Life in Tennessee

Which?

2007-06-15T07:26:00.001-05:00

Elijah likes to ask “Which ____?” For example, when we are going to go out to eat, Elijah asks, “Which restaurant?” When going to church, he says, “Which church?” It was kind of cute until last night at VBS. He was doing something that was getting annoying, and his “nana” who is too nice to really discipline said, “now, stop that Elijah.” Didn’t phase him. Then mommy said, “Elijah, please

When I grow up...

2007-06-01T11:17:00.000-05:00

Elijah is beginning to understand the concept of time and growing up. Twice in the last week he has stated his desire to do something in the future. We were watching the end of “October Sky” when it showed a clip of a space shuttle launching, and Elijah inquired, “Where is that plane going?” We told him it was going into outer space, or more specifically, his favorite celestial

Safety Patrol

2007-05-30T11:46:00.000-05:00

Ever since Elijah figured out how machinery works, he has been very careful. Though we have never used the phrase “Safety first” around him, that seems to be his mantra. When we pile the family into the van, everyone must be buckled into their seats before the vehicle is started or he will go ballistic. Just yesterday, I was at camp doings some things in preparation for our

Back, but different

2007-05-25T10:53:00.000-05:00

I have been out of blogging since October because of busyness. After brainstorming with some of my friends we have begun a new journal called ChiRhoLive. This blog will continue probably mostly as anecdotal stories about Elijah and Sophia. And, the website with the pictures of the kids will continue as well.

An end to Islam bashing?

2006-10-14T09:12:00.000-05:00

Many Christians approach Muslim people with memories of 9/11 resonating in their minds. They see a people bent on the total destruction of other nations and religions, especially Judaism and Christianity. They see hatemongering, warmongering elitists who are bent on jihad. These reactionary Christians even take the time to justify such perceptions with quotes from the Q'uran, citing various

Return to New Orleans

2006-09-28T12:25:00.000-05:00

Monday night marked the first return of a major sporting event to the hurricane ravaged city of New Orleans. I watched with mixed emotions. On the one hand, it was a far cry from the scenes that are engrained in my mind from just a year ago:People wading through water with babies in handPeople lootingDead bodies floating in the waterDead bodies covered with sheetsDescriptions of the breakdown of

New Video Camera

2006-09-18T14:48:00.000-05:00

Carrie and I finally got a video camera to capture Elijah's funny and entertaining moments. So, I have posted two such events as an effort to see how transfer and quality go. So, here they are. Hope you enjoy.

Stained Glass Memories

2006-09-12T07:21:00.000-05:00

Not knowing what God has planned for our families future, and knowing fully our own desires, Carrie wanted commemorate our time in East Tennessee. The opportunity came to do a stained glass window with a wonderfully talented woman, so we jumped at the chance. After 2-3 days of cutting glass, arranging pieces, soldering, etc., we have the masterpiece below. The picture does not do it justice as

The best laid plans…

2006-08-30T08:29:00.000-05:00

I had in mind to continue posting regularly, but life had other plans. Last week was a week which, if ever repeated, may lead to my demise. It was supposed to be a busy week anyway. My teaching responsibilities at King and Milligan began on Wednesday. I was also slotted to preach on Sunday. And, our youth group was going to spend all day Friday and Saturday at the Bristol Motor Speedway

Bizarre Brownie Commercial

2006-08-21T17:12:00.000-05:00

I don’t know if you have heard, but Domino’s is running a new promotion where they include fudge brownie bits free with every purchase. You read correctly. Brownie and Pizza. Let me paint a picture of how it was presented to me on TV. I just got finished watching the trailer for “Crossover” which looks like a combination of “White Men Can’t Jump,” “Bring it on,” and “You Got served” – but I

The Calm After the Storm

2006-08-20T07:18:00.000-05:00

A storm rolled through last night, and then there was this eerie glow. I wish I had captured it better.

Daily Snapshot

2006-08-19T15:46:00.000-05:00

Jaime Wetzel’s blog links to another blog called 10 years of my life that is an experiment in taking and posting a picture every day. I think that is an interesting idea, for a couple of reasons. First, it documents a brief episode from your day. It is history writing in a slightly different way. Second, it makes you more aware of your surroundings, looking for a memorable scene to capture.

