How Does Memorial Day Matter?
A picture from the Vietnam Wall of our relative that gave the ultimate sacrifice, his life.
How does Memorial Day matter to you? Is that you get a long weekend that is all that matters? Is that you get to barbecue and have a few beers with friends is that all that matters?
For my family and I it has always been an opportunity for us to remember that there are men and women that gave their lives so that ours would matter. That we have generation after generation of men and women in our family tree that have served in some form or another for our country. So for us when it comes to Memorial Day it is the men and women who have given the ultimate sacrifice so that we can have the freedoms that we enjoy. Like having a long weekend. Like having a barbecue and a couple of beers with friends. Let us not forget why we have this holiday.
So thank you to Clayton P. Hoffman (grandpa), thank you Phil Bloyer (dad), thank you Clay Bloyer (brother), and ultimately Sheldon E. Bloyer.
Who are those that you choose to remember when it comes to Memorial Day?
21 Years in 21 Pictures
It is so easy to be able to sit back and just buy a card. But when it comes to celebrating one of the greatest days of my life I don’t ever just want it to be easy. So here is a special gift to my bride on May 16th our 21st Anniversary.
I praise God for the woman who has made me better and stronger because she is in my life.
Making Dreams Come True
Go Bears!
As you read this I will be in our truck driving my son up to his first year of college and college football. It is has been an interesting week for both Michelle and I as we send number two off to school. But I have to be honest I am so proud of Tyler and his dedication and drive. As he seeks to make his dreams come true to play college and then eventually professional football.
Ever since the days of Pop Warner Football in AZ, then high school football that got him going in Benicia, CA, to the great team and coaching staff at Rangeview in Aurora. They all prepared him for this day. As he has dreamt of playing football.
Here are some things that I want to encourage other younger dads to think about when it comes to encouraging your kids to dream.
- Encourage them to hear from God about their dreams and goals.
- Let them dream while they are young. (Don’t beat big dreams out of them because you didn’t get your chance.)
- When it comes time encourage them to evaluate dreams and goals. (5’2″ and wants to be the outside hitter for volleyball in the Olympics, for my daughter Dani.)
- Enable them to see the dreams and possibilities else where if things change.
- Be their biggest Fan but don’t be the obnoxious parent thinking of a signing bonus. (I coach high school football and there are those parents.)
- Help them to be disciplined if they want to dream big. (Going to bed on time, doing homework, and actually working out not walking around talking in the gym.)
- Turn them loose.
By the way UNC starts this years season playing against Utah on ESPN. I dream that Tyler will be on that field at some point and time in the game. Tyler I am proud of you and I know that you are going to rock the house!
What are some things that I missed and that you would add to the list? Make a comment below.
Signing Day with my Son
It has been a a very intense couple of weeks while my son Tyler walked through deciding which college that he wanted to attend. We made a trip to Adams State College in Alamosa, CO and met some amazing coaches. It was a great weekend with my son and one of the other players from Rangeview as they walked through the campus. It was fun to see the different perspectives they each had about the school and being a future student there.
Then the next week we spent a day at the University of Colorado in Greeley. It was a first class day with a first class program. The head coach at the school is an amazing man and I believe a coach that is getting ready to make a difference in this schools football program. Along with the other coaches that are there I think this program is heading in an amzsing direction. But it was not up to me. It was a decision that Tyler had to make on his own. So we left Greeley came home and began the process of preparing for signing day.
On Sunday afternoon I thought that Tyler had fallen asleep so I opened his door to walk in and turn off his radio. But to my surprise he was sitting at his desk with the two hats of the two schools that he had visited with the pens across the bills. There in front of the two hats was his bible opened up to Psalms and Tyler was praying over the two hats. He was really seeking what God wanted in this decision. So I slowly shut the door and returned to the living room to share with Michelle what I had just seen. It was a moment that I will keep in my heart as a dad. In fact to me that was even better then the moment that I watched him sign his letter of intent. Signing day with my son was a day that I saw a young man take to heart the direction that God had laid on his heart and he took an amazing step of faith. I am so proud of the man that my son is and I can’t wait to see what happens in the coming years while he is playing football and attending the University of Colorado.
This is what I found on my son's desk.
Do you need encouragement?
