Christmas

We're having a baby!

Sara & I found out last week that we are pregnant! We are due to have a baby join family around July 28th. We are extremely excited about it! I guess the saying for us goes, "First comes love, then comes marriage, then comes the dog, then comes the baby in the baby carriage." Sara & I feel Western is an amazing place to raise a baby at and couldn't think of a better community to help us feel cared for & safe with a little one. Talk about on site baby-sitters too! We are excited to look to next year & everything that it will bring. 

I coach 2 teams here at Western during basketball season. I am the Head JV Coach & a Varsity Assistant. Currently both teams are 4-0 & our varsity team is currenlty ranked #1 in state at the 2A level. Saturday we had a monumental game vs #1 ranked (3A) Regis that went to 3 overtimes. It ended in a 4 point win for us and was an extremely emotional game. Consequently in the game, our star shooting guard broke his wrist in the 1st quarter and will be out 4-6 weeks. It was a huge downer for our team, but it will simply just cause the guys to unify even more & rely on each other. If you'd like to follow our team and read about each game, go to: http://www.maxpreps.com/oregon/basketball/western-mennonite-(salem)/schedule.aspx?schoolid=2e9e9468-1ab3-4ed5-b845-919335241373&gendersport=boys,basketball&urpath=,local,team 

I'm back

Man, it has been a long time since I've blogged. So much has changed since the last time I was able to log on here. 

Sara & I are working out at Western Mennonite School. She is teaching Middle School History, Geography, & Language Arts. She is loving the kids & enjoying this teaching experience a lot. It is incredibly different then what she was doing last year, & overall she loves the change & is glad she made it.

I am the Dorm Director at Western. We have 39 students that stay in the dorm, & of those 39, 20 are international. We have 8 different countries represented in the dorm. I have 6 staff members that work for me & so far this year is going so well. The students seem to love it here & I have had to do very little discipline which is rare. 

Basketball has started & that has me busy, but very excited. Our varsity team is ranked #1 or #2 in state depending on what ranking your looking at & we are posed to have another fantastic year. My JV team is loaded with talent again this year & we should challenge our 21-3 record from last year. 

Sara & I live here on campus, & when we took the jobs we weren't sure how the living arrangements would be. After a few months of being here on campus 24/7, we are learning to love it. It is quiet & peaceful. Our dog Promise has plenty of room to run around & it is so convenient having everything you do be within walking distance. The only bad thing was it didn't have cable or satellite & the Internet was limited as it had school blocks. So after months of looking into stuff, we finally have our own Internet & I can finally access my blog once again! Hallelujah! Sometimes in the warp speed of life, work, family, & friends you begin to get out of touch with people you want to stay in contact with. My blog is a resource I use to keep people involved in Sara & I's life. It has been rough lately not being able to blog for 5 months. but hopefully now I'm back on the blogging trail & I will start it back up.

Lately, God has been opening doors for Sara & I to talk with people or be a support to people. It has been amazing to see the blessings that he has given us that have allowed us to freely bless other people. We have been learning that even in the hard times, God is doing something new & creating growth. Even in the unlikely of circumstances, He is growing us up to reach to higher heights. Last year at this time we were at a low point in our marriage. We were arguing, we didn't have a dime to our name, I felt 100% responsible, & we simply didn't know what to do. All I kept doing was trusting God & trusting He had our best interests in mind & that He would bring Sara & I stronger together. Flash forward one year & we couldn't be happier. Our marriage is fantastic, we have more than enough money which has allowed us to begin to get out of debt & to bless others, & we absolutely love our jobs & know we are right where God wants us. It's amazing to see how God works & how he can make a "flower grow through the cracks even in hard times." 

