to get back into blogging something besides AJ pictures. I know. Crazy.

AJ's 1st Ride

2011-07-21T16:25:00.001-04:00

Working on a little video for our Children's Ministry Volunteer Thank You dinner. AJ thought he'd get a little rehearsal time in. He loves to bounce in this car in the church nursery. Hydraulics!

Strahm Vaca

2011-07-01T18:29:00.001-04:00

Back home from the Strahm Family Vacation. 17 people and plenty of fun (beach, museum, zoo, poolside, train ride, games, etc) all week long. Complete with official limited edition T-shirts. AJ had a blast!

AJ's Checkup

2011-06-25T15:23:00.001-04:00

AJ had a checkup. What he lacks in weight & length he makes up for in his enormous 95th percentile size head!
Weight 24th percentile
Length 49th percentile

AJ and Zambrano

2011-05-20T13:12:00.003-04:00

See any similarities???Hopefully AJ won't follow Zam's lead in other areas....

AJ @ 5 months

2011-04-30T11:31:00.002-04:00

May 1st will make AJ 5months old. Time flies...

April 4 - There is no NFL offseason for true fans. Yes, he is this happy when he wakes up.

April 28 - Still likes to fly like an airplane

April 29 - Yesterday was our 1st walk with the baby ergo carrier strap.

AJ - Bumbo

2011-04-05T15:25:00.003-04:00

Clearly my wife did not read the Bumbo "please keep on floor" because it can be tipped warning on the Bumbo:) AJ didn't seem to mind being on the kitchen counter (closely monitored).

Building a School in Africa

2011-03-24T16:00:00.004-04:00

My uncle Francis has returned to his native country of Sierra Leone to build a school in his hometown. An amazing way to put his faith into action.

Read his updates on the school mission here.

More about Francis' story here and here.

Sierra Leone was/is famous for the conflict/blood diamond and civil war in the 90's. Movies (Blood Diamond) and documentaries (same title) have been made over this issue, though I'm sure they can only give us part of the story without actually having been there.

Heads Up AJ

2011-03-11T16:35:00.001-05:00

Little bit stronger everyday!

AJ in the Office

2011-03-02T14:31:00.004-05:00

Many great things in our lives. AJ knows he's a major part of that.

AJ Smilin' it Up

2011-02-17T09:32:00.002-05:00

It's getting MUCH easier to get AJ to smile these days!!!

Peanuts Theology

2011-02-04T09:27:00.004-05:00

Maybe Snoopy was on to something here. Of course, in our 21st century world everyone can believe differently and still be right (even if a 3rd grader can see the problem with that, we still do it).

Of course, this classic Charlie Brown Christmas snippet shows Mr. Schulz's theology.

What if we are wrong? And what does that mean? Something we should all ask ourselves to make sure we're forming our theology and beliefs from the right sources.

AJ - Go Cubs Go!

2011-02-03T09:04:00.001-05:00

What's up? Oh nothing....just waiting for baseball season to start. Go Cubs!

AJ - In Your Face!

2011-02-02T15:41:00.001-05:00

AJ up close and personal. There's an ice storm outside, what else am I going to do but take pictures!

This is Indiana - Music Video

2011-01-13T14:13:00.004-05:00

Now if only IU could get some better frontcourt play and some wins in the BigTen to match this video.
Sigh...patience.
Needed more clips of AJ Guyton, AJ Moye, Jeffries, White, and Gordon.

Digital Nativity

2010-12-29T20:39:00.001-05:00

Showed this video to our youth for fun as we talked about moving on past Christmas and Jesus' birth. Enjoy. I'm sure some of you have seen this already.

Should Michael Vick Be Allowed to Have a Dog?

2010-12-28T21:53:00.000-05:00

About 2 weeks ago it was widely reported that Michael Vick wanted a pet dog as part of his rehabilitation. For those who don't know, Michael Vick, NFL quarterback served his appointed time in prison for dog fighting charges that resulted in the death (he provided the land for the fighting, willingly knew of colleagues killing dogs that didn't perform well, and admitted to helping kill at least 6-8 dogs through hanging or drowning) of many dogs.

Much has been made of his rehabilitation process and his mentoring by Tony Dungy.

My initial reaction is that he should never be allowed to have a dog. Ever. Ever.

He's served his time. He deserves forgiveness. He has his second chance and is now part of society and making a more than comfortable living. However, there are certain things that just shouldn't happen.

You don't give a sex offender who molested children and served their time in prison an ability to adopt a child. You don't give someone who murdered or attempted to murder someone and served their time in prison an ability to have a handgun. Forgiveness yes. An ability to be tempted to perform a similar crime? No. Those who launder money don't get jobs as accountants or CFO's for a reason.

Perhaps if Michael Vick really wants to help he should speak for free at fundraisers for animal shelters, donate his salary, and buy all the Michael Vick Dog Chew Toys that supposedly raise money and awareness against animal abuse.

Am I wrong? Should Vick be allowed to get a dog? Will you allow the nearest sex offender in your neighborhood to start a babysitting business? If I had a gambling addiction should I move to Vegas?

This can't be about his rehabiliation. It's about how he needs to help dogs.
The Vick Dog Chew Toy
Curious what happened to the dogs that survived Vick? Here's the book chronicling their rescue and redemption into loving homes (at least one is even a therapy dog now).

Merry Christmas from the Strahm's

2010-12-25T11:41:00.000-05:00

When you have a new baby that everyone wants to see why even bother putting the picture of mom and dad on the Christmas card.

The 2010 Strahm Family Christmas Card

Limited Edition Christmas Card (featuring Herbie the Hippo). An instant collectible. I got a little bored during the creating of the card and had a little fun.

AJ's lifestyle

2010-12-20T15:20:00.001-05:00

Eat, sleep, poop, and rest on people. Sometimes he multi-tasks.

AJ and Da Bears!

2010-12-05T20:31:00.001-05:00

The Bears are undefeated during AJ's life. If the time ever comes where they lose then we'll have to comfort him. With the Patriots, Jets, and Packers coming up I fear it may be soon.

Football and Concussions

2010-11-17T08:50:00.000-05:00

Earlier this week University of Texas running back Tre Newton announced he was
quitting football due to previous concussions and the doctors recommendation. His dad, a former NFL player who won Super Bowls with the Cowboys, supported his son's decision.

While Tre's teammates were mostly supportive, they didn't all sound like they would quit football if they were in the same situation.
"I always go 100 miles per hour and will worry about all that health stuff 10 years from now when I'm done playing" said defensive back Blake Gideon. Perhaps he'd change his mind if he experienced a concussion and couldn't even remember the hit (Tre Newton's experience).

Michael Wilbon of ESPN's PTI fame often states that he'll never let his son play football, even if his son is as big as a tank, for fear of concussions.

Michelle and I agree about our kid. I told someone that yesterday and they were surprised. I simply stated that Strahm's are not built for football or soccer (bad knees plus we like to use more than half our body when exercising).

To me, it's as much a safety issue as not wearing a seat belt in a car or giving a 12 year old a driver's license. Too risky. How many former football players can barely walk and have brain damage? A lot.

Will you let your kid play football someday?

Ready to be a Dad - Part 5

2010-10-29T12:00:00.006-04:00

We're down to less than 6 weeks until Michelle's due date of Dec 9th.

One of Michelle's coworkes who lives closer to Chicago scored us some Bears clothes. Though the Bears are currently tied for 1st place they aren't playing like it. Maybe one extra fan watching will help the offensive line's blocking issues.

And yes, we also have some cute little IU clothes as well.
To see previous "Ready to be a Dad" posts click here.