Sophie Loves Her Hippo

When Charity and I went to Africa back in December 2006 I bought this wood Hippo.  I'm not exactly sure why I bought it; maybe because I like to barter and I thought a wood Hippo this big would be cool maybe because we saw some Hippo's in real life; who knows!

(The Hippo himself)

Well when Sophie was about 12 months old, maybe younger, she fell in love with the Hippo!  When I say fell in love I mean it.  She would ask for the Hippo every morning and wanted to cuddle with it.  The though thing about the Hippo is that he weighs 8.6 pounds and Sophie weighs 21.2 pounds (with her clothes on).

(I wasn't kidding when I said she loves the Hippo)

About 6 months ago I hid the Hippo for a month and Sophie cried for it almost every morning; I finally gave it back.  Maybe a two months ago I placed the Hippo under the bed to give him some rest and keep him away from Sophie.  Well the other morning we were playing on the ground and Sophie found the Hippo.  I don't know what it is but Sophie loves this Hippo!  She loves him so much she cuddles him after she dropped him on her foot in the bathroom.

(Yep, crying and still hugging Hippo)

Not sure why my daughter loves the 8.6 pound wood Hippo from Africa but she does!  Even after we took the pictures of Hippo all she wanted to do was look at him.

A Changed Life- Nick Markovich

This week we had Nick Markovich share his story of how God changed his life.  I love Nick's story because it talks about the changed life and how it doesn't just happen all at once; God is constantly working in our life and leading us to life change.

Simple Weekend Learning

This weekend I learned a few simple things that seemed noteworthy to share with the rest of the world.  The one story I am going to share is something that will be a bit of an emotional learning for my life; but its good for me to share from my heart about what God is teaching me.

On Friday night we went to a dance deal at Coronado High School.  A few of Charity's small group girls were in the dance deal and its always good to get onto the high school campus and see students that we love.  We saw a lot of students that we have grown to love and been able to have involved in our life.  Well this night we brought Sophie and I wasn't sure how she would do sitting still for 75 minutes.  She sat with me for a few, then went to Jena for a little bit, then she went to the row behind us to sit with Kiki and Chandler.  While she was sitting with Kiki I looked back and just thought to myself: "My daughter is growing up".  She was dialed into the dancing and rarely took her eyes off the girls on stage.

So intermission came and we decided it would be the best time to leave so we could get Sophie home to bed.  In the car (I think is where it was) Charity said something like this: "The old saying is that it takes a village to raise a child".  This got me thinking for the last 48 hours, but even better than that is that Charity also commented that we have a "village" around us.  That village consists of grandparents willing to travel to town to see our children, high school students who hold my daughter and graduated students who come over and babysit.  We have a village around us (I haven't started to mention all our friends at church like: the Rossiters, the Shines, the McComb's, the Yureks and so many more families who love our family) that is helpings us to raise our family.  The cool thing about the village is that they help me grow as a person also; they are there for me to ask questions on life, parenting, where to take my wife for Mother's Day and other valuable information.

Thank you to our "village" that has surrounded us and helps us grow as a individuals and a family.  Honestly, we could not do this, nor would we want to, with out you all!

A Changed Life- Zoe Dodd

This week Zoe Dodd shared her story in our High School Ministry.  I love hearing her story and how God has totally grabbed her heart.  Zoe has an amazing heart and I see big things happening in her life as she continues to seek Jesus.  I'm also very thankful for Sam being there to answer her questions while we were at Hume Lake last summer!  Thanks for sharing your story Zoe!

A Changed Life- Series Overview

When we do a sermon series in our High School Ministry its not just open the Bible, point to a verse and preach on it. I am constantly asking God what He wants us to teach students and how that translates into life change for them; what can they apply to their lives?
For this series I landed on the Sermon on The Mount. As I was reading over the text (Matthew Chapters 5-7) I just kept thinking "Jesus is calling the people to life change". Jesus tells them what they heard from others and then shares with them the plans He has to change their life through the truth of God. Here's the deal though; its tough! Its tough because when you read The Sermon on The Mount it calls for life change and most of us aren't ready for that!

Here is how we broke the six week series down:
Week 1: Matthew 5:1-12
Week 2: Matthew 5:21-26
Week 3: Matthew 5:33-48
Week 4: Matthew 6:5-15
Week 5: Matthew 6:25-34
Week 6: Matthew 7:7-14

A Changed Life- Tony Fernandez

As we continue our series, this week Tony Fernandez shared his story on how God has changed his life.

