The Smartest Man Alive!

Most people in the world will probably say that Albert Einstein was one of the smartest, if not, the smartest men in the world. Sure, I can understand that with all the talk about relativity and quantum physics and that math junk. He wrote books and theories and papers and hypotheses and dissertations and all that intellectual stuff. I'll give him that but I think I may have found a man that has given him a run for his money....my dad.

I told you all that my parents visited Keri and I about a week and a half ago. While they were here my dad helped me with several jobs around the house that I didn't know how to fix or didn't want to screw up! Out of the day they were there, the time I enjoyed the most was talking to my dad while we did little projects. We fixed (and when I say we I mean my dad) a ceiling fan, put in new outdoor lights and several other little things. I realized or rather keep realizing something about my dad. He's a genuis, sure maybe not mathematical or scientific, but he knows stuff that I wish I knew. About cars, about electrical wiring, about money, about computers (I'm catching up to him in that!), but most importantly about life. I just enjoy listening to him talk about life. Little things he picked up here or there. What Dave Ramsey is saying about this. Or why an anhydrous tank is parked in a certain direction in a field. Just random cool stuff that blows my mind. He has common sense that isn't too common any more and he loves his family.

If I knew half the stuff my dad did I would be a better man and a very smarter one too! I appreciate him and what he has done for his family. And for all the stuff he taught my sister and I when we didn't want to hear it.

So eat your heart out Albert Einstein because in my book the smartest man alive is my dad.

Try and keep up!

Arghhh...Snow Balls!

I woke this morning to my beautiful wife saying to me, "It's snowing outside." After I had gotten up and ready for the day I actually looked outside with clear eyes and a clear mind. Holy cow was it snowing! I thought that it was going to be light flurries that would instantly melt when hitting the ground. But this was a full on get out the Carhartt's, gas up the snow blower, and start the hot chocolate snow storm. As I am typing right now the snow is lazily drifting to the earth from the heavens above. May I remind everyone that today in April 19th. Spring started officially a month ago. What in the world is going on? People on Facebook, Twitter and other various social media websites are all complaining! I'm including my self in that.

It seems like people love to complain about weather the most out of life's every day things. Why? It's not like we can vote on it, or it's purposely snowing to insure that you have a bad day. I am guilty of this as well. But I am going to tell my self and the few handful that read this to suck it up. We're not in charge.

God is sovereign. You might ask why I am bringing this up right now. It makes complete sense. Most people, when things happen to that they are not expecting or plain out just don't want, ask "why?". They should be asking "what?".

The majority ask "Why God is it snowing? Why is it raining? Why is it so hot? Why doesn't my car start? Why are you torturing me God?". They ask these questions as if God is ruining their lives.

Ok, so maybe not everybody complains to that extent, but don't let the passing comments of the weather contradict your belief about the sovereignty of God. God is in control and He has a plan for the reason that it is snowing today. Why it may rain tomorrow and why the sun will shine in the summer. He is in control and we need to ask "What are you teaching me through this? How can I glorify you through this?". I am constantly challenged to think for the Glory of God. In each situation in life, we are to glorify God. How can you do that today?

Personally seeing the white snow reminds me of this verse from Psalm 51.

"Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean;Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow" v.7

Especially with Easter approaching we can look to God and say He has made us whiter than snow and bring glory to Him no matter what happens in life or what the weather is doing!

So remember, ask what and not why!

Try and keep up!

Twins

It's been a while since I have posted on my blog. I began to think that I was one of those people who were just going to let it flop. Well, I have been busy with various things. This past Saturday my parents, grandma, sister and niece were able to come for a visit. It was a great time with family and I'm sure there will be a post in the future describing some of our activities.

This Monday and Tuesday were spent down in Mt. Pleasant, Iowa. The IARBC State Conference was held at Calvary Baptist Church. The theme was Biblical Counseling. I thoroughly enjoyed it. Duke Crawford formerly of Calvary Baptist spoke 3 times during the conference and did a tremendous job! I recommend you go to Calvary Baptist's website and download his messages.

There was great fellowship (and eating) involved down at the conference. It was good to spend time with fellow youth pastors. We are a different breed and its nice to have people laugh at our jokes!

Something rather peculiar happened when I was at the conference. I guess girls just absolutely hate it when then wear the same clothes or outfit as another girl. Whether its a dress, a shirt, a skirt or who knows what. They hate it. Now we think that that is very vain, very prideful, that they need to stand out. I would totally agree with that. I grew up in a town where the major clothing article was a sports t-shirt that probably 90% of the population owned. So it was no big deal showing up at school in a 2002 State football shirt and seeing 5 other people wearing it. It's just how it was.

I would like to think that that philosophy is still carried by my self today but I think I have evidence against it.

