I was sitting in a park watching one of my youth girls play softball yesterday and I was reminded that I once had an unassisted triple play when I was younger. It was a hotly contested kickball game during recess when I was in the fifth grade. I doubt anyone else that was there even remembers it, but let me tell you that it was amazing.

I have a confession to make. My wife and I were out and about this evening when we happened across a KFC. I'm a sucker for testing and trying new food products and KFC has one. Perhaps you've heard about it in the news. It's called the Double Down. It consists of two pieces of boneless chicken. Not chicken tender size but full breast size. These pieces of fried chicken act as the bun. In between the two pieces of deep fried goodness resides bacon, cheese, and a sauce of some sort. There is no bun. It's a chicken sandwich in the purest sense.  Most questions concerning it revolve around its nutritional value. Having now  recently partaken of one of these concoctions, I lend my voice to the crowds that decry it's total lack of nutrition. The only problem I have was that it was amazing. We split one just for fun, but we were both surprised that it was so good. The chicken was moist and juicy and there was quite a bit of it. Both the cheese and sauce were tasty. And the bacon? Well, it's hard to ever go wrong with bacon. The end result was surprising but extremely satisfying. 

I would love to try another, but it will be a tough argument between my taste buds and my brain that knows something like that will shorten my life expectancy. 

On Facebook? The original post resides at www.focusedjourney.com.     

As I write this, my son is sleeping in his own room. I know that doesn't sound special, but it's his first night there. He's more than ready to transition into a bed and our apartment just doesn't accommodate both he and his sister each having a bed in the same room. Just not enough space.  So the crib and various other pieces of furniture have exchanged places to allow this. Later this week we'll be bringing the bed. I sit here and realize my children are growing up so fast.  Before I blink this moment will be gone. That is why I played hide and seek with my children tonight. I assure you that hide and seek with only four small rooms to hide in isn't much of a challenge, but it was worth it.  Too fast this moment will be gone forever.    

I have a confession to make. I had a couple of speeding tickets about two years ago. One I absolutely deserved. There were extenuating circumstances with the second and I think it was undeserved. Anyway, you pay your fine and move on with life. That is, you move on with life until it comes back to bite you.

In updating some church insurance information, my name was submitted as a primary driver of the church van. The insurance company ran a check on me and declared me ineligible to drive the van. Seems they don't like those speeding tickets acquired back in my youth (ahh...to be thirty again).

This presented a problem and problems need solutions. I called our insurance provider and they offered me probation on one condition, I had to take their online defensive driver course. I really had no choice so I accepted their offer. As of this morning, and after a grueling online course and test, I am now a diploma carrying defensive driver.

Now I have to live with the shame of being on probation. I wonder if they'll assign me some sort of parole officer?

On Facebook? The original post resides at www.focusedjourney.com.

Yesterday I was able to do something amazing. At least it was amazing in my opinion. I went to my bank’s web site and I clicked the option to pay bills. On the following screen, I choose to make a payment on my student loan. Then, I wrote in an extremely large number, verified it, and clicked pay. With that mouse click I officially paid off my student loan. It was an incredible feeling. One step closer to being completely debt free. I guess that means the car is about to break down. Anyway, rejoice with me for the day at least.

The snow came and it came with a vengeance. Last night was one of the heaviest snowfalls that I’ve seen in this part of Ohio for a long time. Easily up towards a foot and a half if not more. With the drifting it was incredible. Snow is amazing. Something so beautiful, yet it brought this little part of the country to a standstill. The added bonus is that snow makes you feel absolutely justified in staying inside and doing nothing. So, after shoveling for a couple hours and straining my back a little, I found it quite nice to flop on the couch and catch up on some sleep that I’ve been missing. Loved it.

It was a long day today. Up at 4:30 and then hours spent at the hospital. I'm glad to say everything worked out, but it made for a long day. Christmas Eve service went well, but I think the best part of the day was sitting down this evening when I got home. Now, I think it's about time for bed. Since I'm not planning on writing tomorrow, I just want to take this opportunity to wish everyone that reads this a very Merry Christmas.

I woke up yesterday expecting to spend most of the day preparing for my youth group's dinner theater. Before I left the house, a friend called me to let me know that he had been talking with someone claiming to be me on my Facebook. They were asking for money because they claimed that I had gotten stuck in London. It sounded realistic since people knew I was flying back from Kenya a couple days ago. I jumped on to find out and sure enough I had no access to Facebook. That was bad enough, but I soon realized that they had jumped from Facebook and now had control of both my major Gmail accounts. That wasn't good. With that they would have had potential access to password resets from various financial institutions.

Let's just say I was a little nervous. It suddenly became a race to protect my family. I give Google credit. I was able to fill out a form online that required a lot of identifying information about various Google services that the certain Gmail account was connected with, but once I did I had a link that allowed me to regain access within about ten minutes. I jumped on and changed the password on both and went on to change other web site passwords to be safe. I came back and tried to access Gmail again and discovered that my password had been changed. Not only was my account hacked still, but they were actually working against me at the exact same time I was trying to fix things. Not a good feeling.