Why We Baptize People

(Ally Davis getting ready to be baptized)

This month has been super cool around South Hills Church with all the baptisms that we have done.  I see God's hand moving in the life, and people, of our church.  I see people unwilling to settle for average and desiring more of God!  I'm not sure what has caused the total increase in baptisms around here but I do have some thoughts that have been stirring in my mind:

1) I am proud to be a part of a church that baptizes 
When we baptize people it tells me that life change is happening in the person; it also tells me that people are giving their lives to Christ!  When I read the Bible I see that baptism is something that always follows conversion; the person surrendering their life to Christ. 

2) Jesus commands us to be baptized 
When Jesus was preparing to return to heaven He leaves us, the church, with a pretty heavy job description.  Its not a four page job description with hours that we have to work; but its a good reminder of what we need to do as Christians.  Go read Matthew 28:18-20 for that command of Jesus.  There is a reason its called "The Great Commission" and not "The Great Suggestion".

3) We baptize using immersion

I have taken 5 quarters of Greek now (which means I'm good enough to get by; kinda like my Spanish) and when I read in the Greek I keep seeing this word "baptizo" for baptism.  Baptizo means a baptism by immersion; that is why we use the pool to baptize people.  Now, lets say that someone is in the hospital and has given their life to Christ and would like to be baptized.  We would baptize that person with water but not having the ability for full immersion would be suitable for the situation. 

(After being baptized)

4) When someone gets baptized they are saying "I'm changing for Jesus"
This weekend we baptized a handful of high school students and one of them, Ally Davis, shared with me a few days before she was baptized that she needed to do because this was her next step in her walk with Christ.  I love it when people are convicted by the Holy Spirit and then obey that conviction which leads to life change.


Here are just a few thoughts on baptism and why I am glad to be a part of a church that baptizes!

A Changed Life- Priscilla Hernandez

For week three of our series Priscilla Hernandez shares about how God has changed her life

Leah Joy 5 weeks (and a few days)

So this week Leah had her one month check up; it was really her one month and a week check-up but who's counting?

(Leah just chillin on the couch)

So the girl I like to call Little Leah is doing great!  At her check up she passed all the stuff, got some shots and we were able to see how she is growing.  Get ready for this:
Leah is 11 pounds 4 ounces (90th-95th percentile)
She is 23 inches long (once again 90th-95th percentile)

Leah is growing big and strong, she is learning to sleep more during the night and her and Sophie totally love each other!!!

(Really she is saying: "I love kisses from daddy")

A Changed Life- Jacob Dunne

This week Jacob Dunne shared his story at Explode; more evidence of how God is still changing lives!

Angel Tattoo: Right Arm

So I've continued the half sleeve on my right arm.  The Angel is actually supposed to be the the first part of the half sleeve but the praying hands just kinda happened first.  Just over two weeks ago I went to my tattoo artist and got this:

(The tattoo is not finished; it still needs to be shaded in)

Now I know that many thoughts tend to go through people's minds when they see tattoo's and I totally understand that I am a pastor who has a number of tattoos.  I was talking with my tattoo artist about that and he told me that people don't believe him when he says that he tattoos a pastor (my tattoo artist is the coolest guy).

That is mostly a side note to the meaning behind this tattoo.  All my tattoo's have a story behind them or some meaning for me getting them.  I typically think about a tattoo for over a year before I go and get it (I have one that I have been thinking about for 8 years; they are permanent!)




The story behind this one comes from the account in Daniel 10:12-15 where Michael, one of the angels, helps the man who is speaking to Daniel.  I don't believe in praying to angels but I do see from this account that angles will work on our behalf.

I think the bottom line on this tattoo is that it is a reminder for me to pray.  I don't know about you but I am very prone to wonder and go my own way.  This tattoo is a reminder to me, daily, that prayer works and that I need to be in prayer.  If you notice on the angels leg there is a demon who is trying to bring him down; there are things in life that will try to bring us down but I find when I am connected to God in prayer life seems to be a little bit more comfortable and easy to bear.

A Changed Life- Kalina Rock

Last night we started a new series in our High School Ministry called: "A Changed Life".  This week Kalina Rock shares her story on how God has grabbed her heart and changed her life.

Student Ministry Garage Sale

This week is our Annual Student Ministry Garage Sale! This garage sale has helped us for the last eight years to off-set the cost of summer camp and allow students to reduce the price so they can attend. This year will be no different!

