Meatballs…

Leigh-Ann is a very good cook and recently she made meatballs for dinner. Most of us thought they tasted great. There was one of our boys, however, that did not like them. He took an initial bite and within a few moments, made a sour face and a very bold statement, “I hate this.”

Well, if you know Leigh-Ann and me, you may guess that telling us that you hate dinner is not healthy…at all. And that is certainly not a way to negotiate out of eating what is on the table.

At first, we gave him the benefit of the doubt. We thought that maybe he had too many snacks before dinner and simply was not hungry. However, as Leigh-Ann and I began to raise the threat level, we could tell he had made up his mind that he flat out hated the meatballs.

Dinner time drama…

Not to be deterred, we made it clear that these meatballs were the only option, so if he didn’t finish them, he couldn’t attend soccer practice or eat anything else and he certainly wouldn’t get ice cream before bed.

Eventually, he ate parts of the meatballs and then spread the other parts out over the plate (potentially scraping a few off into the salivating mouth of our dog Zoe) so that our food boundaries were fulfilled for the evening.

He was able to go to practice and even have some snacks before bed, but not without shedding a few tears while forcing down bites of his meatballs. I would have to say that if Dallas is faced with eating those meatballs again, he will immediately look for ways to get out of it.

Hate is a strong emotion that is extremely difficult and at times impossible to overcome.
So I understand hating food or even certain activities, but what do we do if God hates something?

This Sunday, we will wrap up our sermon series, Wisdom for everyday life, with a sermon from Proverbs 6:16-19 entitled, “Things God hates.”

In case you are wondering, it will include a simple application, don’t do what God hates. Seems easy enough…however if you are interested in hearing more about what God hates and how to steer clear of these sins, you should join us for our service on Sunday at 10:45 am.

And now it’s time to head home for dinner….hmmm…I wonder what’s on the menu tonight :)…

Have a great weekend,
Troy

Announcements: This Sunday we are hosting our New to New Life class for anyone interested in learning more about church membership. If you would like to attend, you can RSVP HERE.

Baptism – Also, everyone is invited to our Baptism celebration on Sunday at 5:00 pm at Lake Quivira. You can RSVP HERE.

Kickball proficiency…

Our boys love to play kickball and once they get started, it seems like they can play forever.

Last night after a soccer practice, they talked several of their teammates into sticking around for a pickup game.

I helped them set up the field and then they divided and started to play. All but one of the boys knew how to kick the ball and then go to first base and then to second and then to third and finally to home plate.

One little guy, however, seemed to think you could go from first to third…and he paid for it until he learned. He was thrown out every time with no mercy.

Our boys, on the other hand, are aggressive in a different sort of way. They like to take extra bases whenever possible. Whether they stretch a single into a double or triple; or simply steal a base, they are always looking to outwit and outrun the defense.

Their skill as base runners has improved in proportion to their experience. I remember times when they ran to third base after kicking the ball. When they were younger, they simply did not understand the game.

Through a mix of coaching and learning by experience, they have become quite proficient…which makes me smile.

Much of life requires coaching and experience…and parenting is no exception.

Looking back on our early years of parenting, we made plenty of mistakes…and we still do. However, with good coaching and life experience our proficiency has improved.

This Sunday, I am really looking forward to hearing Pastor Dave bring a sermon from Proverbs 22:6 entitled, “A parents aim and hope.” This is part of our sermon series from Proverbs entitled, Wisdom for everyday life. No matter what stage of life you are in, this sermon will provide practical and challenging teaching that will apply to you as a child, parent, future parent, grandparent, etc. There may even be some humor along the way :).

I hope you have a great weekend,

Troy

True friends…

Our four soon to be five year old has a birthday coming up towards the end of the month. Since we have a large family, we alternate years for large birthday celebrations and small celebrations. This year, Ian gets a small one…two friends.

So at the dinner table last night we discussed the upcoming birthday and the friends that he was hoping to invite. He rattled off a few names and one of them was younger. I asked why he wanted to invite this little guy over and Ian replied, “he’s my friend.” Leigh-Ann filled in that they are such good friends that the younger guy started crying when Ian got hurt recently.

I’m not so sure that reflects on Ian as much as his friend…but either way, it sounds like he is already experiencing the value of a good friend.