Sara & I are embarking on our 4th Thanksgiving together & know one thing...I am so thankful for her & the blessing she is to me. I am thankful for my family. I have been blessed now with 2 wonderful Fathers who are great men to be with, 2 spirit filled-interceding mothers who are a joy to me, 5 sisters who I care for dearly & would do anything for, 2 brothers who are great guys, & grandparents who love me through thick & thin. I have an amazing family & am so blessed to be surrounded by such great people. In this holiday season I am thankful for what I have & expectant to what is to come. I only hope I am as much of a blessing to others as they are to me...

"What love we've given, we'll have forever. What love we fail to give, will be lost for all eternity."

Leo Buscaglia

Quick Week

We spent Father's Day over at my parents house. It was a fun, low key day. We decided to just do a low key dinner for my dad (spaghetti) & then we had some amazing strawberry shortcake that Sara & I made. WOW, it was good. You know it's summer time when the strawberries are oh so sweet, yet tangy at the same time. If you don't know what I'm talking about, then you have never had fresh strawberries.

Here are my 3 of my 4 nephews (From left to right: Ashton, Kaenan, & Sam). They were hot so they took off their shirts & went running through the yard. They thought they were pretty tough & looked cool. Oh to be a kid again, eh?

My Dad & I were just relaxing inside while everyone ate outside. I think he really enjoyed his Father's Day & we are all so blessed to have him still with us. He gave us quite a scare 3 years ago with the worst cancer there is, Pancreatic Cancer. However, my Dad is a fighter! He never gave up & as of last month he is cancer free & considered cured! We were just kicking back & relaxing while we enjoyed an outstanding U.S. Open that ended as dramatic as any major golf tournament could.


Here is my moms thumb now. She has had such a crazy week with this infection that really sprung up from no where. They concluded it was staff infection & possibly some other things, but staff was the main culprit. She has gone through a lot of pain lately & is still in quite a bit as her top layer of skin on her finger is gone & she still has an open gash in her finger. After surgery they think they have fixed the problem, but only time will tell.

This weekend we are headed to Sunriver for 4 days & then we are staying with our Aunt & Uncle for a few days. It should be a fun time with friends & then family. Sara & I feel so blessed to have the freedom to take trips during the summer & to manage our time as we wish. It's the beauty of being self employed & both of us working for schools as well. It means summer's are free but you still get paid. You can't beat that!

BLESSING

Sara & I have been talking about our car situation since we rarely use my 1994 Ford Explorer & it is running harder & harder by the day. We were talking about potentially selling it since I will be at Western almost always during the days so I wouldn't need a car. We have been racking our brain, talking about it, praying about it, etc but have not come to a decisive decision.

On our way home from Sara's parents 2 weekends ago, we talked the entire way about the car situation. The pro's & cons of what to do, but we never came to a decision we really felt good about since transporting Promise is still in issue in the car.

Well unknown to us, Sara's phone had died & she had a missed call. When we got home & she plugged it in, she noticed the missed call & voicemail. It was from her Aunt, so she gave her a call back. To make a long story short, her Aunt shares with us that they had bought a more gas efficient car due to the amount of driving they do so they were discussing what to do with their minivan. As they prayed about it, they felt God was telling them to give it to us. No not sell....I said GIVE!

Sara & I were completely blown away by this & were honestly humbled beyond compare. God has provided for us over & over this past year & as we sneak up to our one year anniversary (June 30) he has astounded us once again. There have been months where we were worried about money or how we were going to buy gifts for birthdays, but every time we have made it. He astounds us that as we follow after him & honor him in our actions, time, & life he blesses us beyond our wildest dreams. We could have never conceived this situation. We could have easily come up with a smart & economic decision on our own, but his plans our so much higher then our own. Who would have thought that the whole time Sara & I were talking about the car situation all the way home, that God had already taken care of it & it was waiting in our voicemail. What a blessing!

So in a few weeks we will be the proud owner of a Maroon, 1996 Minivan. God is good...that's all I can say!