Please swing by the sale and find that item you cannot live without (seriously; if you are looking for it, we probably have it). The location is:
South Hills Horizon Ridge Campus
2520 W. Horizon Ridge Pkwy
Henderson, NV

If you have any questions please call:
Amy Robledo @ 483-3741
Neal Benson @ 483-3740

See you soon!

Leah Joy 21 Days Old

So I'm pretty sure that I took this when Leah was 21 days old... she may have been 23 days old (that is what lack of sleep does to you).

If you haven't seen Leah in a while; here is what she likes to do:

Why Easter is so Important

Tomorrow is Easter Sunday. Now when I was a kid Easter was all about getting dressed up in a little suit that was fairly uncomfortable, going to Sunrise Service with my mom and then eating candy. My sister and I would find the eggs, then re-hide the eggs, then hide them again until they were pretty much uneatable.

(Proof of the uncomfortable suit)

So now that I am a man and have my own family I need to figure out what about Easter is going to be important to us.

Will we wake up early to go to church? Probably not
Will we hide eggs and eat candy? I am sure of it
Will we invite our neighbors to Church tomorrow? You bet!

We're going to do these things because they are important; yes it is important to eat candy (someone has to keep the dentist in business). This Sunday, tomorrow April 4th, I'm teaching at Church about the resurrection of Christ. The more I'm studying this topic from 1 Corinthians 15 I am seeing the need to make sure I live daily for the resurrection.

This Easter Sunday will be extremely important for my family because I want to live for the resurrection and it helps me to do that with a group of people that I love and want to do life with. Now maybe you have that group of people in your life already; please keep going to that church and dive into that. If you don't already have it will you find a place where you learn about God in a way that makes sense to you and challenges you to grow?

Easter is important for so many reasons, more than I can share in this quick post. If you need a place to go on Easter I hope to see you at South Hills Sunday April 4th @ 9am or 11am!

I Never Thought My Life Would End Up Like This

I never thought that my life would end up like this is something that has been passing through my mind the last few days.

I say that in a good way... See if you know you my story, or knew me in high school, you would know that I made some very unwise choices.  You would know that I had no regard for my life.  You would know that I was crazy and I'm sure that many of you thought you would attend my funeral by my 21st birthday.  I always thought that I wouldn't make it to my 18th birthday and when it happened I was shocked.

(I debated adding this picture of Bobby, Conrad and I from when were about 17)

I had no regard for anything...

When I was 19 I received the biggest wake-up call ever.  I was driving home to Big Bear Lake and either passed out at the wheel or because I was so drunk just don't remember what happened.  I ended up totaling my truck into the mountain and running from the Cops.  Those actions landed me in jail being charged with 2 felonies and a slew on misdemeanors.  I went to church the next week while I was awaiting my court date and my moms friend looked at me and said: "I had a dream you were a pastor and leading thousands of people to the Lord."  I did not return to church because of that comment.

In the next few months of my life I lost everything; literally.  After going to jail a few more times I ended up in jail on February 14th 2000 and said something like: "Jesus I need you; if you're real please get me outta here."  God answered that prayer.  I meet a guy five days later who invited me to church; Brett Wheeler if you never reached out to me I have no clue where I would be.

Fast-forward ten years, one month, and fifteen days.  I gave my life to Jesus Christ because the path I had chose was not working and needed some help.  I have an amazing wife.  I have been blessed with two beautiful daughters and I get to share with high school students about how to follow Christ in their life.  God has healed me of my drug and alcohol addiction.  I have internal peace and don't feel the anger that used to control my life.

I look back and if you told me twelve years ago that this is where I would be in life I think I would have laughed at you, maybe spit in your face, and went on with my life.  God thank you for changing me and putting me where you have placed me...

I never imagined my life would end up like this but I wouldn't change it for anything!

My Family: Charity, Sophie, and Leah

Sophie and Daddy Being Silly

I'm sure this title doesn't shock anyone!
Sophie and I were being funny and... well... she likes to see herself on the camera so it made it to youtube.

Sophie Playing with Her Knife

So it just seemed appropriate to title this post "Sophie Playing with Her Knife" to catch your attention!
Sophie got this super rad wood kitchen set and she shows off her mad cutting skills.!

Leadership In Judges

So this may be a rambling but its something that has been stirring in my mind and I need to get it out (that means it may be crazy talk).

