Jesus Fame

Ok I know it’s already the 7th of January and this is a little late but here are my resolutions for this year. Let’s see if I can keep this past the 31st.

1. Lose 30 pounds (29 to be exact) – I currently weigh 209 lbs. Which wouldn’t be too bad if I was 6′ but I’m only 5’8″ and although I’m built pretty stocky this is “weigh” too heavy. I’m currently on an 1800 calorie per day diet which should help me drop about 10 lbs per month. I also plan on doing a fairly intense workout regimen. We’ll see how it goes

2. Spend more time in the Word devotionally…it is very easy for me as a pastor to substitute studying for devotions and fail to spend quality time with just my Bible, Jesus, and me…not thinking of how this would make a great sermon but simply seeing it through the lens of my own life.

3. More organized with my time - I am going to schedule certain meetings and appointments early in the week to allow for more study and preparation time later in the week. This is difficult to do as things come up but I need to say no, more often.

4. Read 12 books – I would like to read at least 1 book per month.

5. Take a day off – I take Friday’s off…it’s what we call our family day. But with a Blackberry and laptop I’ve got a mobile office and I need to be more disciplined about turning it off or leaving it at home so that my focus is upon my family and not the “urgent” phone call or email that just came in. This is completely my fault…I can’t expect life to stop on Friday but I need to make sure that I prioritize my life better.

Well that’s it for now…I think 5 is enough. If you feel led you can help keep me accountable.

blessings on your New Year!

11 years ago on this date I married the love of my life. We were young…we were broke…and we were so excited about living life together.

11 years later we’re still young (which is why it’s cool to get married at 21 and 19). We’re still broke (we’re in ministry what do you expect) and we’re still excited about living life together and experiencing all that God has for us.

Things are different though…now we have two awesome kids and a lot more responsibility. Life is a lot more complicated than it was 11 years ago. But neither Andrea nor I would have it any other way.

I’m looking forward to another 11 years with my beautiful bride. Who knows what life will be like then but with Jesus as the center of it all I’m certain that it will be amazing.

Here is a story that is a microcosm of the state of marriages in our world…this is taken from Reuters here.

WARSAW, Poland – A Polish man got the shock of his life when he visited a brothel and spotted his wife among the establishment’s employees.

Polish tabloid Super Express said the woman had been making some extra money on the side while telling her husband she worked at a store in a nearby town.

“I was dumbfounded. I thought I was dreaming,” the husband told the newspaper on Wednesday.

The couple, married for 14 years, are now divorcing, the newspaper reported.