Short Days

A renown political & news figure, Tim Russert, died this morning. Such a sad incident to have occurred. He was a man that I loved watching. Whether you liked his programs, his character, his political stance, or him as a person; you have to feel sorry for his family. He had just come back from a vacation with his family less then 24 hours before his tragic death at work. He will surely be missed & NBC won't be the same without him! My heart goes out to his family & all of his friends. He had touched many lives & I'm sure many people are as shocked as I am today. I was in awe as I read the news thinking how young he was. I watched "Meet the Press" often & it won't be the same without him.

It makes you think of how short our days can be. Live in the moment & live each every day as if it's your last. Never let regret hold you down or hold you back!

Green....er.....Purple Thumb

My mom got a bad infection in her left thumb over the weekend & has escalated to the point where she is in the hospital this evening for observation. The have sliced her thumb up numerous times now to try to find the infection & have yet to find it, but are hopeful that a heavy dose of antibiotics tonight will help it. Here are a couple of pictures I took on my phone this afternoon when I stopped by their house (before the hospital trip)...

This Weekend

We went to Lebanon this weekend to Sara's parent's. We had a great time & it was very relaxing! Sometimes it is nice to get away, turn off the phones, & just relax somewhere else. The Strawberry Festival was fun! It was the first time I had been to it & it was definetely not what I expected, but fun all the same. Here is a video of the parade...



Here is a video of our dog running free in their backyard. She absolutely loves to run in the grass; she even regretfully loves eating it as well. Also, there's some video my mother in law's yard at the end, with her growing garden. Their yard is looking so good. They have put a TON of work into it over the past couple years and are building a big shop in the back this summer!

Restful weekend

We are heading down to Lebanon to stay with my in-laws for the weekend to go to their Strawberry Festival. Sara & I are really excited to go & have a fun relaxing weekend.

Before we head out, I thought I would leave you with 2 videos that are ALWAYS funny & NEVER gets old!

Birthday Weekend

I had my 23rd birthday on Friday, May 30th. It was a fun week of birthday festivities! Last Sunday, we went to Red Robin & then to see Prince Caspian with some friends. It was a good time & I liked the movie.

On Friday we celebrated my birthday with my family. Here's a picture of me opening gifts.

Here is my beautiful wife hanging out with me on my parents swing after the birthday BBQ.


Even though it was my birthday, I HAD to show the boys how to really hit a whiffle ball. =)


This is my adorable niece Juniper. She was quite the smiley girl & did very well considering everyone wanted to hold her. What a good girl she is! My sister Karli & Landon are doing a wonderful job raising their children.


On Saturday we had a BBQ with some friends from church for my b-day. Afterwards we went to Cosmic Blowing here in McMinnville. We had a blast! It had been a while since I went bowling & it took the first game to get me warmed up....I only bowled a 107 the first game. The second however, I found my nitch. I was frustrated as I missed numerous opportunities for strikes or spares (I was robbed of a couple) I bowled a 189. I had a great time & all in all a good birthday. I've found that the older you get, the less "exciting" birthday's are. When you are young, birthdays are a huge event! As you get older however, it is more of an accomplishment then a event. No I don't mean an accomplishment of surviving, but more of an accomplishment of looking a what you have done over the past year.

Sara & I talked about what we have done over the past year. It is amazing! Since my 22nd birthday, I have sold a store, switched jobs now twice, gotten married, went on a honeymoon, went on a cruise, switched churches, & many many MANY other small things. It is incredible to see how much Sara & I have changed & to see what we hae accomplished. God is faithful & it has been one of the best years of my life!

On a side note, I found out that we get to paint our new apartment at Western. We are very excited about that so we can make our place more homey! So we have been looking at paint swatches & trying to decide what we want to do. The moving day is coming up quick: July 27th.

I am a little sore today as I had to ref 3 summer league basketball games last night by myself. We are headed over to some friends tonight for dinner & games. Should be exactly what the doctor ordered!