I've been reading the book of Judges and noticing two things that are consistent in the book:
1. Godly Leaders rise up at a needed time
2. People do what they want when they feel God is not present

Right away Judges starts out and I get excited! I see this dude Caleb (Judges 3) rises up and lead Israel and I think; its all going to be ok. Then when he dies the people turn their back on God but this dude Othniel rises up to lead Israel. Once Othniel is dead Israel goes back to their ways and just does what they want but then this dude Ehud rises up to lead Israel and take charge. Well you are going to guess it that after he dies Israel goes back to doing the dirty and seeking out other gods but hope comes again in this guy Shamgar. I don't think I need to say it but once Shamgar dies Israel falls away again. Did I mention all this happens in just one chapter!

The reason this has been stirring in my heart and mind is I keep wondering if God has called me to step up and lead. Then I come to reality and realize that God has already asked me to step up and that is why I lead in our High School Ministry. See the truth is that God has called all of us to step up. The end result I see is: that without Godly leaders to step up the people will just do as they please and dishonor God. That thought breaks my heart and that is why I will constantly step up to help people find God in a generation that desires Him not.

Leah Joy Benson

So this post is much overdue!

The short story goes like this:
On Wednesday March 10th 2010 we took Charity to the doc to get checked out at like 1:30pm. Everything was good and then around 4pm she started having crazy contractions! At 6:45pm we decided that I should go to explode and help teach because we were having a Q & A night for the sex series (my wife is rad!).

I left Explode at 8:30pm came home, changed my shirt and then we were off to the hospital. We got there at 9:02pm and just waited... literally. We did some laps to make the contractions increase and finally at 2:00am we were admitted into our room. We had the best nurse that night; thanks Janet!

At around 3:30am I took a nap (hahahaha) and woke up at 5:30am when Charity's mom and sister arrived. Things progressed and then Charity started pushing and on March 11th 2010 at 7:06am Leah Joy Benson was born.
She was 9 pounds 1 ounce and 22 inches long
She stole my heart from the first minute I saw her and just like when her sister was born I cried.

My life will never be the same...

I want to be healthy!

I'm currently writing a final paper for my class "Personal Health and Growth in Ministry". Here is an excerpt from it on a topic that has helped me to see myself in a new light.

During this class we were presented with the (w)holistic model of the pastor[1]. Another way that this model can be described is a “Biblical Model of Wholeness”. The desire of the (w)holistic model is to enlighten the person on their entire being; stating that we are more than just one or two dimensional beings. The five dimensions that Harbaugh writes about are the pastor as a: physical person, mental person, social person, emotional person and then wraps up the model with overlaying our choices on top because our choices describe who we are. For our study it is essential to add being a spiritual leader to this equation and with that you come up with the entire person we are describing: a pastor. Dr. Peisner used the following diagram to bring a visual aid to the entire person that we are illustrating here:

The (w)holistic model helps to bring light to the many areas of our life; when one area is neglected other areas begin to suffer. When one area is not addressed other areas can overwork in an attempt to bring balance to the pastors life. Healthy relationships help us become a whole person; the difficulty with this is that we live in a broken world and every one of us has struggles we are dealing with. When you see this model, with this illustration, it helps to clarify and understand how complex we are.

The Hebrew word Shalom brings together the personal, interpersonal, and theological significance of the whole person in an attempt to point to different areas of “peace” in ones life[2]. Jesus commanded us to love the Lord our God first and then love our neighbor as we love ourself (Matthew 22:37-39). Therefore we need to focus on loving God, figuring out areas in our life that need special attention and working on right relationships with others. When we apply the (w)holistic model to Shalom, and Matthew 22:37-39, it brings to light the Biblical view of personhood described here.

When there is no peace in the life of the pastor it would be prudent to assess ones life and figure out what has gotten out of sync in the model. A major contributing factor for the lack of health in ministry is the pastor not correcting seeing himself how God sees him; many times the pastor does not view himself as a complete person how Harbaugh describes. The body is more than just a physical shell that contains organs, blood, muscles and bones: our life is dictated by our choices and those choices have shaped who we are.

There can be multiple factors that contribute to the life of the pastor spinning out of control. The major problem occurs when the pastor forgets to view himself as a person who is susceptible to failure and begins to think of himself as someone who cannot be stopped and is invincible. Harbaugh states:

“As we become more free from those limitations, we become more free for personal and pastoral response to others.”[3]

A simple analogy is that when a pastor overlooks their physical being and allows himself/herself to become obese the obesity can, and typically will, affect the other areas in the person’s life. The choice to eat could be a result of a deeper emotional issue that has not been address and instead of facing the issue the pastor chooses to eat in a response mechanism to deal with the pain of the unaddressed life situation. The obesity could also be a cover up because the pastor has failed to take care of his/her physical body resulting in the weight gain: the areas of our life are tightly connected.

