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For the record, I’m not Catholic, I am a Methodist, but I have to admit, what I have seen and read about the current Pope, I would consider converting to the Catholic Church. This is just one of many stories that have brought me to stop what I was doing and just stand in amazement regarding his blessing a man that was disfigured.  And here is another great story about how he turned a Mansion into a Soup Kitchen.

I point these out because all too often we get wrapped up in the season, we get wrapped up in our daily lives and we forget about those  that have less than we do. If the disfigured man approached you, would you bless or pray over him? Let alone touch and kiss him?

If you had a mansion, would you turn it into a soup kitchen so that those without could come and eat? Break bread with others? Share in fellowship? Weren’t we called to serve others?  And not when it is convenient,  but I think more so when it is hard.  It takes us out of our comfort zone and challenges us. Again, I am not a Catholic, but I have a lot of respect for Pope Francis. And as we get closer to Thanksgiving and a time of reflection, I know that I could do more and should do more for those without. I should help those that are asking for money on the street. What if it were Jesus asking for money, would you turn him away? Aren’t we love one another? And I think for the first time, especially in mainstream media, Pope Francis is doing that.

And who doesn’t love a Pope wearing a clown nose?

So I challenge you, who can you help that is less fortunate?

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At dinner the other night, my wife and I were discussing something that had happened that morning. And I guess, we were starting to get short with each other and Baby A grabbed my wife’s hand and my hand and just said OK!. Mommy Ok! Daddy, OK!

And then he went back to playing a game on my wife’s phone, but in that moment, I had an immediate flash back to be being a kid with my parents, except, when I asked my parents to stop fussing, they didn’t. But as soon as my son said OK!, my wife and I both just stopped. We didn’t say a word and I couldn’t.

I couldn’t say anything because I had too many flash blacks, thinking about my parents and listening to them fuss and argue. But my son taught me that there is a time and place. There is a time to have discussions and in front of your kids is not the place. And even though we were at a restaurant and were not loud or disrespectful, it effected my son.

Sometimes, you can learn a lot from your children, but are you listening? Are you watching them and picking up their cues? I know that I have learned not only not to fuss in front of them, but I’ve learned unconditional love.

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There really isn’t much to say here other than the fact that if you get a chance, stop what you are doing and eat one. Having lived in the great state of Texas, we would have Turducken for Thanksgiving and it is nothing short of amazing. Well, a local restaurant took it a step further and made a Turducken burger and it was AMAZING.

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It is that time of year again, the time to start Christmas shopping.  Well it is if you want to get an early start. This year, my wife and I tried to do something different, we actually started our shopping back in October and we did this to avoid a lot of bills and charges in December at the end of the year.  Our goal was to slice our budget in half this year and so far, we are on track. We set a limit of $100 on each other, but then we decided to give more practical gifts for the gifts and for family members.

As much as I hate shopping, I love giving gifts. And with the boys being 2 1/2 this year, they are really going to at least have some idea of Christmas. Though they want totally understand the concept, they will for the first time wake up in their beds on Christmas morning and get to open gifts in their house.  But we are going to also have the boys make some crafts for grandparents too. Let’s be honest, most adults don’t need anything. So, let them get something that is not expensive to make and from the grand kids. It is a win-win.

As we get closer to Thanksgiving, I really hope to be finished all of our shopping in the next 2 weeks.

 

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Disappointed, a word that is often used, but used in haste. I had something to happen this week and when I told my wife what happened, she immediately asked how I felt and the only word that I could think of, was disappointed.  I had been given a chance to do something really cool and that could have been a HUGE opportunity for my family and more importantly, it would have gotten me back to Texas. But, it doesn’t look like it is going the way that I wanted and for the first 24 hours, disappointed is the only word that kept coming to mind.

I spent hours while driving thinking through and replaying the conversation, over and over again. And then it hit me, maybe it is ok that I am disappointed? It shows that I really wanted the opportunity. It shows that I was passionate it about, but at the same time, maybe I was looking for more out of it than what was there.

But today, I woke up with a different view point. Though I’m still disappointed, that has changed to humbleness and gratitude. Today I am grateful that I got the call. I am honored to have been considered. Today, I wonder if the timing was right?  And more importantly, I realized that it is ok to feel disappointed in things, but it is what you can learn from that experience can teach you life lessons forever.

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It is funny how as we go through life, our views change. I remember growing up and I think around the age of 13, it hit me that not everyone went to church on Sunday mornings. I actually remember where I was when I discovered this. I left church early to go to the lake to setup for my 13 birthday gathering with friends and family. I remember every Sunday morning, putting on a suit, even as a kid, grabbing my Bible and heading off with the family to church.

As the years passed by, my views of the church began to change, but not necessarily in a bad way. For starters, I switched from a Baptist church to a Methodist church, because I realized that as my views changed, I no longer fit the definition of the Baptist church member. I believed that the church was open to everyone, regardless of color of skin, the clothes on their back, economic status, etc. And, I also believed that it was acceptable to go to a restaurant and grab a beer or to the liquor store for a bottle of wine.