Sad Day

Yesterday, a tragic accident happened to a very good man...his daughter was killed. Steven Curtis Chapman, whether you think he is corny or not, is a very intelligent, compassionate, God-fearing man. He has won 5 Grammy awards & 54 Dove awards. He is a very talented musician, but above all that he is a wonderful father & husband. His wife & his heart is in missions. He travels around the country often to reach out to other countries & orphanages. His wife & him recently adopted 3 girls from China. Well, tragically one of those girls was killed last night by her brother. It is a tragic story that I encourage you to read!

Too funny

Full House

This weekend we have our Aunt & Uncle staying with us from Sisters. They are the ones that run Mountain View Labradoodles. They are who we received Promise from. We are very close to them & so we had a nice visit last night & it is going to be a fun weekend, especially with the weather! We have quite the full house though. Including Promise, we have 5 full grown dogs, 8 puppies, one bird, & four adults. Quite the zoo, but it is fun!

Here are is mom, Zoey, with her 8 puppies. They are in their whelping box in our garage. They are rather cute & quite adorable!
This is Chloe their parrot. She talks rather well & her favorite song is "Hey Hey Good Lookin'. What you got cookin'? How about cookin' something up with me!"
Here are 3 of the dogs. Faith is the red one on the left, our Promise on the right & Mazy in the back. They also have their male, Legend, here but he is currently at the vet so no pictures of him yet.

This & That

Last night we spent the evening watching a drama team perform at our church, the Jeremiah People. They were actually really good. It was good drama mixed with a bit of a musical & a good message. They actually partner with a good cause to bring relief to orphans all over the world. All in all, it was a good night & Sara & I really enjoyed ourselves.




I have been working on editing our Honeymoon video's. This is a video I shot from the 4th of July at Epcot in Orlando, Florida. It had me thinking...once a year America gets together to "celebrate" our inception & to celebrate our freedom. At this time we have disasters all over, from hurricanes, to earthquakes, to tornadoes, to wild fires, let alone political fighting in countries all over as well as war. At this point there are disasters all over the world. It made me think how once a year we can put everything aside & simple celebrate what God has done in our country & in our world. It is so easy to get away from that & become so cynical these days. It's also so easy to forget the blessings we have & how blessed we are. Our economy is in shambles, our US dollar value is a joke, the war is trying, political fighting is at an all time high, yet we still have so much to be thankful for! We have so much to look forward to!

Enjoy the 90 degree heat the next 3 days!

I'm a year round Pioneer now!

I applied for a job at the high school I graduated from, Western Mennonite High School, this past week. Low & behold I got hired for the job. Starting in August I will be the Dorm Director at Western as well as continuing to coach. Sara & I will be moving there at the end of July. We are extremely excited about it & financially it will be very good for us! I love Western & have since I went there. It is a great school, great atmosphere, & filled with great people. I would recommend the school to anyone with middle/high school kids. I'm excited to take this next step in our lives & this will open me up to focus on my real passion....basketball!

Update on gas

Here's a video that explains more on what I was wrote the other day. Predictions last night on Fox News? $4 by July. That's right....2 months away from $4! Yet oil tycoons profits are up 200% since 2006. How does that work out? This sure is turning into quite the problem & it appears the government has no idea how to fix it. It sure seems like a quick fix to me...Why does it seem brains stop thinking clearly when they hit D.C.? =) Must be in the water!

Horses & Gas Prices

The Kentucky Derby was on Saturday. It is one of the most historical horse races in any world, let alone the US. The only Filly in the race, 3 year old Eight Belles ran an amazing race. She was supposed to have no chance of winning. Coming down the straight away she made an awkward move & then bolted past the pack. Her & the winner, Big Brown, busted away from the pack . It appeared it was going to be a photo finish, but then Eight Belles seemed to have run out of gas. After crossing the finish line, Eight Belles went crumpling down to the dirt & sent her jockey face first into the ground. The TV camera's & everyone in the arena was focused on the amazing favorite's big win. Little did anyone know that Eight Belles had broken both her front ankles/legs in a horrendous event. If you know anything about horses, they almost always develop life threatening diseases when they break a leg. Usually your left with one choice...put them down.