---

[1] Harbaugh, Gary L. Pastor as Person (Augsburg Publishing House, 1984) P. 20

[2] Ibid. P. 20

[3] Ibid. P. 29

Chicas y Muchachos

We are currently doing a series in our High School Ministry called "Chicas y Muchachos". The point of this series to talk about sex. Yep, you read it right; sex. We want to teach our high school about sex and how to wait. See I have worked with students now for almost eight years and the reoccurring theme I hear is the pain and hurt from unwise sexual decisions. The series has been a home run so far (I never played baseball but have always wanted to say that).

The great thing about doing a series on purity is we get the chance to radically be involved in the lives of the students we work with. The adverse side of this is that stuff comes out. I think there are times that I avoid teaching on a topic because I know stuff is going to come out. Like when the hurricane happen in Louisiana the water filled the sewers and stuff came out that no one wanted to deal with; well we have some rad leaders who are prepared to deal with the stuff that comes out!

Here's how the series breaks out:
Week 1: Sex and Love, Love > Sex (Intro week)
Week 2: R.E.S.P.E.C.T. (you gotta respect yourself)
Week 3: The Difference between Pink and Blue
Week 4: Dealing with Lives Hurts
Week 5: I got a Question
Week 6: The Choice of Purity

See the first three weeks of this series we have just talked about sex and how that impacts us and the world we live in (we live in Sin City) and the last three weeks we are going to talk about healing and how to make right choices to avoid the pain of unwise sexual decisions.

A Place Few Marriages Make

On January 7th 2005 Charity and I got married in Encinitas, CA. The day was not exactly what we had planned but the end goal was for us to be married to each other. We were supposed to have our ceremony on Ponto Beach just north of Encinitas. It hadn't raided in San Diego for about six months and of course the day we were supposed to get married it started raining (not just rain, but torrential downpour).

Well we got the crew together and changed the reception place into the ceremony/reception place. We had some great help from some wonderful friends! The night was so much fun getting to have all our families together for the special night.

Now fast forward five years

Charity and I have been married for five years. We have spent all of those married years in Las Vegas, NV serving in Student Ministries as South Hills Church Community. Well more than just working; Charity finished her Bachelor's degree, we went to Africa, met some great friends, had a beautiful daughter and much more!

We had always joked about doing an Elvis Wedding down on the strip. Well on our five year we did it! We headed to the strip along to Graceland Wedding Chapel with some great friends that we met here (you know who you are). This picture is a bit different (Sophie made it here) and Elvis is in the background. The night was so much fun. Maybe it would be better to say that the night was super funny and full of laughs.

We had a great time. I love doing life with Charity and all the enjoyable moments that we have together. One thing that just makes the story is that Charity is 8 months pregnant with our next daughter!

Winter Camp 2010 Recap

This years winter camp was amazing! I think that every year our team gets better and better at this trip! When I say "better" I mean more effective. We have been able to extend the trip and keep the cost down. We had two amazing leaders who go up the day before and stock the homes with food so that the students don't starve. We have established a great relationship with Town Hall in Brian Head and are able to rent it out for our meetings. I have noticed that our team (adult leaders) love the trip; it gives them a chance to connect with students over the weekend without missing too much work.

This year we had Brian Berry come and speak and he nailed it. The cabin discussion was wonderful in my cabin, and the leaders shared the same. Christian Calvo came and lead us in worship through music. There is something cool about worshiping in a small room with little amplification and just students voices. This year camp was great: I loved it! Don't believe me? Watch for yourself then!

Personal Health and Growth

This week I was up in Redding, CA taking a course at Tozer Seminary. I have been working on Seminary for about 5 years now and this last course falls in my top 5 of favorites. I've been in ministry over 7 years now and have been a pastor for over 6 of those years and this material was new to me.
So many times as pastors we go through life almost driven by the craziness of the rush instead of the pace of God. We allow unhealthy boundaries to decide our future instead of planned out, prayerful, decisions. This week helped me to identify areas in my life where I have allowed unhealthy patterns to form and not keep them in check. I wanted to take some time in this blog to just point out some areas we discussed that especially stuck out to me and how I want to change because of them.

*Boundaries are critical for your sanity

*How do pastors embrace emotions and not just "deal" with life situations that arise

*What happens in the Limbic System can effect Brain Stem function

*Teenagers don't have a fully developed Neo-Cortex (brain) and therefore cannot fully think through situations

*What are my personal expectations and who defines those?

