One Hundred Pieces Bad

My son, Calvin, has a knack for putting words together. He has been talking non-stop about how his fifth birthday is "coming on," and keeps referring to himself in the third person as "Calvie." I find myself unable to keep these quotes to myself, so here is the most recent gem he gave us at a restaurant the other day.

Calvin: Daddy?
Me: What do you need, Calvin?
Calvin: I need to go to the bathroom.
Me: Can you wait for just a minute?
Calvin: I can't. I have to go really bad. I have to go one hundred pieces bad!

He wasn't kidding...

Melatonin

We bought a sixty dollar swimming pool for the kids this year at Aldis. Yes, you can buy swimming pools at Aldis. You can buy almost anything at Aldis depending on how stocked they are, but I digress...(we love Aldis). It sits in the back yard atop a ten foot diameter circle of dead, brown grass, and my children have been in it every day this week. Even though it only fills up to about two feet deep, I have enjoyed it too. Blow-up rafts float just as well in a kiddie pool as they do in the ocean and are just as relaxing.

Having spent so much time in the sun, my kids are all nicely tanned. Chemically, the sun reacts with their bodies releasing melatonin which turns the skin to a golden brown. Melatonin also regulates the circadian rhythms of the body which make you sleep well and feel rested and happy. In short, being tan makes you happy, and it is the work of melatonin inside your body that makes you tan. That's why you come out of the tanning bed after ten minutes of relaxation feeling like a million bucks. Melatonin...it's at work in your body to make you feel better.But it's not the only thing at work in you.

For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him.
Philippians 2:13

We go through life almost completely unaware of the chemical elements working inside of us, regulating our internal systems and keeping us going, but we must never forget that there is another force at work within us. This force is not focused on helping us sleep better or making us feel good. This force is not designed to fight off disease or make our hair and nails grow fast. It is the force of God's love working inside of us, giving us the power to do what we could never do on our own - live a life that is totally pleasing to him. This may sound like a condemnation to some, that it's impossible to live in a way that would satisfy God's perfect nature. Rather, it's a huge relief! Even though we are imperfect, God's power works within us to make it possible to live a life that will make him happy and bring him joy.

We could never make ourselves spiritually tan, but God is working in you and me to do just that. And who doesn't love being tan?

Eating An Elephant

Packing up your house to move is like eating an elephant. It's just so huge that you gotta tackle it, but where do you start? Do you start with the big meaty parts to get them out of the way, or is it a better strategy to start with the trunk and work your way back so you can really see your progress? Do you start packing up the rooms where you don't really spend that much time, or do you get rid of the stuff that you never use in the rooms that you spend the most time in? Do you start boxing things you might need, or keep them in tidy piles around the house so you can access them if necessary? I think I'd rather just be eating twinkies than an elephant anyway.

Four Great Years

Four years ago, almost to the day, Terri and I, along with our children, followed the call of God to go into ministry for the first time at Eagle Creek Church in Lee's Summit, MO. Without question, it has been the most rewarding four years of our lives. God has given us relationships that have blessed us beyond measure and has changed us dramatically as we have leaned on him for our strength.

It was with deep regret that four years after our first Sunday at Eagle Creek I tendered my resignation as worship pastor. When we started our ministry journey here we trusted that God would lead us and equip us for every future challenge, and we continue to do so today as we look forward to where he is going to lead us next in our journey with him.

We know he will continue to bless and grow Eagle Creek, and our desire, greater than any other, is that those of you who are part of the church will continue to seek him with all your heart, soul, mind and strength. It has been our deepest honor to serve you and we will never forget what this church has meant to us.