The picture above shows a moment when Eight Belles tried to stand back up. As you notice she was trying to stand on horribly broken legs & went stumbling back to the dirt. It was one of the most saddest moments in recent sports history. Normally you never see this & we have been subjected to it twice the past 4 years (Barbaro), with both horses being put down.

This has brought up many arguments in the horse racing world. Should they require horses to be 5 before racing as until that point they are still growing? (Eight Belles was 3 & her legs were no where near being fully developed which could have led to the injuries by being pushed so hard) Should the do away with Horse whips in open racing allowing the horses to go as fast or slow as they feel they need to? Horses are pleasing animals just as dogs are. They desire to please their masters, so is pushing horses doing more harm then good? I simply don't know, but all I know is it is extremely sad!

Gas prices are simply out of control right now. Here in McMinnville/Newberg where Sara & I spend most of our time, gas has soared to $3.63. It is slowely creeping close to $4! I remember a time when my mom would freak out about $1.49!

I own a Ford Explorer & to fill that sucker up, it's $60-$70 bucks! President Bush has spoken about this numerous times over the past few weeks....most recently today on GMA. Presidential candidates John McCain & Hillary Clinton have supported tax day breaks in recent weeks, as Barack Obama has claimed "it will do no good." Obama & Clinton have also supported drilling more in oil rich cities as well as taxing the oil companies higher.

At this point, there are many solutions that "could" work, but we need to simply DO SOMETHING! It is too late to wait for the perfect solution. The American people are starting to sell everything they own to simply afford driving to work. Craigslist ad's are up 70% this year. E-bay is up 64%. If you look closer, you see family heirlooms being auctioned off for money to survive. We don't have time to find the perfect solution. Bush spoke about becoming less reliant upon foreign oil....well I'm all for that, but that is a long term plan. How are you going to help us now??!!!??

The stimulant checks were a start, but not a solution. We need to get the economy jump started & EVERYTHING is plummeting off the oil prices. Don't believe me? Food prices are up due to the farmers having to pay higher gas prices during harvesting. Then the companies that drive it to your local store have to pay diesel prices that have skyrocketed from last year. The largest backbone behind the stock market the past decade? You guessed it...the oil companies!

Something has to be done & fast! This is a priority for the House, Senate, President, & Candidates, but yet it has gone on for months with no result. How long will we have to auction off Grandma's Tea Set to buy gas for the next week?

Election 08

I work from home, so daily I read or watch the news. This has been one of the most publicized & quite simply, the longest presidential primaries we have ever had. They started in record time & are yet to be over as we head into the final days. It has led to a variety of uniqueness in this election process; some of which many voters grow tired of.

CHANGE-CHANGE-CHANGE is what 73% of the American population is screaming for after our country has been in a free fall financially over the past 8 years. Our US Dollar has gone from by far the top, to the middle of the pack in world currency. Our countries financial deficit is at an all time high & what is the American people asking for? Change!

Whether you are a Bush supporter or not, the resounding majority is asking for a new direction, a change of pace, & a financial freedom that once exemplified this great nation. Some simply want a Bush backer in McCain to do it, other's want a female with experience to do it, & yet other's feel a young mind who is assertive should do it while breaking down the color barrier. Where do you stand?

To be frank....I don't care! I'm not into debating politics & rights & wrongs. America is home to FREEDOM. You are welcome to think what you wish & I personally won't push my thoughts upon you. My closest friends know that I can debate with the best of them, & I rarely lose. (maybe I should of gotten into politics). The "debating" brings me to my point of this post...

Politics have gotten dirty. That is not a shock to anyone. Unless you have lived under a rock the past 20 years, you have seen it. From every presidential race to the tiny county commissioner races. Everyone is jockeying for position & they all have a "do whatever it takes" mentality. This time of year I can barely stand to watch commercials, as every other commercial is of someone slamming someone else.

