If it doesn't work out...

I have heard many sentences begin with those words in my life.  I heard it from friends when Nikki and I got married at 20.  I heard it when I became a pastor, continued being a pastor beyond the certain amount of time that would make it a phase, and now that we started Eyes That See.  The words are always meant as some odd sort of comfort, but they seem to be dooming the hearer to failure.  They seem to say that at least you have something to fall back on.  They affirm that you haven't put everything into one basket, but instead you have wisely diversified your life enough to not be ruined if this one this doesn't work out.  I remember one time in particular where the phrase caught me so off guard that I couldn't even respond.  I didn't know that "it" not working out was an option.

I intend to live completely by faith.  I want to be wise in my decisions, yet dependent in everything.  I want to know that God's word is true when it says that you can "Taste and see that God is good."  I want to live by faith, not in theory, but in practice.  I want to "Seek first the Kingdom" and continue to know the joy of having everything else added to our lives.

If this living by faith thing doesn't work out, I want to have nothing to fall back on.  I intend to be completely ruined if God is not God.  I don't want a back up plan.  I don't want to be diversified.  I know there are plenty of people who will think that it is foolish to say these things, but I'm not supposed to match plenty of people.  I intend to match my Father. All I have is invested in that.  If it doesn't work out...I will have nothing.

January's "I'm not so cool" Moment

Technically it happened in December, but the truth is it still happened.  Not surprisingly it came out of the mouth of one of my children. This leads me to a side note:  Did God create children to humble parents? I'm starting to believe this is true.  No one has led me to realize my dependence on God more than my five crew members.  I feel it more everyday.

Back to the "I'm not so cool" moment.  My family was staying at my mom's house over Christmas and my brother was there too.  He spent the night on one couch and Carter was on the other.  When my crew started waking Brian used his full intelligence and turned away from the living room.  With his back facing out, little Ana went towards him thinking that he was me.  This is an easy mistake because we are both amazingly good looking.  Just ask us.  When she got near she saw it was him and was a little confused.

Next came Jackson.  He woke Brian and saw his awesome morning hair.  For those of you who don't know the way that Ness hair works you need to know that during the night our hair throws dance parties and when we wake it looks like someone took a power mixer to our scalp. When Jackson saw Brian he said that his morning hair looked like my hair when it is fixed.

I know that I don't have good hair, but what options do I have?  Grass seed companies want to study my scalp to see how my hair can grow so thick and quickly.  What else can I do but stick it up everywhere?  I thought I was being a "cool dad" for Jackson.  I guess I just look like a blender head.

This morning is a good week and a half since Jackson's subtle punch to my stomach.  I remembered his words this morning, but I stuck my hair up a good foot and a half just because I can.  I may not be cool, but with my hair making me seven feet tall I am at my ideal weight!

Wildly Popular in Russia

I just found on the blog where you can see where your "followers" are living.  I want you to know the country that is beginning to follow me is Russia.  There must be a pocket of people who love me up there because they are clicking on this blog like I'm giving away free computers (which I am not.)  I'm thinking about planning a tour of Russia for all of my readers up there, but it could easily be just one person who thinks my last name is a suffix.  More on this later.  In the mean time, Russia loves me!

Finally back

I know...I know...both of you didn't know what to do without my thoughts.  Well, after being in Eau Claire and Minneapolis for a week, coming back to kids who acted like they were stuck in a car for 14 hours, having almost three weeks off of school, having both Nikki's and my laptops break, and a middle finger that swelled to the size of a big toe I am back.  I bet you missed me too!  Here are my blogging New Year's resolutions. 
1. To actually post things.
2. Post things that are worth reading (starting with my next post)
3. To have other people check my blog more than I do.
4. Lose 20 lbs blogging.  (I just threw this in because resolutions always seem to be about having weight and not having money.)

Louisville

I have been asked if I like Kentucky or not a lot lately.  People here are nervous that I don't.  Some people back home are hoping that we don't.  A few others are hoping that we do really like it here and aren't coming back (you know who you are!)  Today I have decided that I do like it for one specific reason: Louisvillites (or whatever we are called down here) make me feel manly.

School is closed today because there is ice on the road covered by about two inches of snow.  I actually read yesterday about the "drifts" that will happen because of the snow.  Meanwhile, back home people have actually lost their car under the snow that has fallen.  The snow at the end of the driveways in Eau Claire are probably taller than me and they still managed to go to school today.

I remember growing up and hearing my dad had walked up hill both ways to school and left early to bring the cows back into the pasture.  I never believed him, yet everyone currently living in the blistery Eau Claire can tell of these stories and I will be their evidence.  You survived it and it made you stronger.  Meanwhile, we are preparing for the end of the world, talking existentially, and kissing our loved ones.

I have to be honest.  I always complained about the cold, but I found people worse than me.  Though this would be a dangerous spiritual pattern, I'm going to feel awesome about it today.  In a few hours I will go run errands with my family while we rock our boy's hip hop music in our man van.  As I do this, I will feel like the most manly being in Louisville.  Sure, it takes me an afternoon to change the headlight, but I can handle the cold.  I didn't even grow a beard to do it!

Louisville, you and me are all good.  You make me feel manly!

December's Business- Infinitea Teahouse

When I lived in Eau Claire I met the guys who started Infinitea Teahouse.  They are great guys who are very entertaining to talk with.  They worked with Valleybrook to host a charity event this coming Sunday.  If you go to Infinitea between 12-5 this Sunday, 20% of your purchases will go to Eyes That See.  This is an awesome opportunity to enjoy great tea, support a great local business, and support Eyes that See at the same time.  To the guys at Infinitea-thanks so much.  You'll have to pick me out a tea to try when I come to visit this month.

Newsflash: Friends make snow fun

I dislike snow.  I would rather have 365 100 degree days with mosquitoes biting me than have snow and cold.  I think snow should be banned outside of the Winter Olympics.  A friend in Louisville mentioned how Adam and Eve didn't have clothes so snow must not have been a part of God's plan.  I'm sure that, like shirt biting goats, snow is a result of the fall. Imagine Eden without snow or goats.  Beautiful!

This weekend my good friend Andy came and visited.  He called Thursday and said he would be here Friday.  He and Alazar spent the weekend driving around with us and going wherever we needed to go. The funny thing is I played in the snow more this weekend than I have in probably three years.  Typically I shovel, scrape my car and grunt a lot.  This weekend I actually had a snowball fight, threw our kids in the snow and even got whitewashed a little.  I was cold, but it was fun.

All this to say that in the battle for emotions between snow and friends, the joy of a friend defeats the slight depression of snow...at least last weekend.  We'll see when I go back up to Eau Claire and Minnesota.  I'm wearing twelve shirts everyday plus a nose warmer.