*Not all stress is bad; but when you don't manage your stress it gets out of control and can consume you

*Listen to the rhythm of your body

*90% of relational conflict arises from the packaging of the communication and not the context

*Boundaries preserve us for the long haul and create space in our lives for what matter most

*Conflict can bring great health and growth in our life

This course has started some thinking in my life that has never been expressed to me. I am going to work with Charity about outlining healthy boundaries that will allow me to: Love God, Love my family, and be a great pastor. This will require me to say "no" to some great opportunities but it will establish a healthy pattern in my life so I can sustain in ministry and not burn out. Please pray for me to comprehend this material so I can last in ministry and see thousands of people come to Christ in my life!

My little girl is growing up...

So this post is just dedicated to my amazing family that is growing. Sophie Marie is going to be 17 months old tomorrow and Leah Joy has about 7 more weeks in Charity's tummy until we get to meet her! My girls are growing:

Sophie when we went on Family Date a few weeks ago




















It seems pretty undeniable that she is my daughter















Sophie has a different feeling about the snow than we had expected




















But a few weeks later I took her snowboarding and she changed her mind

Grandma Remembered

About three weeks ago I got this on my arm.
The tat is in memory of my grandma; Maria Hettler. I could add a better picture but that's not the point. The point is that my grandma was a huge influence in my life growing up. When my dad and mom split up she let us come live with her. From what I remember I shared a room with my grandma until I was five; she was an amazing woman.

Every day after school we would head to her house, after we moved out when I was six, to go have dinner with her. I can remember countless times that she picked me up from school because I was "sick". She was a huge help to us growing up and I can remember that we pretty much did everything with my grandma. I would shovel her walkway when it snowed, stacked wood for her, go in the creepy shed in the backyard and even pick her flowers from her front yard.

I know I will never forget my grandma but this is going to help others know about her. My grandma was Catholic so the praying hands with a rosary seemed appropriate. Her name is in there but hard to tell from this pic. So thanks Grandma for all you were for us; I wouldn't be the man I am without you being there for me!

My 30th

So the rumors are true... I turned 30 this year!
When I was growing up I never thought that I would live past my 18th birthday; it is evident that God has a different plan for my life than I thought. This year's birthday was so amazing. Charity totally surprised me with some of my favorite things and gave me some new adventures in life.

On my birthday we went to family dinner at my favorite restaurant, pretty much of all time, Bonefish. This place is amazing! If you have not been you have to go check it out; I love the food, the service is top notch and one of my friends owns it so that is always nice! Charity made plans for us to go on a family date; which I totally loved cause it is always a laugh having Sophie around!


Then for the big surprise... I drove a Nascar! That is me in the drivers seat of car #45! Charity and my mom went in and got this package deal where I drove the Nascar on the track here in Vegas. The deal is called the "Richard Petty Driving Experience" and it was totally worth it!





So I'd have to say that this was the best birthday ever! Not to mention; we finished it off on Sunday with the Chargers beating the Cowboys! Go Bolts!

Janna Shreds!

Here is a quick video of my friend Janna shredding up in Colorado! I love this video Janna so stoked for you!

Christmas Series

This year we are doing a Christmas series in our High School Ministry called: "Putting Christ back in Christmas". Lately I, as a pastor, have been extremely convicted by the way society has treated Christmas. This event that is supposed to be about Christ has turned into a consumer holiday that is all about gift giving. I am not against giving gifts, but I am discouraged about the lack of acknowledgment of Christ that has taken place in our society.

The first week of this series I challenged our students to make Christmas about Christ and not about gifts that we put under the tree. I want people to; give gifts, to show their appreciation of others, and to spend time with others this Christmas season but not at the cost of forgetting about God invading the world to save our lives.

This Christmas season will you think about where your priorities lie? What matters most to you this Christmas; are you concerned with getting the best gift, or are you worried about not having the financial resources to get the gifts that your children have asked for? Whatever your fear may be this Christmas will you take some time to really remember why we celebrate Christmas?

She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.” Matt 1:21 (NIV)

Cheesy Sweater Christmas Party

We don't have that many things have become traditional in our High School Ministry. The way we work is that we want to make sure God is calling us to do it; if it works well then we do it again, if it is not impactfull then we cancel it! About four years ago we had a leader who said something to the effect: "Lets do a cheesy Christmas sweater party this year Neal." I have to admit that I was hesitant, at first, but God has used this event to grab students hearts and change lives.

This year we are doing it again and Adena Rossiter (she runs our SL program) made this video with our SL's. I love it!

