October 11, 2006

The Dawning

"The Dawning"



The dawn of a new day

brings the praise

of things to come

and dreams to be achieved.



The sun peeks

over the far horizon

and welcomes the world

to start anew.



The dew in the fields

awakens the earth

and refreshes life into

the land around us.



The breeze blowing

through the trees

awakens the skies

as birds begin to sing.



The air is crisp

as a deep breath

seems to cleanse the spirit

and refresh the soul.



The waters begin

their daily cycles

of dancing with

the winds and the sun.



The more you see

of the new day

the easier it is

to welcome it in.



There are twenty-four

hours in each day

but only one instance

of it's dawning.



The dawn of a new day

brings the promise

of things to come

and dreams to be achieved.

October 8, 2006

Husband, Father, Me

4 weeks from today I turn 35. 35 years and by the worlds standards I still have a lot to accomplish. Based on todays measurement of success I am nowhere near it.

What does that mean? It means that the world is screwed up in how it measures success.

How does that affect what I change from here on? It doesn't!

I measure my success based on the call God has placed on my life and the responsibilities placed in front of me.

Between now and my birthday my wife is due to have our 7th child. That's right 7!!! We are way past the 2.5 kids we are supposed to have. We are getting ready to have our 7th child and yes, we do know what causes it. My wife and I have spent the last 13 years perfecting the process. We have fulfilled the call God placed on our heart to have a large family and made the tough choices and sacrifices to be the best parents we can be. I call that success.

My wife, Kara (myspace.com/karalynns), and I will be married 14 years come next February. A few years into our marriage we had 2 kids and major financial stress. We seperated and spent the next 3 years seperated on and off. My wife and I each took turns filing divorce papers only to stop the process the week before they were to be final (both times). We had every reason to end our relationship and go our seperate ways. But we didn't. Luckily we had a church that gave us the support and direction we needed to work things out. We joined a home group that saved our marriage. Thank you. We worked out our differences and have spent the last 9 years in a relationship that neither one of us thought was possible. I call that success.

Last June I graduated from college and earlier this year I became licensed as a Pastor within the Vineyard Church. 12 years earlier I had applied to a college north of Seattle and received a full scholarship to attend and become a youth pastor. Through some good intentioned advice my wife and I were cautioned that maybe it was not the right time for us to go into the ministry and so I never attended a single class. 10 years later we are in a church in Marysville, Ohio where I finally get the opportunity to follow that call again. Through 2 years of hard work and tons of support and encouragement from family and friends I reached a goal I had started for many years prior. Another success.

What does all this mean. I have acheived more success in my life than I could have ever imagined and I know there is much more in store. The challenge is to be cautious of the standard you use to measure your success. I will never stop striving to accomplish everything I can with the gifts that God has given me.



Till next time: "Measure your success by how much you achieve, not by how much you don't."