I am 22 years old and I try to look up to date with fashion (you're probably laughing in your head right now!!!). Finding clothes that show that I'm somewhat with it. I was wearing a nice dress shirt during the first day of the conference. While during the opening session they were recognizing new pastors in the state. They mentioned my name and I stood and right after me they mentioned another man's name and he stood up. And would you believe it. He was wearing the same exact shirt as I was. It wasn't a plain white shirt or any solid color shirt. But a shirt with a pattern that distinctly could be seen as the same.

In my mind I was thinking I look like an idiot. It's amazing how fast our flesh kicks in when things like this happen. Of course several of my youth pastor friends make some remarks via shouting and text. I am thinking to my self either he is with it or I am not! Was I shopping in the right section of the store? Did I really think I was 65 years old? These thoughts were racing through my mind knowing that I was being foolish.

I ended up having a conversation with the man and he was very polite and quite wonderful to talk to.

I ended up having a twin at the state conference that I didn't know I had before! Thankfully we both packed a different wardrobe choice for the second day. Sorry Jason Blunk I never got a picture with him but I did happen to get a picture with myself at the Faith Baptist Bible College display. That's a completely different topic for another post!

Until then...

Try and keep up!

Easter, Peanut Butter Eggs and 1 Corinthians 15

Easter is coming up and is quickly becoming my favorite "holiday" or rather time of year. There are many reasons for this. In school it meant that summer was quickly approaching, a good meal with Grandma PB was imminent, time with family and friends, Reese's peanut butter eggs (Keri's favorite) and my birthday is several weeks away. These are things that people look forward to, someone of them more foolish than others but still things that put a little jump in your step. However, over the past few years my thinking has been changed.

I still look forward to those things mentioned above but within my soul there is something that is shouting for joy. Christ's resurrection. I have known since I was a child that the stone was rolled away and he was not there. The familiar greeting in church "He Is Risen" was always fun to say as a child. But now by process of something else, Christ's resurrection has taken a new hold in my heart. It started my senior year of high school.

I decided to participate in Talents For Christ. This is a competition where teenagers prepare different presentations, lessons and musical pieces for judging but above all for the Glory of God. I tackled Oral Interpretation of Scripture. I was to memorize a passage of scripture that was 8 to 10 minutes in length and present it with a dramatic interpretation. Being a high schooler and not really having a clue I started looking through my Bible, reading passages and timing them. I tried several well known ones but they were either too long or too short! I finally came across 1 Corinthians 15. It was about 9 min and 30 sec in length, it had great flow and a dramatic finish. Exactly what I was looking for. It's interesting how God works some times. I did not understand everything in that passage and I still don't but the journey of realization of scripture through memorization was amazing.

I have had this passage memorized for over 6 years now and when I talk through it in my head I still notice and learn and am encouraged by different aspects of it.

All of this leading up to say that I love the Easter season because of the hope of Christ's resurrection and what it means for me as a believer. This world is not the end, this physical body is not the end, this life is not the end. It says "that we shall all be changed". Christ's resurrection was a foretaste of what is going to happen to every individual that has ever lived. But let me be clear. That does not mean that everyone who has ever lived will go to heaven. Everyone who has ever lived will live for eternity either in heaven or in the Lake of Fire described in Revelation. Christ talked about this is John chapter 5.
 
^"Do not marvel at this; for the hour is coming in which all who are in the graves will hear His voice and come forth—those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of condemnation."  - John 5:28,29

1 Corinthians 15 covers the Gospel in the first few verses, moves to witnesses of the resurrection, talks about God's grace in the life of the believer (1 Cor. 15:10). It moves into a logical argument of why the resurrection must be true to validate the Christian faith. It describes the resurrection, how the body is sown in corruption but raised in in-corruption, it is sown a natural body but it is raised a spiritual body. And it ends with the triumph of Christ over death and hades. Christ is the one who gives us the victory, only Him and nothing else.

The final commendation by Paul to his readers is to stand firm, be abounding, and to be faithful in the Work of the Lord. This is how I am trying to live my life.

Easter is in approximately 2 weeks and there will be many activities that will be going on but in my heart I will be rejoicing with Paul as he wrote in 1 Corithians 15. Christ is risen and without His resurrection everything would be in vain. But we can rejoice because Christ has risen, indeed He has. My question to you is, do you believe it? And if you do, have you placed your faith and trust in the work of Jesus Christ, His death and His resurrection? If you have done that, you can rejoice as well this Easter saying, "He Is Risen".

"Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?”" - John 11:25

Try and keep up.

Scared To Death

Many of you might know that I grew up in the booming metropolis of Conroy, Ia. I say that very sarcastically. Conroy has a population of around maybe 300 people or less. Depending on the season and and what kids graduate and go off to college. It's a town that I love. I love the people, the coop, Stanerson's implement and the post office. It's a small town but it was the best town in the world to grow up in. I knew all the neighbors. I knew the neighbors' pets. Neighbors would help neighbors out. You would stop and talk while on a walk or bike ride on a beautiful summer evening. Everyone looked out for each other. We felt safe and we were safe. We never locked our car, our house or pretty much anything for that matter. It was a simple Iowa town where I lived for 18 years. I miss it, I really do.

