My Time With My Twins

I am a very lucky person when it comes to children.  I have amazing daughters and I like being a father!  Granted, I say that on a morning when I woke 5 times for Lottie and the alarm clock didn't go off to get my girls ready for school.  But, keep in mind that I am focusing on the good things in this post :-)


This weekend the twins and I had the Father/Kid Campout with my friend's church.  I got to see the girls really enjoy themselves.  Both with me and the children of my best bud.  We took a walk around the lake, hiked to the Santa Ana River, roasted marshmallows and Peeps.  (That is a secret I've been holding close to the vest for a few years.  Imagine a toasted marshmallow with a Creme Brule finish.  YUM!!!)  


We also got to enjoy a water park (well, I got my head in the water, but the girls got themselves soaked).  Then we tried out 18 holes of mini-golf.  I have to say (as a matter of reporting, not to toot my own horn...if you believe that.  BWAHAHAHA)  that on the last hole I got a hole-in-one.    The girls REALLY enjoyed that and they beat me on several holes!  After six swings on any hole you were supposed to stop counting...which was a very good thing for me on SEVERAL holes!!


And, we got to sing and worship the Lord outside with BEAUTIFUL weather! I loved to see the smiles on my kids (and every other kids') faces throughout the weekend!  


The Bible says in Psalm 127, verses 3-5 "Behold, children are a heritage from the LORD, the fruit of the womb a reward. Like arrows in the hand of a warrior are the children of one’s youth. Blessed is the man who fills his quiver with them! He shall not be put to shame when he speaks with his enemies in the gate."

I very much like my arrows!!  Even if they don't always shoot straight...  :)

How Do I Put This Tent Together??

This is one of my most favorite weekends of the year!!  (I think that's a real sentence...)  Well, I'll be honest, every weekend is my favorite!  But this one stands out.  It's my best bud's church camping trip with just Fathers and Kids.  And for the third year in a row, they've allowed me and the twins to come with them!  Lottie will hopefully go next year, once she's got that pesky potty training thing licked!

Because it's all men there, don't ask me how to get there. That's funny because men aren't known for their direction skills. Bada Bump Bum!!  BUT, ask us how to roast a marshmallow (or burn it, in my  case) and we can tell you all about that.

It's going to be men who love the Lord and love their children.  I'm am really looking forward to being with the twins, we just don't have enough time when it's just the three of us.  And they really, really like my best bud's kids.  And of course, I don't see my best bud near enough!

So I'll leave you with a Bible verse on fellowship: 1 Thessalonians 5:11, "Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing."

Have a great weekend!!  Lord, please bless all who go to the camping trip so that we can admire the wondrous works around us and the people we are sharing it with.  Let us become closer to you this weekend and bless our time with our children and all of our friends.  Amen.

My Beginning As A Volunteer

Doesn't that picture look like something on a band album or ad from the 60s?  That's not what this post is about, it just reminded me of The Beach Boys "Smile" album.  No, that is also not what this post is about...  :)

What this post is about is bacon.  OK, I'll stop.  Last night I began volunteering at my church.  I'd been looking forward to it and while I didn't do much I REALLY enjoyed it!  I helped (with other folks) to work with mentally challenged adults to read bible verses and do an assignment based on what we read.


I wish I could have done more, but hopefully this was just the beginning.  Since I can't work because of the stroke, volunteering (especially for my church) seems like the next logical step!!  I want to volunteer more with the disAbilities group and other groups as the opportunities are presented to me.


I was the surfing the Intraweb (that's a made up word, but you can use it) this morning a read a verse that applied somewhat to volunteering.  It was Proverbs 11:25.  It says: "Be generous and you will be prosperous. Help others, and you will be helped."  I don't know about prosperous part for me right now, but I hope I helped last night!!


Lord, let me get more opportunities to help others and bless me with the thrill of helping other people.  Amen.

Waiting For The Rain

Well, we here in the Southland are awaiting rain and possible thunderstorms.  Granted this past weekend it was nearing 100 degrees, but I guess the fashion fairy likes changing it up.  I think that is the first time I have used the words 'fashion fairy."  Let's hope it's the last time!


All the news channels will have their doppler radars working and all of the on air reporters will all have rain slickers on.  To someone who lives in another part of this country they would think it's all pretty funny.  "April Storm 2012!!!!!"  And don't get me started about how slowly we drive in the rain!


Last time it rained my kids got to see an awesome rainbow from our patio.  My 2 1/2 year old was amazed.  She was literally dancing about a rainbow (granted she dances ALL the time).  The Bible says in Genesis 9:14: "And it shall come to pass, when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the bow shall be seen in the cloud..."  After the rainbow disappeared, Lottie continued to ask about it.  And where was I?  Sitting on the couch watching a ballgame.  I can't remember which ball game, but I'm sure it was pretty important!!  Right???


But had I checked the word of God, I would have had a different reaction!  In Ezekiel 1:28 it says that "As the appearance of the bow that is in the cloud in the day of rain, so was the appearance of the brightness round about. This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the LORD. And when I saw it, I fell upon my face, and I heard a voice of one that spake."


If only I had recognized that this would be a great time to the acknowledge the wondrous things God does for us.  So, if there is a rainbow after this "storm,"  (I used "hand quotes" to say that) I will be right alongside of Lottie taking in the beauty...and thanking God for the rain and for the awesome show he provided us when the rain stopped (and for the food I will probably have in my hand at that time...)    :-)

Psalm 109

A little about me (for those of you who don't know me (you're the lucky ones).  I am 38, have three daughters and a great wife!  I was born with a defect in my aortic heart valve and have had 2 open heart surgeries.  The first one was when I was 3 and the second one I was 31.  In addition, 2 years ago I had a stroke.  My twins were 2 1/2 when I had open heart surgery and my third daughter was only 6 months old when I had my stroke.

Looking back (which I try not do because I usually walk into things), I realize that I suffered these things so I can tell my story as it relates to the Lord.  There were 3 chances for me not be alive.  But yet, I now know that the Lord let me survive all 3 so that I can share His word!!  It took a while for me to realize that, but even a slow learner like me can catch on!!

It's timely that my pastor in church said on Sunday that when we become a Christian we don't do it a little at time or tip toe along (I am paraphrasing - trust me, he said it far more eloquently than I).  We go all in.

Soooooo, with that being said, here I go. I was looking at Psalm 109 on my church's website.  Psalm 109:30 stood out.  It says "With my mouth I will greatly extol the Lord; in the great throng I will praise him."  So this is my "throng."  Granted I wish there were a lot more people reading, but that will happen on His time!! But, it's out there.  :)

So in prayer I thank God for all he has done for me and I will praise His name whenever I can!

A New Experience

 Well, this will be a new experience.  Writing about God.  I would write about Space Debris, my daughters and deep fried deliciousness on my other blog.  While I still like those things, I have a longing to make my life more Christ-centered now.  It most certainly will be a lengthy process, but I invite you to tag along...I will offer treats and water!!

Ok, that's not really accurate, but I invite you follow along for humor, the word of God and to make sure I use correct grammar!!