Ever have one of those days where you just wish some one would acknowledge that you are doing a good job at whatever it is your doing that day? I mean maybe if you are a stay at home mom, that your husband or kids would just tell you that you are doing awesome and that they love their home. Wouldn’t that be nice? I mean how about husbands that work away from home and are gone for a couple of days, that when you get home you hear from your wife and kids that they missed you and want to be with you. Instead, you get the list of broken things in the home and dad you promised to take me to the store. Don’t you want to be encouraged? How about for those high school and middle school students that are taking on the world in school. That when you get home you hear that you were missed and that is there anything that your parents could do for you while you do the 12 million hours of home work. But instead you hear about the chores that aren’t done or about how you missed one thing on the project and it wasn’t the grade that your parents had hoped for in that class. Don’t you want more encouragement?
I recently was sitting and working away and was kind of having one of those days, where I just wanted to hear I was doing a good job. That things were going well and that even though my emotions were getting the better of me, that God is the one in charge I am not, and today was better than I thought. When I looked up at the huge wipe board in my office and saw this:
Morgan making her dad's day!
There she left me a little note just telling me she loved me. What a great reminder and an encouragement to me. It made the rest of my day just hinking about how my “favorite youngest daughter” loved me. Maybe that is what you need to hear too? Maybe you need to know that from not just the people around you but from God himself. You see God being the great dad that He is even knew that was important. Look at what he said to His son:
Matthew 3:17 (NLT) “And a voice from heaven said, “This is my dearly loved son, who brings me great joy.”
Guess what you are His kid and you too bring Him joy. So even if you can’t see it on the wipe board in your office know that God loves you and He wants you to lean into Him and hear I Love you, your doing a good job.
Hope that you are encouraged! Maybe this is something you need to share with someone else? Go encourage someone, maybe on their wipe board.
Occupy – The Home
I have been watching and have been curious about the OCCUPY movement and all that they are doing. I think that no matter what your political persuasion is that their intent is good when it comes to those that are losing homes during this season of life. So I am thinking about starting my own OCCUPY movement. It is the OCCUPY your home movement and it is for fathers.
Facts compiled by the Department of Justice
63% of youth suicides are from fatherless homes
90% of all homeless and runaway youths are from fatherless homes.
85% of children who exhibit behavioral disorders are from fatherless homes.
71% of high school dropouts are from fatherless homes.
70% of youths in State institutions are from fatherless homes.
75% of adolescent patients in substance abuse centers are from fatherless homes.
85% of rapists motivated by displaced anger are from fatherless homes
I am encouraging and praying that we can rally fathers to OCCUPY their homes. To see that the need to be at work or even at play all the time is damaging our country more then the housing crisis. I believe many men have not had the benefit of a father themselves so they are just continuing to follow in their own fathers foot steps and some where along the line things need to change. We need a group of men that are discontent with the way that things are going with families today and they need to lead by OCCUPYING their homes. By lovingly leading their wives and children, by spiritually setting the bar for their families, and by showing their community what a difference a father can make when he OCCUPIES his home.
1 Samuel 22:2, 2 Then others began coming—men who were in trouble or in debt or who were just discontented—until David was the captain of about 400 men.
These are the same men that would be later referred to as David’s mighty men. I pray today that we will have fathers that are just discontent with the way things are going and that they choose to OCCUPY their homes.
Off to College: A Dad’s Perspective
Enjoyed the summer with Danielle.
Today Michelle and I are driving our oldest Danielle to her first year of college. She will be attending the University of Nothern Colorado looking to get a degree in Elementary Education. She also will be moving away from home and her family for the first time. It is one of those moments as a parent that you realize that all the times that other parents said, “Life moves way fast.” Were totally right. But I have to be honest as Danielle’s dad I am so excited and so proud of who she is and how she has become such and awesome woman of faith. I know that at some moment today I am going to look at her and remember the times that we played on the swing set in Montana. The day that she laid in bed with her Mom and said “Yes” to Jesus. That I will remember the little girl that liked to play dress up. That I will see the little soccer player. That I will remember the first time she went to a school dance. That I will remember the day I was proud to baptize her. That I will remember the days that she sat on my lap and cried her eyes out. That I will remember the times we shared her Christian crack addiction at Starbucks. But all of these memories will not wiegh me down. They will encourage the perspective that I already have about being a parent and the goal that I set a long time ago as Jesus laid it on my heart. That my job as a dad is that my kids “Leave Well.” Danielle is leaving well and I do not expect anything less. I am so proud and excited to see what the near future holds for her at UNC.