Thanks again to Google, I was able to regain access. I searched through all the account settings and found the problem. They had set my email to automatically forward to them. Plus, they were getting a text message if anything was changed. I went through and removed everything that they had set up. Then I changed the password again. Then, my wife noticed that Google listed at the bottom of the screen that I was not only logged in from my location, but I was also logged in at a second location. There was an option to terminate the other location. I did and then proceeded to recheck all the settings and change the password again. I did this for both accounts and then waited. I was fairly confident that I got it secured, but I had to wait.

While I waited, I went over to Facebook and reported that my account had been hacked. Within a few minutes my account had been disabled. Better disabled than letting them have access. I'm working to regain control but in the past Facebook has been very slow in my opinion.

So, now I'm checking my accounts constantly to make sure they're remain secure. I've changed a lot of passwords. I'm making them insanely long which is only possible thanks to 1Password. If you're on a Mac, I recommend that you use it. It allows you to create long passwords for websites. It remembers them for you and then fills them in when you visit that web site. Check it out at Agile Web Solutions.

Well that's about it. If you received a strange email from me ignore it. As of now I have control and I hope to maintain it.

Well, the day has finally arrived. I'm making the last few preparations to head out to Kenya. I'm looking forward to the adventure and praying that God does something good. I'm not looking forward to the long fights.
The absolute worst part about the trip though is leaving my family. I'm a homebody and I love just being with my family. It's hard to imagine even missing a moment of their lives.
Yet, I feel God is leading in this. I pray that he watches over the trip and those that I leave behind.
Except for a book review posted for Kelly (written today but dated for next week), this blog is going silent for awhile. Of course, it's been pretty silent as of late as I've been preparing for the trip. I'll talk to everyone later.

This is just a little post to let everyone know that I am sitting in the coffee shop at 6 in the morning. I've been up since 4:45. I thought with age came a love for mornings. Let me just unequivocally express that I do not like mornings. Mornings are for sleeping. I'm sure if I were to research the etymology of the word morning I would find a clear association with the word mourning. They are homonyms and it just makes sense. When you wake up early, you mourn the loss of sleep that you are experiencing. Hence, you are mourning. Over a few centuries the word changes to describe that time early before the sun rises.

To make it even better, there is a pastor I know meeting with a group of men here this morning. They are having a men's Bible study or accountability meeting. Now in addition to being tired, I have a beautiful sense of guilt that they are being very spiritual while I'm griping.

I am about one month away from heading to Kenya. It's amazing to think that I will be heading to another continent for a time of ministry and then returning before Christmas. The missionaries of the past have my deepest appreciation. Many headed out never expecting to return home. For many it was months of travel just to reach their field. I'm humbled that I am able to fly half way around the world, preach and teach, and then fly back in such a short amount of time. Praying that the Lord will use me and the team for something great.

McDonald's has a new commercial that bothers me. A man walks around holding one dollar in his hand asking what he can get for it and is told at a variety of places that he can't get anything. Then he goes to McDonald's where he is informed of all the wonderful choices on the Dollar Menu. The man happily hands over his one dollar. Make a note. It was one dollar. We see pictures of food and then the commercial ends with the man at a table eating. He's eating a McDouble, but on his table is also a drink and a yogurt parfait. He handed the worker one dollar, but he has three dollars worth of food. I don't know why this bothers me but if does. It's like when a car commercial shows you a car loaded with features and gives you the price only to tell you in the fine print that all those features shown are not included in the price.

The man either had more money, which sort of negates the entire commercial being about one dollar, or he stole the extra food. Neither one seems like great marketing to me.

We asked our daughter what she learned tonight and she as a matter of fact told us about Daniel getting eaten by a lion. When asked to clarify, she said that Daniel was eaten by a lion but he prayed inside, just like Jonah in the whale. Her version of Daniel made me laugh, but it was cool that she made a connection (even though incorrectly) to another story in the Bible. Something is is sinking in.

I'm currently reading the book "The Dark Foundations." It's the second part of a three part series. I guess the best way to define it would be Christian Science Fiction. It has a nice blend of both technological advancement and theological issues. Even though the author and I have differing eschatologies (he shares his opinions on his web site), there was something that he wrote for one of his characters that struck me.

"Where we are in the great timetable has no real bearing on matters of right and wrong. Every day we're given choices and every day we have to make the right decisions. If I knew the King was returning tomorrow or in ten thousand years' time, it wouldn't alter my choice...we just battle evil until the whistle blows--whenever that is."

I personally believe in a Pre-Tribulation rapture of the church. I would fall into the Christ could return at any moment crowd. Often, we do speak in terms of we should live like Christ is returning tomorrow. However, what if we knew absolutely that Christ wasn't returning for a thousands of years? Would that change how we live? Does right and wrong only exist in a timetable where Christ is coming back soon?

We have been called to live holy lives in Christ. We have been called to do what's right no matter how long Christ chooses to tarry. No matter the number of days that remain for this world, I must make decisions that reflect my Lord.