And that leads me to the Pub Church, that is right, a church service held in a pub where you can have a beer or two and listen to the Gospel.  Is it a crazy idea? Sure, but the reality is very simple and in 2 parts: 1) People are not going to church as they once did and especially the younger demographics and 2) Churches need to adapt and go where the people are.  Here is a great article on the Pub Church movement.

But this got me thinking about how the church has changed over the years and it is rather interesting. There are more people going to church now on Saturday nights (excluding Catholics) than ever before. More people are going to church in jeans and shorts and casual wear, than ever before. Contemporary services are often the most attended services for churches, I know that our contemporary service that my family attends even has a banjo player. Who doesn’t love a banjo? Churches use hymnals less now, instead the words are projected on the walls or a screen. Bibles are now on smart phones, I personally use the You Version app on my iPhone and read 2 devotionals every day and have read more of the Bible off of my phone, than ever holding the book itself.

So as I read the Pub Church article, it hit me and made a lot of sense. People can go to a pub, grab a beer and worship.  Matthew 18 – 20 says : “For where two or three have gathered together in My name, I am there in their midst.”  God went to the street, to the market and anywhere else the people were to preach, so why is it that far out of the realm to think about going to a Pub for Church?

 

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We had another successful guy weekend. The boys had been sick for several days with bad colds, so it was a low key weekend. We watched sports, played, watched a lot of Thomas the Train. But most importantly, we laughed a lot. I can honestly say, this was one of my best weekends in a long time. I love being the father to these two little boys and feel lucky that I’ve been entrusted in their lives as their father. Because for everything that I am teaching them, they are teaching me about loving unconditionally.

I love guys weekend.

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This story just hit me this morning and not just because the team came together to do this for their fellow teammate, but because several of the players realized that there is more to life than popularity.

Kids learning life lessons like this, will forever be changed and will continue this goodwill gesture throughout the rest of their lives.

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The morning after a major election and as most political junkies do, I think about what happened, what worked, what did not work, etc.

There are really a few key issues that to me, where very glaring:

  1. Tea Party Movement
  2. Obamacare
  3. Non Presidential Election year

1. The Tea Party Movement – I don’t even know where to really begin with this one, but here goes. These are people that, who I believe that for the most part were part of the Republican party, but really did not see the established party doing enough. And they certainly were not party of the Democratic party, so they started their own movement. The problem here is simple, the Tea Party is causing the Republican party from not only gaining traction, but actually causing potential Republican winning elections. Case in point, the Republicans did not really go out full force to support the candidate because he was more aligned with the Tea Party. Until the Tea Party and the Republicans can come together, this is going to be a long standing issue.

2. Obamacare – With all of the issues of people signing up and more importantly, the realization that the cost of premiums are rising, in most cases and a lot of people are being dropped by their insurance companies, people are upset. In the Virginia Governor’s race, it wasn’t until the final days that this message was really put forth and it seemed to have hit home with a lot of voters, but it was a little too late. But, I do think that if the Republicans can back off the negative ads and rhetoric, sit back and see how it plays out, then if it is still a issue next year, then really use it as a campaign issue and use it hard.

3. Non Presidential Election year – People do not care. Look at the numbers, lower turnouts in off year elections. I don’t forsee this really ever changing either.

So, it comes down to this for my election day recap – the Republicans have to change their strategy from the top down and they have to work with the Tea Party movement or else there is a good chance that the Republicans will be facing many more years of embarrassing defeats.  And until many of the issues around Obamacare are worked out, we really do not know how that will play out.

Campaigns are already starting to take shape for the next elections, so expect to see and hear more from politicians in the coming months.

 

 

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Today in many states marks Election Day!  And for me, it is really personal because I have a brother in law that is running for City Commissioner in North Carolina and a good friend that is running for City Commissioner in South Carolina. But maybe even more important than that, is the Governor race in Virginia.

Virginia is often referred to as a swing state and of late, has been a tale tale sign of the direction of politics. And this year, is no different. The Virginia Governor’s office has been held by a Republican for the last term, but this year, Democrat Terry McAuliffe, you might remember the name from the Bill Clinton years, taking on Republican Ken Cuccinelli. The race has been pretty tight coming down to election day, but Cuccinelli has cut McAuliffe’s lead to 2%, which sounds like a lot, but basically that is the margin of error of voters. The weather does not appear to an issue, so the question comes to this, will the Democrats base come out or will the Republicans come out? My guess and take it for what it is worth, it is an off election year and people aren’t motivated. People are also upset over the Obamacare issues as well.  And I will address my concerns with Obamacare at a later time, but I think that the middle class will come out and will support Cuccinelli. I also think that if the Republicans are able to win this election, that there could be a potential issue for the Democrats in next years elections for the House.

As the day goes by, I’ll be checking in with friends and family and paying close attention to the Virginia’s Governor race. I love election day!

I’ll post a recap Wednesday of the results and will see if my thinking is right.

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