New Volunteer

Tonight I have a new volunteer staff person starting at youth group. I am so excited! First of all, she is a she, and that has been hard to come by in our ministry. Second, she has a real heart for the girls in the youth ministry. And last, she is the best looking volunteer I've ever gotten to work with! (I was going to post a picture, but blogger won't let me right now, so to end the suspense, the new volunteer is in fact my wife!)

Family Core Values #1

During Sunday School at church (where else would it be, I guess) we have been talking about our churches core value of "Building Strong Families." The teacher has encouraged us to be coming up with core values for our families and so, away we go.

#1: Love God

Jesus said it well in Mark 12:30: "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength." I hope my family lives this out together, individually, and through involvement in Christ's body, the church.
Together
We try to spend time talking about things we are seeing God do in our lives (or maybe what we want to see but aren't). We spend time talking with the kids about God and read through Bible stories with them. As the kids grow I hope we can openly and honestly talk about faith and life and doubt and God all together. I definitely struggle to lead this one in my house. I spend a lot of my job doing this very thing for a bunch of students and get lazy with my family. But I am a work in progress and God is full of grace.
Individually
Pretty obvious, I hope my relationship with Christ is not all that tethers my wife or kids to Christ. I pray that Shiloh will be continually drawn to have depth in her quiet times with God and that my kids will make the decision to follow Christ not because I do, but because they fall completely and totally in love with who he is.
The Church
God gave it to us to live in and know him better. It's easy to get disgruntled with the church (I have spent way too much time there) and just quit being a part of it. Love it or hate it, think it should stay the same or change radically, I hope my family always is a part of what God is doing to and through the church.

#2 to theoretically come tomorrow. Also, as this is about family I plan on showing off the cuteness that is my kids pretty much every time I post.

What do you think? What is a core value that guides your family?

Proud Dad

This morning as we were getting ready for the day Carsen came over and sat on my lap. He looked at me and then started chanting, "Rock Chalk Jayhawk" four or five times and then he went on his way to the next thing. At least he's learning something good from me! Hopefully I show him what it looks like to follow Jesus as well as I've taught him to love the Jayhawks and Broncos.

Casper

2008 has been complete and total insanity for my family. Our house is slowly moving toward finished, Shiloh is still teaching and I'm still staying home with the kids while she teaches and then trying to work 40+ hours a week. So this weekend we decided to run away for a night and go to the metropolis of Casper, WY. (Seriously, there are almost 50,000 people here, I tend to forget such large numbers of people can live in one place.) We have had a great day of being a family with nothing to do but spend time together, no drywall to be done or papers to grade. I wish we could convince ourselves to do this more often. I can't wait for tomorrow and more time with my family!