BeMinistry.Com Commercial #2

Just finished editing installment #2 of our beministry.com commericals...check it out and let me know what you think!

BeMinistry.Com

I love working with a team! This past week in our staff meeting Sam our music pastor came up with an idea to do a spoof of the eharmony.com commercials as a promo for our upcoming ministry fair on March 9th. He came up with the idea, Pastor Tom (our associate) helped me recruit the talent, prepare some lines and cue cards, as well as purchase the domain name (beministry.com) and set up the website and I shot and edited the video.

It really came together well! This is the first of 3 or 4 videos, so I will try and put all of them on my blog... I hope they look okay and are not to pixelated. I want them to look clear, but not take forever to load...enjoy!

Repentance and Confession!

I must confess to the 5 or so people that read this blog that I have failed!  I failed in such a way today that I am not sure is to forgivable!  I gave in to an incredible temptation...I broke my fast of not watching TV for about 6 hours this afternoon...I watched the 50th running of the Daytona 500.

I will admit that I thought about and a lot went into my decision (which I won't share now because it would be perceived as making excuses and that would an accurate assumption).  I also spoke with a particular youth pastor friend of mine (who will remain nameless) who told me he fasted OSU games for the entire season...except the OSU v Michigan and Bowl games...so I am not the only one to give into such tempation.  

So I gave in, I watched...I really enjoyed it, because by Tony Stewart finished 3rd and could have won!  Anyway...at 7:30pm when the coverage ended I turned of the TV and will resume my fast!  The cool thing, I don't feel condemned or convicted!  I know that God knows my heart and even though I stumbled and messed up, he allows me to get back up dust myself off and continue!  A valuable thing to remember in life...wether you are fasting or not!

I have a crazy week this week and my beautiful wife is sick today with the flu...she puked from 12:30am till 9:30am...so I am trying to keep my girls and me from catching what she has...please pray...the last thing I need to to this week is get sick!

It's My Last Name!

Today was the most incredible Valentine's Day I could have ask for...we found out this morning that Meg is expecting a little BOY!  After two girls I honestly went into this ultrasound planning on hearing it was a girl.  The last thing I wanted to do was get my hopes up only to have them crushed by reality, like what happened when we had Kinsey's ultrasound.  

I cannot tell you the joy that I felt when she said, "You are having a boy!"  I know it may seem that I am making a big deal of this...but it is important to me!  My father was an only child and I am an only child, so my grandfather (smelcer) would say, "the name dies with you son!"  Even thought he wasn't intending to put pressure on me...I felt it!  When I heard the news I couldn't help but think about my dad and especially my grandfather and feel like I had fulfilled a wish and a desire for them!

At this point I am simply asking God that he would be born with no complications and totally healthy!  Thats the other thing that has been going through my mind all evening, how gracious God is!  I mean think about it ...God knows already what my son is going to do with his life...what he will be, who he will marry...God has it all planned out...and he has not even entered the world yet!

I serve such an awesome God and I am so thankful for everything he has given me...my wife, my girls and now my son!

Catch UP!

CRAZY! CRAZY! CRAZY!  The past week has been very eventful...I will try and recap as briefly as possible!

• This past Wednesday I began my first "Lent" fast.  I have decided to give up TV for lent, and I got to admit...it is HARD!  Right now I am in my bedroom reading and surfing the web as Meg is out in the living room watching TV.  I know fasting is supposed to be hard and it has taken a week just to get into some kind of routine in the evenings, and slowly but surely I am getting in one...but I did almost blow it last Thursday, I am such a creature of habit I came in the house sat down in my recliner and grabbed the remote.  Meg kind of screamed, "you can't do that!" I looked at the remote and looked at her and "oh yeah!  Habits can be hard to break!
• Friday I shot a video with my Pastor and Judge Binette and then went to Dave & Busters with several couples from the church to celebrate a couple of birthdays!  It was really fun, I really enjoy going out with other married couples with kids...it is such a cool time to develop friendships!
• Saturday...this was an AWESOME day!  We dropped Kyrsten off at the middle school at 9AM and until 1PM she learned a few cheers and a small dance routine as part of the "Perkins Future Cheerleaders" event,  at 1PM we saw them perform.  I am such a dork of a dad...I took both the churches Sony HD cameras and recorded her (with my father-in-laws help) one wide angle and a close up on Kyrsten.  Plan on making a DVD for my parents back in MO.  Then that night she performed at the halftime of the boys JV game...she was so cute with her little pom poms!  Then we celebrated at Chili's after that with papa and nana!
• Sunday was church and nasty cold weather!
• Monday...kind of vegged on my day off...we did have Parent/Teacher conferences for Kyrsten...she is doing well with only a couple of things that she needs to improve on.
• Today - Had staff this morning; we are planning a small ministry fair at the church on March 9th...I have to make promo videos for youth and video ministry and flyers for them as well as angelfood.  Then we had the idea to spoof an eharmony commercial to promo the ministry fair, so I have a lot of video stuff to put together over the next couple of weeks
• Oh I almost forgot...Fine Arts!  Coming down to the wire...it just over a week away and we don't have the schedule, but I know everything is going to be okay...just means that I will have plenty of things to do for the next month or so...