Build-a-bear

Before I was married I passed this store in the mail and thought: "Really? People do that?" Yes they do build their own bear and that is exactly what Sophie and I did (thanks for taking the pics wifey!)

So we got to the store and Sophie picked out the first bear she saw (I helped her choose)













Then after you choose your bear you get to fill it up: Sophie hated letting that bear go!













After that you pick out a heart to put in the bear: Sophie decided to throw it on the ground to make sure it was tough













Then we had a Teddy Bear













After that we named our bear; and Sophie wanted to call him "Teddy No No". Not to sure how that worked out but she stills looks for him when I call him "Teddy No No" and she loves that bear we made!

Not My Idol

Yahoo helps me out as my homepage because it shares with me some stories that I want to see; and some that I don't. Today a headline caught my attention so I decided to read some of the story. The story shares the girls side who is involved in the action so I thought I would add the video also; we all know a picture is worth a thousand words:



After watching the video I was shocked! I wanted to write the girl and tell her how horrible this is... but I waited... and thought... and remembered back to when I didn't know Christ. I used to play soccer and I got my team in some fights after our games. I am so competative and when I was growing up I had so much anger in my life; I would have done something like this in the heat of a game (not sure if I would have done it multiple times).

Lets fast-forward ten years now; I think of how different my life is right now but seriously I am not above doing this kind of action. I am just as susceptible to sin as the next person in the world. When Christ impacts your life things change; you don't do the same things you once did, your life transforms. I have had my share of fights and this clip reminds me how much I need Christ to help guide my actions and life.

Foolishness happens to us all

I'm taking a class on the writings of C.S. Lewis right now and looking at how that ties into Christian Appologetics. This week we read The Last Battle and this quote stuck out to me:

“He did not see at the moment how foolish it was for two of them to go on alone; nor did the King. They were too angry to think clearly. But much evil cam of their rashness in the end.”

I'm beginning to ponder how our foolish decisions can affect so much. About three weeks ago I spoke on James 3 and taming the tongue and that combined with this is really beginning to shape my heart and make me check my motives and how many of decisions are based/not based in prayer and the leading of The Holy Spirit.

Sophie feeding the ducks

Last weekend we took Sophie to Lake Mead to do one of my favorite things (yes it is one of my favorite things). We feed the carp and the ducks. The carp are nasty and the ducks are fun.
Sophie loved it!

C.S. Lewis talks about life

Surely what a man does when he is taken off his guard is the best evidence for what sort of a man he is? Surely what pops out before the man has time to put on a disguise is the truth? If there are rats in a cellar you are most likely to see them if you go in very suddenly. But the suddenness does not create the rats: it only prevents them from hiding. In the same way the suddenness of the provocation does not make me an ill-tempered man; it only shows me what an ill-tempered man I am. The rats are always there in the cellar, but if you go in shouting and noisily they will have taken cover before you switch on the light.
- Mere Christianity

When I said "Yes" to Seminary

When I said "Yes" to Seminary I didn't realize what that "Yes" would entail.

That "yes" meant I wasn't going to be able to spend as much time with my family. At the time I said yes to seminary, back in 2004, I was a single man who was engaged to be married. Back then I seemed to have all this extra time to: surf, work-out, sleep in, and things like that. I can't believe that I am still doing school! I am going to be 30 years old in December and I will still be in school. Actually I will be in school until summer 2011.

The truth about that is I started seminary in San Diego and then about 2 months later took our current position in Vegas. I figured I would get landed out here and then start back in about 6-9 months. I ended up getting a promotion and started back to seminary about about 16 months; so there was a break in there. There have been times I haven't taken classes but this last week really hit me on the impact seminary will have on my life.

I traveled to Olympia, WA and took a class called: "Christian Perspectives on Contemporary Culture. The class was on race, class and consumerism; all great topics to study. My yes means I am going to take time away from my family, miss out on TV shows that my wife will be able to watch, have to say no to riding dirtbikes with the guys (at times) and things like that.

But I believe that "yes" is going to impact the world. See I am an eternal optimist. My schooling is teaching me so much about the Bible and how to communicate the scriptures in a way that impacts others lives. I feel that I can handle scripture better than I was able to 5 years ago and knowing the Biblical Languages has been huge. Although saying "yes" means saying "no" to some immediate things I am glad that I said "yes" to going to seminary.

Sophie and Dad

So lately, while I am doing homework, Sophie comes and sits on my lap. She looks at the computer and I know just what she wants! So here is some of our fun that I am sharing with the world.
I love that smile!!!