Danielle if you read this; I want you to know that I am one proud dad and that I am only a phone call, text, Skype, away. Oh yeah, continue to remind the guys around you that I still have the bow and they will not hear it coming. LOVE YOU.
The Beauty of a Daughter
My beautiful daughter Morgan.
There is one thing that I love to do and that is talk about the amazing kids that live in my house. I truly believe like every other dad in the world that my kids are the best and the brightest. Today my youngest Morgan is turning 14 and I could not be prouder to be her daddy. She is going to be a freshman next year in High school and I know that she is going to be amazing. She is a lady that can sing, play volleyball, and an amazing student. But most of all she is a woman that points others to who Jesus is in her life. I love being able to watch each of my kids grow and I love seeing how each one is their own person. Thank you Morgan for being my girl.
Power of Life Change
We love having Justin as a part of our life.
I am so excited to share a short story of the power of life change through Jesus Christ. Over a year ago now I had the opportunity to take an awesome guy named Justin “The Viking” Wren with me to visit some kids at Children’s Hospital of Aurora. What I did not know was what Jesus had in store for both of us through this one event. After our visit to Children’s Hospital of Aurora Justin went back to his home where he was convienced to go to a men’s event where at this event he gave his life to Jesus and was baptized. The Justin that I had first knew now was definitely a life changed by Jesus.
Over the last year I have personally been able to spend time with Justin as he has become a great speaker, leader, and man of God. He came and spoke at Elevation when we launched and now speaks with Champions for Life to thousands of prisoners each month presenting the message of life change so they can know. He has made numerous visits to the Children’s Hospital of Aurora and is even now a volunteer there. All the while of keeping his relationship with Christ first and his goal of someday being the UFC Heavywieght Champion.
So here is what I am asking people to do that read this. I am asking you to continue in investing in this life change. Justin in a couple of weeks is going to be embarking on a 55 day mission trip with Kingdom Builders. I know that God had opened this door in an amazing way and is going to provide for Justin to go and continue to change and to help others, he is going to be helping build houses while in Hati. So I would like to encourage each and everyone who read this to help support Justin first through prayer and secondly through your finances. He is just short of the finances needed to pay for this awesome event and I am asking you to help.
Here is how: If you would like to know more about Kingdom Building Ministries, please visit their website at www.kbm.org. For any donations you can visit www.KBM.org/donate select student and type Justin Wren into the students box.
You can also go and find out more about this awesome man of faith at www.JustinTheVikingWren.com
Let’s continue to encourage the life change that started over a year ago.
Creative Crisis
Over the last couple of months I had really had trouble being creative. I was spending more and more time going what am I going to do? How am I going to present this? What is something that will enable people to have fun and get caught? I was even just trying to make sure that I was just getting the simple things done. I was in a bad state when it came to being able to think or act creative. But then I was given some great help from the people who work alongside me at Elevation.
It started with finding out all of the things that I was doing on a regular basis. Then it was seeing the things that I needed to be able to hand off to other people. Then the process began where things were being taken off my plate. This is what I specifically heard about my life, “A Creative Crisis comes from a claustrophobic condition.” I had allowed my laugh to become so claustrophobic with the things in my life that I was then in a creative crisis. No what happens in this crisis? I had so much noise going on that I was unable to hear what God was teaching me and telling me. Maybe you are in the same place. Maybe you are having a creative crisis in your marriage, maybe it is a creative crisis in your school work, your job, your time. It is because maybe you are doing so much that you are unable to get creative. So I encourage you to build more margin in your life. I encourage you to realize that there are things in your life that you can either stop doing or enable others to do with you or EVEN for you.
What is causing the “claustrophobic condition” in your life? I ask you to pray and ask someone who you trust, a lifting partner on what you need to change. I also know that there are some of you going I don’t need to do this, well then ask your wife, your husband, how about your kids. I know that they will tell you.