As you can tell my life is jammed packed right now...but to me honest I am really enjoying!  I told my pastor last week...for the first time in ministry I am truly getting to do the three things I love most...1)youth 2)missions 3)video.  My biggest challenge is finding the balance to do them all with excellence and not let one slip...but I am working in recruiting people to help so I think it will all be good!  

Please understand if my post are sporadic over the next few weeks, but I will try and do my best to check in and share what is going on and what God is doing in my life via my fast!

The Fast has arrived...

Well I am down to 1 hour 20 minutes left till Ash Wednesday and the start of my "NO TV FOR 40 DAYS" Fast.  I am really excited about this!  I have never done anything like this, but I truly feel that this is what God wants me to do...I have no doubt that it will be tough, but I am looking forward to what God is going to do in my life! I will keep you updated to what God will be doing over the next 40 days!

I found out that I am not the only one giving up TV for lent...check out Mark Batterson's Blog...I may have to touch base with him for encouragement along the way!  

Super Bowl!

Normally when you watch the Super Bowl you know you will see some great commercials and you HOPE to see a great game.  I must admit going into this years Super Bowl I was relying more on the commercials than the game because I really figured the game would be over by half time...but man was I wrong!!

That was one of the best Super Bowl games that I can remember!  I must say I was pulling for the Patriots (even though I really don't like them) because I am so SICK of hearing about the '72 Dolphins, but I am happy for the Giants.  I am not a fan at all of the Giants coach, but I am a fan of Lawrence Tynes (former KC Chief & by fantasy football team kicker)! 

I am so thankful for such a great game because ironically, in my opinion, the commecials this year were mediocre at best!  There were a few good ones: Budweiser's Clydesdale (with Rocky Theme), the Doritos Mouse, the E-Trade Baby, the funniest had to be Will Ferrel's Bud Commercial.  There were a few others, but to me those were the best...but I gotta say unlike previous years there were none that had me laughing really hard (except for Will Ferrel's)...most just got a giggle.

Would love to hear some of your thoughts about the game and the commercials!

February 6th is coming soon!

Last year I read several blogs about guys fasting or giving something up for Lent, even thought they are not Catholic, they recognized the importance and significance of what Lent represents.  I really felt like God was leading me to do it last year, but lent had already started and I slacked.  

So this year I began to pray in advance remembering what God spoke to me last year.  But I really struggled with what I was going to give up...I am eating better, so giving up pop and that kind of stuff wouldn't really cost me anything or be much of a sacrifice.  As I went down the list of things that I would normally give up on a fast nothing was much of a sacrifice...UNTIL...I was praying one day and all of a sudden God said it...He spoke something to me that made me cringe..and I new that was thing...but what a sacrifice it was going to be...He said, "TV."  OUCH! 

Now don't get me wrong...I am not a total couch potato, but currently I have several shows that I watch regularly! Chuck, Celebrity Apprentice, Big Shots, Friday Night Lights, Journeyman, The Unit, and a couple of other shows.  On top of that the 2008 Nascar season starts in February as well as March Madness...so needless to say I am praying that the writers strike continues till April...hahaha

I am looking forward to this with bridled anticipation, I mean I am excited about what God can and will do in my life as I give up something for Him.  At the same time, it is going to be so hard to be "out of the loop" in what is going on in my shows...(holy cow, I sound like an old lady talking about her soap operas...).

I plan on getting some good reading in over this time and more importantly some great family time... I will update through the process in what I am learning, reading and doing with the family.

Have you considered giving up something for Lent in order to draw closer to God?  Would love to hear some comments about what God is speaking to you!

Great Sissy Daddy Time

Tuesday night I treated my little Kyrsten to Starbucks.  I had been in Columbus all day at a meeting and wanted to spend some time with Kyrsten...just her and daddy (what we call daddy/sissy time). Snapped a couple of cute pics of her with her "kids hot chocolate."  She was so cute and it was just a cool time of talking and finding out how things were with her...the time was short, but it was just a little something cool to do with my little "big" girl!.

Today we had "Donuts with Dad" at Kyrsten's school...we took the cutest picture, I will get it scanned and put on sometime next week...it was so cool to spend more one on one time with Kyrsten...it is something that I am making more of a priority.  I find myself so consumed with work or ministry sometimes that I don't want to miss this part of her life...especially now that the third one is on the way!

Oh! be praying...we find out on Valentine's Day...February 14th what we are having...I know everyone is agreeing with me in prayer that there will be a "stem on the apple!"