What happened to politics that highlighted what you were offering??!!!?? You always have the candidates that "try" to run a clean campaign, but are eventually sucked in. For instance, in the presidential race, everyone "tries" to stay above water & just talk about what they will do as President, but eventually they all start bashing each other. Clinton says something stupid about her trip to Bosnia, so instead of simply leaving it to the media, Obama & McCain feel they need to lambaste her themselves. Obama makes some interesting comments in Pennsylvania as well as his Pastor going off the deep end. Do the others leave it alone? Of course not....McCain & Clinton nail him to the wall & ride that story like a rented mule. McCain contradicts himself last week twice. Do they let the media kill him & simply stay quiet? HECK NO, Obama & Clinton come at him full force, echoing why a Democrat needs to be in there instead of a Republican. (& I didn't even mention the Republican mud slinging that happened before everyone dropped out)

Why have we become so dirty? Why has everyone fallen into this mockery we call an election process? Is it really impossible to run a clean campaign? YES! If you don't throw punches back, you'll be like the little nerd in school who is getting shoved into his locker every day, yet wondering why everyone always laughs at him. In this century, you have no chance of winning in politics without throwing punches yourself. Clean, in reference to politics, has taken on a whole new meaning.

I love politics & feel that you should be completely informed before basing an opinion. I'm rather bothered by this great divide called "political parties" which seems to be getting bigger each day. FACT: Bill Clinton was the best financial President we have ever had & was a Democrat. FACT: Reagan was the best foreign relations President we have ever has & was a Republican. FACT: Al Gore thinks he created the internet.

Ok, that last one was for fun, but on a serious note why have we become so robotic in our voting? Studies show that 87% of voters simply vote for their party line in elections. 87%!!!! For all you know you could disagree with everything they stand for, but "shoot, their a Democrat/Republican so I'm voting for _______". COME ON PEOPLE!!! Pick up a paper, read the issues, evaluate what's important to you, evaluate morals, ethics, policies, promises, etc. Stop voting for the pretty face of a party & vote for the "CHANGE" you obviously are asking for.

"Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country." You owe it to everyone to understand who your voting for. If your not registered, you owe it to everyone to simply VOTE! I'm tired of hearing complaining by both parties & by people in the streets, yet don't do research to find out where real change is going to come from. America is hurting right now. Everyone from President Bush to a citizen like me knows it. So it's pretty easy to stand on a podium & preach "WE WANT CHANGE" while the crowd goes wild. This is something all 3 candidates have done. Yet do you know who will bring it? Do you really? Or do you simply listen to a few news stories & think you know? HINT: In case you haven't figured it out yet, the media outlets are biased one way or another.

Sometimes a candidate will say anything to get elected, even to the point of changing his/her position numerous times. So how do you find the truth? Look at there history. Find out how they have voted & acted in the past. Find out what they have supported & denounced in the past.

Do we really want someone like Eliot Spitzer making it into the White House & not knowing the demons he has in his closet? RESEARCH! BE INFORMED! BE EDUCATED! This is one of the most important election years we have ever had in this country. From President down to local officials. This election is turning out to be one of the most ground breaking & influential elections in recent history. Whether for good or for bad this election will decide a future path for this country & you owe it to your country to do something for it.

Where do I stand? To be honest, I know plenty. I have visited Clinton's site, Obama's site, as well as McCain's site & read up on everything. At this point I don't know who I'm going to vote for. I'm a registered Republican, but when this election comes around I may vote Republican or I may vote Democrat. I have vowed to myself to know all the issues & to vote off of my standard not my parties standard or obligation. I challenge you to do the same!

In closing, I don't know if you saw on the news last week, but they showed a picture of how bad President Bush has aged over his presidency. It was astonishing! So they did the same to the presidential hopefuls. Check out the photo below. That is what stress will do to ya!

Promise

Here are some pictures of our new bundle of joy! She is very cute & a very well behaved & trained dog.