A Personal Holliday

2006-08-17T06:39:00.000-05:00

Today is a special day. It is Elijah’s birthday – 2 years on this planet. Unbelievable that he has been in my life that long. He is an awesome kid – smart, stubborn, funny, full of life, with a touch of OCD for good measure. He has taught me that patience and grace are better teachers than strict discipline. Though he may never read anything I write, he has influenced me more than I or he

Browser Business

2006-08-15T20:13:00.000-05:00

The above picture is of course the logo to Mozilla Firefox, which has been stomped out as a crop circle. Firefox is quickly becoming the most used browser in the world. For those who don’t know, it has automatic pop up blocking (Internet Explorer just recently added such a feature). It also has tabbed browsing which means I can have another page loading while finishing the page I am on. Anyway,

Statement of Faith

2006-08-12T09:05:00.000-05:00

I may have mentioned that I will be teaching Old Testament Survey at King College in the fall. Since they are affiliated with the Presbyterian Church and I am not, they have asked me to include a “Statement of Faith”. Having never written one, I googled it and found some interesting things. Some of which I agreed with, some of which I did not. What follows is a work in progress – a first

Stork Mail

2006-08-09T07:58:00.000-05:00

She’s here!! My little girl – Sophia Caris. The first granddaughter on either side. It only took 7 tries. Fortunately, my sister is also having a daughter in a couple of months so she will not be alone. Everything went extremely well. For those “in the know”, Carrie went from a 5 to full delivery in 40 minutes. Unbelievably fast.This baby is quite different than Elijah. Elijah was

An Update

2006-08-07T15:56:00.000-05:00

Teen week went well. The students and I both enjoyed the activities. I am looking forward to what the fall has to offer including a renewed commitment to the body of Christ (by both the students and myself) and excitement about the young leaders that are present in the group. Carrie and I are going into the hospital tomorrow at 6:00am so that she can be induced. That is one day after the due

Full Week

2006-08-01T16:14:00.000-05:00

The posts this week will be sporadic, if at all. This week is “Teen Week”. Basically, I planned a different event each day with the youth group leading up to their returning to school on Monday. All credit for the idea goes to my youth minister, Andy Timm, who dedicated a week every year to taking us to do all sorts of things. Sunday was the lake. Monday was a crazy scavenger hunt. And

Monastic Life

2006-07-24T08:01:00.000-05:00

“Either we learn to find our Lord in ordinary, everyday life, or else we shall never find Him.” Saint JosemariaI read an article that came from Kevin Miller who was asked to advise a Sunday School curriculum company about the following: “What would you recommend for spiritual formation in our time?” His response was simple: “The Monastery.” They didn’t get it. They, like so many of us when

Worship Ministry Vision

2006-07-21T07:59:00.000-05:00

As a worship leader, I consistently evaluate what I am doing and what I am accomplishing in the Sunday Morning service. Obviously, facilitating praise and worship of God is at the top. But is that it? And, how tangible is such a goal? I often get frustrated, feeling the need to appease tastes while trying to accomplish said goals. Then one day I had an epiphany. It was as if God spoke

Give 'em the Finger

2006-07-19T07:28:00.000-05:00

Church Softball season is over, and let’s just say I went out with a bang. No, I didn’t hit a homer. I got blasted in the pinkie by a forcefully thrown ball from the left fielder while trying to put the tag on at third base. It hit right on the tip and compressed the finger. People around here thought I “stoved” it (if you have any information regarding the origin of this phrase, please share

In Other Words...Kingdom

2006-07-17T08:21:00.000-05:00

*** I recommend reading Matthew 13 before reading this post***When we think of “kingdom” our thoughts often go to Camelot, castles, horses, Robin Hood, etc. Or maybe we think of England where the queen just turned 80 years old. Since we live in a culture of democracy where everyone gets a vote and no one is told what to do, we have a hard time understanding what it means for one person to make

Bowling Bits

2006-07-13T08:21:00.000-05:00

I took the youth group “Cosmic Bowling” Saturday night. For those who have no clue, it is bowling with an ambiance of black lights, strobe lights, other flashing lights, and typically Hip-Hop and R&B piped through the crappy sound system. I don’t know if other cultures have such an event, but it is something if you have never done it. Now, with all that said, I made some observations while

In Other Words...Wrath

2006-07-07T16:21:00.000-05:00

I love this a far side comic. In fact, for a while I had a shirt with the same comic on it. As if God is just up there dropping pianos on people’s heads for fun. There is also a line from Bruce Almighty, when Bruce says, “Fine! The gloves are off pal! C'mon, lemme see a little wrath! Smite me, O mighty smiter!” He implores God to actually come down and act, because as far as Bruce can see.

Worship 101

2006-06-21T08:46:00.000-05:00

I constantly feel like the Sunday worship service is being turned into something it is not. People complaining about styles of music, songs, preacher, they didn't get anything out of it, etc. So, I wrote the following article for our newsletter. It probably won't help, but I needed to get it out of my system.*******************************************************When is the last time you