Going in to give dada a kiss













I think she likes to see herself in the camera

believe

Right now our HS ministry in the middle of a series called "believe". The point of this series is to help High School students better understand the truths of the Bible and help them articulate what they believe in; there are so many things battling for their attention in life and we want to teach them the truth.
The graphic for this series helps explain it; our life is so busy that it becomes hard to see what we really believe. Our students are bombarded with everything in this world that is trying to tell them what to believe and we want to point them to truth that they can share with their friends on their campus.

Here is how the series breaks down:
Week 1: Faith
Week 2: One God in Three Persons
Week 3: Is Jesus is the Only answer?
Week 4: Is Heaven Real? Is Hell Real?
Week 5: Did Jesus Really Have to Die for Me?
Week 6: Is the Bible True?
Week 7: Is There a Thing as Absolute Truth?
Week 8: Why Suffering?

"What Would Jesus Buy?"

Another movie review for you all: "What Would Jesus Buy?" is the last movie that we watched in our household and this one brought up some good subject matter. I am so compelled by the movie that I am putting the trailer into this post:



"What Would Jesus Buy?" started out pretty good. The narrator shared some amazing stats about how much money we, American's, spend yearly on Christmas. The main character, and He is a character, is Rev Billy and he runs "The Church of Life After Shopping". Before I go on, I must make it clear that Rev Billy is not a Reverend. I think (personal thought) that he is dressing up like a Reverend so that when he is outlandish in his actions that people may, key word "may", take him serious.

I think that this movie has great point: we waste SO much money on consumerism! I was very convicted by the facts about shopping the message that his team is sharing. There is so much waste in the world. I wish they would have directed people to share what they could save to help others in need; but that didn't happen.
I did take a few key points from this movie:

• America has taught me that by getting gifts at Christmas, that are expensive, it means I am loved
• America has become a consumer nation therefore; I want to look for products that are made in America when my family is shopping
• I want to use my credit card less (not that we have massive cc debt; we use our cc like a debt card and get airline miles)

If you get an extra 90 min in life and want some laughs and some scenes to make you smile then rent this flick; but be ready to be a bit convicted.

Plan of Life

One thing that I learned about myself this summer is that I need structure in my life. I am very prone to just going haphazardly about my life and I am thankful for Bill Randall and his impact on my life this summer. He helped me focus on some things in my spiritual life that were pretty close to getting out of whack.
One of my assignments was to write a Personal Rule of Life. This is what I am trying to do to stay fresh in my walk with Christ:

Daily Plan of Life:
• 15 minutes of focused Bible Reading
• 20 minutes of Lectio
• 25 minutes of Prayer
• A conscious effort of prayer throughout the day
• Follow, and apply, the teachings of Jesus in my workplace
• Practice the Fruit of the Spirit
• Pray for my daughter
• Pray, before bed, with my wife

Weekly Plan of Life:
• Take a day of rest; Sabbath
• Have a date night with my wife
• Go to the gym twice
• Sleep in once
• Tithe to our church
• Meet with accountability partner: confess sin and share wins

Monthly Plan of Life:
• Use the first Friday of the month to fast to connect with God
• Spend time with my daughter; just the two of us (Ice Cream or something)
• Slot in a Spiritual Day to reconnect with God and evaluate where I am
• Give sacrificially to missionaries and Compassion International
• Have a couple from church over for dinner

Quarterly Plan of Life:
• Get away for a weekend with my family
• Worship with a different congregation
• Be involved in a local service project or outreach

Yearly Plan of Life:
• Take a week long vacation where I am unavailable to the office (including email)
• Go on a mission trip to follow the Great Commission
• Read the entire Bible

I hope this helps you as you figure out what works for you in your relationship with Christ.

Enemy-occupied territory

Enemy-occupied territory—that is what this world is. Christianity is the story of how the rightful kind has landed, you might say landed in disguise, and is calling us all to take part in a great campaign of sabotage. When you go to church you are really listening-in to the secret wireless from our friends: that is why the enemy is so anxious to prevent us from going. He does it by playing on our conceit and laziness and intellectual snobbery. I know someone will ask me, ‘Do you really mean, at this time of day, to re-introduce our old friend the devil—hoofs and horns and all?’ Well what the time of day has to do with it I do not know. And I am not particular about the hoofs and horns. But in other respects my answer is ‘Yes, I do’. I do not claim to know anything about his personal appearance. If anybody really wants to know him better I would say to that person, ‘Don’t worry. If you really want to, you will. Whether you’ll like it when you do is another question.’

Mere Christianity. Page 46