So, I turned 41 today. So here are 41 thoughts on this auspicious occasion (in no particular order).
1. I am a time traveler, but I can only go forward.
2. My children bring me more joy than anyone outside of my wife.
3. I wish I had gotten my masters in English instead of Education.
4. I love God. I love the gospel. I love his church. I can't help it. He loved me first.
5. The church is like a family. Full of joy, promise, and dysfunction.
6. I miss California - especially the Pacific Ocean and the rugged beauty of the Pacific Northwest.
7. I am thankful for Emmaus Bible College, Tom Dean, the Plymouth Brethren, and the Journey.
8. The most revolutionary thing about The Journey isn't new or unique to The Journey: it is the gospel.
9. Jesus was my substitute in death so that I can be his brother in life. This one thing has made my life worth living.
10. I can be a jerk. I can be selfish. I can be anything that is bad because I am more broken and sinful than I want to admit.
11. I am loved, accepted, affirmed, empowered, and exalted in Christ - not because of what I have done but because of what he has done for me.
12. I would still like to write a novel.
13. I miss skateboarding (my knees are too tattered to really shred anymore).
14. Today, I woke up next to Lauren, my wife of 20 years, and smiled. She is the greatest gift God has given me on this earth.
15. Lauren is my best friend and my closest confidant.
16. I am now closer to 50 than 30.
17. I am ok with that.
18. It is still strange to be the oldest guy around. I was always the youngest. I was the younger brother. I was the youngest in my classes growing up. I was 17 when I left home to go to college. I was engaged at 19 and married at 20. I was a high school teacher at 21 and a principal at 24.
19. Mike Weinberg is still older than me.
20. I am wild about my kids. Raising teens has been way more difficult than I expected in some ways and way more rewarding in others.
21. Victoria (17) is a like a bubbling spring - never still, always making noise, and wonderfully refreshing. She is a sensate and determined to experience life and not just exist.
22. Esther (14) is like a still sea - her currents run deep, there is always more under the surface than meets the eye, and when she gets moving in a direction - there is no stopping her. I mean - really - she is the most determined and persistent person I know.
23. Isaac (11) is, well, hmmm, ah - I guess he is like slow water running over pebbles. The sound is happy and the pace is slow. He isn't in any hurry to go anywhere, but he sure wants to have fun along the way. He is well named - his name means laughter.
24. Raising teenagers is both more and less challenging than raising young children.
25. Being courageous is better than being arrogant. Being arrogant is a whole lot easier than being courageous.
26. I am thankful. I have been forgiven much and given much.
27. It is cool to see that my many mistakes over the last 41 years actually give me insight into how to speak into the lives of others.
28. The fact that I am a vocational pastor is one of the greatest ironies of my life.
29. All that glitters is not gold.
30. God's opinion of me is the only one that matters. Therefore, you always come second.
31. The reality is that you would always come second anyway - the only question is whether you would come second behind God in my life or me in my life.
32. I still love Shakespeare. His lines: "Life...is a tale / told by an idiot, full of sound and fury / signifying nothing" broke me and prepared my heart for the gospel.
33. 41 thoughts is a lot of thoughts.
34. I enjoyed driving my convertible 1965 Corvair Corsa - but do not regret selling it.
35. I would enjoy driving a 1964 hard top split window Corvette Stingray - and would not regret you giving me one.
36. All sin is sin - but some sin is more damaging than other. And I am capable of doing all of it.
37. I fell in love with Ireland and Northern Ireland when we went there in 08.
38. I am Jewish and I am Irish. If you don't like me, join the club.
39. I find Twitter both entertaining and annoying.
40. I may still get a tattoo that says "Forty" on my right arm. Psalm 40 is my life.
41. I am driven by hope - the one thing that MacBeth had lost and could not understand.
1. I am a time traveler, but I can only go forward.
2. My children bring me more joy than anyone outside of my wife.
3. I wish I had gotten my masters in English instead of Education.
4. I love God. I love the gospel. I love his church. I can't help it. He loved me first.
5. The church is like a family. Full of joy, promise, and dysfunction.
6. I miss California - especially the Pacific Ocean and the rugged beauty of the Pacific Northwest.
7. I am thankful for Emmaus Bible College, Tom Dean, the Plymouth Brethren, and the Journey.
8. The most revolutionary thing about The Journey isn't new or unique to The Journey: it is the gospel.
9. Jesus was my substitute in death so that I can be his brother in life. This one thing has made my life worth living.
10. I can be a jerk. I can be selfish. I can be anything that is bad because I am more broken and sinful than I want to admit.
11. I am loved, accepted, affirmed, empowered, and exalted in Christ - not because of what I have done but because of what he has done for me.
12. I would still like to write a novel.
13. I miss skateboarding (my knees are too tattered to really shred anymore).
14. Today, I woke up next to Lauren, my wife of 20 years, and smiled. She is the greatest gift God has given me on this earth.
15. Lauren is my best friend and my closest confidant.
16. I am now closer to 50 than 30.
17. I am ok with that.
18. It is still strange to be the oldest guy around. I was always the youngest. I was the younger brother. I was the youngest in my classes growing up. I was 17 when I left home to go to college. I was engaged at 19 and married at 20. I was a high school teacher at 21 and a principal at 24.
19. Mike Weinberg is still older than me.
20. I am wild about my kids. Raising teens has been way more difficult than I expected in some ways and way more rewarding in others.
21. Victoria (17) is a like a bubbling spring - never still, always making noise, and wonderfully refreshing. She is a sensate and determined to experience life and not just exist.
22. Esther (14) is like a still sea - her currents run deep, there is always more under the surface than meets the eye, and when she gets moving in a direction - there is no stopping her. I mean - really - she is the most determined and persistent person I know.
23. Isaac (11) is, well, hmmm, ah - I guess he is like slow water running over pebbles. The sound is happy and the pace is slow. He isn't in any hurry to go anywhere, but he sure wants to have fun along the way. He is well named - his name means laughter.
24. Raising teenagers is both more and less challenging than raising young children.
25. Being courageous is better than being arrogant. Being arrogant is a whole lot easier than being courageous.
26. I am thankful. I have been forgiven much and given much.
27. It is cool to see that my many mistakes over the last 41 years actually give me insight into how to speak into the lives of others.
28. The fact that I am a vocational pastor is one of the greatest ironies of my life.
29. All that glitters is not gold.
30. God's opinion of me is the only one that matters. Therefore, you always come second.
31. The reality is that you would always come second anyway - the only question is whether you would come second behind God in my life or me in my life.
32. I still love Shakespeare. His lines: "Life...is a tale / told by an idiot, full of sound and fury / signifying nothing" broke me and prepared my heart for the gospel.
33. 41 thoughts is a lot of thoughts.
34. I enjoyed driving my convertible 1965 Corvair Corsa - but do not regret selling it.
35. I would enjoy driving a 1964 hard top split window Corvette Stingray - and would not regret you giving me one.
36. All sin is sin - but some sin is more damaging than other. And I am capable of doing all of it.
37. I fell in love with Ireland and Northern Ireland when we went there in 08.
38. I am Jewish and I am Irish. If you don't like me, join the club.
39. I find Twitter both entertaining and annoying.
40. I may still get a tattoo that says "Forty" on my right arm. Psalm 40 is my life.
41. I am driven by hope - the one thing that MacBeth had lost and could not understand.
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