The Shack

So I just got done reading a book called "The Shack". I would recommend this book to any person. Christian or none Christian. It brings a real aspect to the "sensation" we call God. It is a book that captivates you from the onset. You get wrapped up into the story line, all the while learning about this person we call God/Jesus/The Holy Spirit. The book would be a exemplified as a modern day Pilgrim's Progress. It is near the top of Amazon's best sellers & the book speaks for itself. I have no need to pump this book, other than to say go read it. I guarantee it will morph the way you look at spirituality & it may simply radically alter your life.

I encourage you to go to your local library & rent it or go buy it. You can find it at Barnes & Noble, Amazon.com, or by simply going here.

Go check it out!

PROMISE

Sara & I spent 4 days in snowy Sisters to visit our Aunt & Uncle that live there. It was absolutely beautiful all week. It was sunny, yet cold. They own a very successful dog breeding business.

These dogs have been created to be very smart & trainable, but are intended to be inside dogs. They are very compassionate & mild tempered. Well Sara & I have wanted a dog for a while. We talked with them about buying a puppy from us. Well we ended up becoming a guardian home for a dog which they already have. Which means we get the dog for free, but are in charge of taking care of it. It was a family "special". =)

So in 2 weeks, Sara & I will own "Promise". She is a beautiful dog & very sweet. She is 7 months old. We are very excited to add this addition to our family.

Chameleon

For those of you that don't know what that is above, it is a Chameleon. Chameleon's can change color at a moments notice. They change their appearance & who they are to protect themselves. It is simply a defense mechanism to defend themselves. It is a spare me, eat the guy next to me mentality.

You may be asking, "Dude, you haven't posted in 2 weeks & then your talking in 3rd person about a Chameleon? What's your deal?" Well without going into detail to keep some privacy, I am frustrated how people can only look out for themselves. They may be the one in the wrong or they may be the one who is deserving of a consequence, yet they will change their appearance or do whatever it takes as to not take the fall. I recently ran into a situation like this where "someone" had tried to defame my character as a man, put a mar on my marriage, & simply for their own gain.

How can people sleep at night knowing they are using someone else? Is it all about the betterment of yourself in this life? I would beg to differ! For some reason I recall the Bible saying treat others how you would want to be treated & to love your brother. Yet I also remember the verse to turn the other cheek. That is one I am all too familiar with.

I had a conversation with my wife last night about this. My whole life I have been in a position where people feel they need to tear me down. Whether because I have been a leader most of my life or because people feel threatened by me, but for some reason they feel they need to "bring me back down to their level." So what happens? I end up getting a rumor spread about me here, a lie said there, & I'm always left to pick up the pieces, defend myself, & TURN THE OTHER CHEEK to forgive.

Where is the justice in that? Well if God is a just God, then I know it is for some reason. This recent episode had me not furious, yet calm & serene in a manor that was more like "here we go again." My sister Shelly & I have a rare quality that you don't find in most people these days. It's called being REAL or transparent. What you see is what you get with us. My life is an open book, sometimes you simply have to ask. I don't act a certain way as to impress someone or to fluff their shorts. I simple act like me. I am the lizard that refuses to change color thus why I guess I'm the one who gets eaten. I feel no reason to act someway that I am not to appease anyone. I am a 22 year old married man that loves God, loves sports, & values family & friendships. That is who I am. I don't need to be fake around anyone. I am confident & secure in who I am through the good times & the bad.

If only other people could catch on to the revelation of being transparent & real. Gossip would be limited to a minimum, fighting would lessen because people would know the truth out front, & people would be able to get closer to you because they simply know who you are & know your TRUE character.

The Bible says they will know you by your fruit! Well I know I can squelch rumors simply by letting my character, or fruit would you, dissolve them. I will leave you with this phrase:

If God is the tree & we are the branches. Why are we trying so hard to produce fruit? It is impossible for us to do something we have no ability to do. Our job is simply to receive the Sap & then Fruit happens. If your have heard anything it is this RECEIVE THE SAP.....FRUIT HAPPENS!

State Pic's