I went to the department of health today to get the shots I needed for my missions trip to Kenya. Both arms are now covered in multiple band-aids from the experience. The thought I had as I was sitting there concerned the missionaries of the past.

They headed out into the world to spread the news of Jesus Christ without the benefit of vaccinations.

They headed out knowing that there was a high probability that they would never return.

They headed out willing to suffer if needed.

They headed out to lands where they often had to bury a child, a spouse, or both.

They headed out because the truth was burning so strongly in them that they couldn’t help but share it.

They headed out because that’s what we are called to do.

On Facebook? The original post resides at www.focusedjourney.com.

I have some friends that are currently going through a very hard time right now. Things are happening beyond their control and they are being hurt in the process. It’s a situation where I am completely powerless to assist them. If there was something that I could do I would do it, yet there is nothing. So I am left with my only option. I will go before the Father on their behalf. As best as I can I will seek the Lord and will remind Him of what is happening. We are told to ask and keep on asking and that’s what I’ll do. Project BC is a reminder to me to pray, and if my friends see it, a reminder to them that they will not be forgotten or abandoned.

Just about over the flu. Spent Friday, Saturday, and Monday on my couch. Made Sunday services but probably just spread the flu on. Took it slow yesterday and today hoping to finally conquer it. Still have the cough and congestion. The lightheadedness thankfully seems to be gone. Just a little update.

I have a cold. Monday and Tuesday were light nausea while Wednesday and today are the full sinus and chest cold. I feel rotten. Miserable. The kind of day just to stay home and rest on the couch. Unfortunately, my nephew is sick too. This means my sister needs a substitute at school and it's a chance to make a little extra cash. So here I am. Sitting behind a desk with a room full of students dreaming of the moment when I can head home and lay down for a few minutes.

I was trying to write a chapter review after each chapter. Yet, I discovered that I was intentionally not reading the book in an effort to catch up here. With the uploading problem I'd probably never catch up. So, I made the decision just to plunge forward. I wanted to finish so I did. The book was really good. Mark Batterson makes some very interesting conclusions about how we live our lives in what I basically call fear. Just for time sake, I've put the Lion Chaser Manifesto below. Mark posted this on his blog the beginning of this year. Worth looking over again. Adios.

Quit living as if the purpose of life is to arrive safely at death. Set God-sized goals. Pursue God-ordained passions. Go after a dream that is destined to fail without divine intervention. Keep asking questions. Keep making mistakes. Keep seeking God. Stop pointing out problems and become part of the solution. Stop repeating the past and start creating the future. Stop playing it safe and start taking risks. Expand your horizons. Accumulate experiences. Enjoy the journey. Find every excuse you can to celebrate everything you can. Live like today is the first day and last day of your life. Don't let what's wrong with you keep you from worshiping what's right with God. Burn sinful bridges. Blaze new trails. Criticize by creating. Worry less about what people think and more about what God thinks. Don't try to be who you're not. Be yourself. Laugh at yourself. Quit holding out. Quit holding back. Quit running away.

Chase the lion.

This past week I read Psalm 27 in my devotions. I was struck by verse 14. "Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord." I think the hardest thing about waiting for God is...uh, well, the waiting. We know that God has all power and can do something, but it is so difficult to watch nothing happen for so long. I think the Lord knows just how human we are. That's why he encourages to stay strong and take heart while we wait. Answers are coming. The healings we have desperately been seeking are coming. The answer to prayers that have stretched through many years are coming. Let's stay strong and wait.

For any one reading this, trust me, I'm writing this just as much for myself as it is for you.

Any visitor to my blog knows that it doesn't get updated frequently. Not my fault. I still live in the world of dial up internet. I use to be able to upload my site over it. It took a long time, but it worked. Some time in the past two months or so I discovered I could no longer upload the site. I think some software upgrades on my end didn't like trying to upload all the changes that I was making. After much trying, I've finally just come to the conclusion that I can no longer upload the website over my internet. That limits me to uploading to the site on Thursdays when I spend some time at Caribou Coffee with their Wi-Fi. So my dilemma is simple. Do I write blog entries throughout the week and then upload them all at once on Thursday? What about the weeks where I just can't get to Caribou? Still trying to figure out what I'm going to do.

Thanks to a financial blessing that helped eliminate some debt, my wife and I had some money freed up every month. We were seriously discussing the possibility of jumping up to high speed internet. I would love it not only for this blog but for my youth ministry. It was looking like it was going to happen. The money was there every month with plenty left over to help in other areas of our life. This of course is all the build up to the collapse. A letter from my landlord with a rent increase dashed any dreams I had to the ground. There's still money freed up, but I'm practical enough (and maybe even wise enough) to see that it needs to go to other places. So I'm stuck in the realm of the super slow.

I'll try to get stuff uploaded from time to time. I'm farther in the book "In a Pit with a Lion on a Snowy Day." Will try to post some more thoughts and reflections soon. Good book.

That's it. Adios.