My wife, on the other hand, grew up in a different situation. Much of her early childhood was spent moving because of her father's job. Not that it was a bad thing, but she never really got settled. She spent the majority of her life in a town outside Cleveland, OH. It wasn't a bad neighborhood by any means. I have visited and have always felt safe. But you never left your door unlocked or the keys in your car. It was a different mindset and a different attitude. This has been another adjustment to marriage that we have come across.

I feel fine leaving the side door to our garage unlocked or the keys in the car while it is in the driveway. Mason City is an Iowa town. Granted it is about 100% larger than Conroy, I still feel safe. If it was up to me, most of the day our doors would be unlocked. I have left home several times without house keys because I know the door in unlocked but when I return I find that Keri has left and locked the door therefore relegating me to sit on the front step looking like a hobo or frantically using my superhuman strength to pull the door off its hinges!

Where am I going with this you ask?

Hang on, I'll get there.

Keri has finally opened up to the idea of leaving the side door open to the garage and I was thankful as that is the door I use most frequently for my morning commute over to my office at the church. This was until last night.

It was a typical Wednesday night. We had a full house for youth group. Had a great time of playing games, singing and learning from God's Word. It was a great night! More often than not some group of teens comes over to our house after youth group. We have snacks and a great time. I received a text from an individual who will remain nameless (Jared Callison) stated that he and two of his comrades will be arriving at our house soon from Wendy's (the fast food place, not from someone's house who's name in Wendy). Keri and I quickly made our way home through the sea of fellow church goers, shaking hands and talking. Finally we get across the street and to our house. Keri asked if I had my keys. I said "no, I thought you left the door open?". She remarked that she had left the side door open to the garage but not to the house. This was ok and step in the right direction for Keri. As we entered the dark garage I thought to myself, I wonder if someone would ever sneak into our garage.

It was one of the those moments in life where a thought you think borders on the edge of predicting the future when you look back on it.

Within a few steps into our dark garage with no lights on. As Keri is putting the key in the lock for the door to the house. We here a scream/roar from 3 individuals who will remain nameless (Jared Callison, Matt Merry, Abby Does). Instantly there is a screaming match between the 3 individuals who will remain nameless (Jared Callison, Matt Merry, Abby Does) and Keri. Keri is smacking the wall hoping that somehow smacking the wall will turn on the lights magically! Keri screams, "I am going to kill you!". Usually that's not what you want to hear from a youth pastor's wife but in this situation it is totally acceptable.

As I finally reach the light switch and shed some wonderful 60 watt light on the situation I see the 3 individuals who will remain nameless (Jared Callison, Matt Merry, Abby Does) crouched between our cars. Keri is on the verge of hyperventilating and constantly repeats the phrase "never again, never again, you will never do that again".

We laugh and joke about it the rest of the evening. It was a good time and Keri eventually calmed down in the end. She has now vowed never to leave a single door in our house unlocked ever again. So I guess it's back to carrying keys around with me.

You may ask what my response was to the scare.

I was subdued, this was the third time they had done something like this to me. Thankfully the third time is the charm. The first two, I screamed like a girl!


Try and keep up!

Grocery Shopping

 Our refrigerator at our house was getting pretty bare. We needed the essentials and for every newlywed couple that includes cereal, milk, deli meat and hamburger helper. Now Keri and I have been married for over a little more than 10 months and have been shopping at Wal-Mart several hundred times I'm sure. But the same thing always happens when we get there. We disagree on how to attack the grocery shopping. It's one of those things you don't think about when you get married. Where do you start your grocery shopping in Wal-Mart. Keri is one who likes to go right from the front with no real plan or design. I, however, like to start in the back working my way forward going down every aisle just to make sure we don't forget anything. I like to have a list, I like to know what coupons I have, I like to have a plan. It is probably my upbringing with a very organized mother but I think it makes most sense. But not to Keri, which is why I love her.

So next time you head to Wal-Mart or Hy-Vee or Fareway or wherever it is you go, think to yourself why do I start where I start and have you thought about doing it differently?

As for Keri and I, we'll probably have the same discussion the next time we go to Wal-Mart!!!

Try and keep up!

Trying Something New

Welp...hello world! I have been thinking recently that I needed to start a blog. So I have decided to start one. I know you are all thrilled and can't wait to see what world changing stuff I'm going to write! I am slowly figuring things out. My dad would be going crazy because there really are not any directions! He's big on directions, but he has never ever put anything together incorrectly that I know of so it must work! I hope to update this from time to time about life in Mason City, about being a youth pastor, about being a husband, son and uncle, about being a huge sports fan, about trying to love and serve my God. I'm sure there will be some laughs and confusion and discussions along the way but that's what makes it fun! Try and keep up!