I have thought of that story several times today while preparing Sunday’s sermon entitled, “Building Rock Solid Friendships” in our series from Proverbs, Wisdom for everyday life.

I am often amazed that young kids have much to offer when it comes to building and maintaining friendships. They also have much to learn…put three boys together in the back seat of a car and friendship goes away pretty fast.

Whether we are four, forty or eighty…friendships are unavoidable. They determine our success in life.

I look forward to sharing some personal experiences, practical Proverbs and most importantly Gospel truth about developing successful friendships. I hope to see you on Sunday.

Troy

Broken Glass 1, Dallas 0

A few days ago Dallas was riding his scooter and while clipping along, he pushed off on what happened to be a piece of glass. In an instant the glass met the foot and pierced through the bottom of his shoe and stuck.

Since he was a few blocks away, his younger brother Isaiah ran back to the house telling mom there was an emergency and “Dallas is bleeding everywhere!”

Leigh-Ann is the best when it comes to emergencies. She thinks clearly at Mach speed and moves with the perfect mix of experience and practicality.

After bringing him home and cleaning him up, she sent me a pic of his sock and shoe  with the text: “So this just happened.”

They went in to the ER to make sure there were no pieces of glass still lodged in the foot and to get it deep-cleaned and bandaged up to avoid an infection.

Another day with kids…honestly not that big of a deal…unless you’re Dallas :). He is supposed to stay off his foot for a week and be cautious for another while it heals.

As tough as he is…there was still a moment when Dallas needed a parent to be with him and guide him through a tough time.

I would say, we never outgrow our need for a parent to be with us and guide us…although as we mature and grow in our Christian faith, the parent we need most is a Heavenly Father.

This Sunday, Pastor Dave will continue our teaching series from Proverbs, “Wisdom for Everyday Life” with a sermon from Proverbs 3:5-6 entitled, “The way to wisdom and well-being.” It is a sermon about our faith in our loving Father.

So even if you are not at risk for an injury while riding a scooter, there is a constant threat of tough times, and we need a loving Father who is always there for us.

I hope to see you Sunday,

Troy

Announcement: This Sunday at 9:30am, you are invited to a class entitled, “Navigating the Dangers of the Digital Age.” Join us, as we take a deeper dive into the dangers that our children face while using technology on a daily basis.  In the digital age, parents must be observant, engaged, and informed.  We will use stats, stories, science, and solutions to enlighten, equip, and encourage parents who want to teach their children how to use technology responsibly.

Simple Driving…

Last night, I voluntarily put my life on the line and took our oldest daughter out driving for the second time.

Let’s just say, she is steadily improving, but letting her out on the open road could be hazardous to one’s health :).

Last night, she backed out of the garage…ever so s l o w l y and proceeded down the alley to the street. After one lesson, her turns were much improved. She is learning to stop without the threat of whiplash and can now stay in her lane for the most part.

A few blocks away from our house, as she approached an intersection there was a woman in the middle of the street holding up her hand for us to stop.

So we did….phew…it just so happened that a tree (possibly struck by lightning) had fallen in the middle of the street taking an electrical line with it. The woman was protecting us from something dangerous…so we backed up and eventually, I swapped places to help navigate around the impending danger.

We detoured through a few streets and after a bit more practice driving made it home and into the garage safely.

There is no doubt my blood pressure was higher when we returned than when we started, however, she did great driving.

Imagine what would have happened if we had approached the downed power line and Alexa had ignored the warning and kept driving. Or even worse, if she laughed at my instruction, stepped on the gas and blasted into the danger zone?

This Sunday, we begin a new sermon series from the book of Proverbs entitled, “Wisdom for everyday life” and we will look specifically at four personality profiles: simple, fool, scoffer and wise.

To relate this to my story, since Alexa is learning to drive she is automatically in the ‘simple’ category…she lacks experience. But if she had ignored the warning about the downed power line she would have moved into the ‘fool’ category…and furthermore, if she had laughed at my instruction as she sped into the power line she would have moved into the ‘scorner’ category.

Good thing she listened and is moving toward the ‘wise’ category. And since she is becoming wise, we are alive to tell about it. I look forward to much more from Proverbs on Sunday.

I hope to see you then,

Troy