Spouse of a PORN Addict
At the beginning of the month on Superbowl Sunday we as a church chose to also be a part of what is called “Porn Sunday”. Crag Gross and the people at XXXChurch did an awesome job of providing information as well as support to the churches that were a part of “Porn Sunday”. It was a very powerful and amazing day where we saw both men and women start to deal with their addiction to porn. But I want to share with you just a small section of a letter that was sent to me by a very brave and awesome lady that has gone through a destructive relationship that was destroyed by a porn addiction. What she shared was some things for spouses of porn addicts to work through. I felt that they were awesome to let people read because this is from someone that has gone through the fire and is on the other side with a perspective that will enable us to care for and reach not just the porn addict but their family as well. Here is what she shared:
1. I didn’t show honor – At the time, in my mind it was ALL his fault – our divorce. I had done nothing wrong. I now know differently. While I can’t change anyone, I am fully responsible for me. I reacted with rage, anger, bitterness, un-forgiveness, hatred, verbal abuse, and emotional withdrawal. Someone had quoted a verse to me earlier and was right to quote it to me, though it was used out of context: “Love covers a multitude of sins.” I now understand what that means – I had told everyone I knew of all of my husband’s faults and about his addiction for TWO reasons: 1) I really did want help and 2) Honestly, to try to make me look good and him bad. I did not honor him. While what he had done was wrong, what I had done in spreading the gossip about his addiction was just as wrong. It was not honoring, respectful, or loving. I see now it did not provide an environment where he could feel safe to be vulnerable and receive the help & healing he needed. That’s not to say he would have chosen to do that if I had reacted differently. Maybe he would have accepted help, maybe not.
2. It is ok to be angry!! It’s not ok for that to grow to bitterness. Several years later I finally did receive the help that I needed. I was able to express my anger and intense pain to people who listened and didn’t blame. But at the same time they held me accountable for HOW I expressed that anger and wouldn’t let me stay there. There is help out there and for those who have a spouse involved in pornography – THEY HAVE TO GET HELP FOR THEMSELVES. I realized I was trying to change my husband. To make him stop so I wouldn’t hurt any more. I couldn’t change him. I can only change myself. I learned to press deeply into God’s Word and let him change ME. To see my ex-husband through God’s eyes. I was able to release him and forgive him. The pain is still there, but it doesn’t control me. I was able to write my ex-husband a letter asking forgiveness for what I had done in verbally lashing out at him and the other hateful things I had done.
3. Boundaries are necessary. Pornography is progressive. It is a sex-addiction. It is wrong. It destroys families. It may not always be necessary to divorce but sometimes it is necessary to separate. Make boundaries clear beforehand and with a plan as to what will happen during the time of separation.
If are you someone that is in a relationship with someone that is a Porn Addict then I encourage you to go to XXXChurch.com and see what they can do to help you. If you are a person maybe a husband or dad that is dealing with this then I ask you to go to someone and get help right away. This is not just something that affects you it affects your whole family. If you are a lady and would like to email the woman that shared what she dealt with then please message me and I will make sure you can get connected with her. I also want to remind each and every person that reads through this that Jesus loves you not matter what you have done or where you have been and He is waiting for you.
Dealing with Divorce
Over the last couple of weeks at Elevation Christian Church we have really felt the need to tackle some heavy topics. We talked about PORN and the damage it does to relationships. We didn’t back down from what it means for the families of people dealing with PORN as well as the ones that are addicted to it.
This week we tackled another heavy topic, DIVORCE. It was a message that I truly prayed over and really knew that we needed to deal with as we go through this series called “I Want A New Marriage”. Anytime that you talk about marriage you also have to talk about divorce seeing how in some books they say 35% of marriages end in divorce or some others say that it is as high as 50%. No matter what the statistic may be it is an area of life that has affected us all. I can share about the different relationships in my own family that have been effected, I have uncles and aunts, cousins, a brother, and even my own parents. So as I walked into this weekend were I felt that there needed to be much grace when it came to this topic because I too know the sting of this subject and how it changes each person that is involved. I also knew that we needed to call peoples attention to the severity of the damage that it causes and I chose to even point out that living together because you have been hurt in divorce is not what God wants either. I know that there are situations that I might not now about or that there are things that have happened in the past. All I know is that I am called by God to speak about what He wants for our marriages and if that bothers someone then I have to remember that even Jesus had people get upset with His teaching. (Good company to be in I think.)
What was awesome was the conversations that I did have with several couples that have been attending our church and are seeing the next steps that they need to take in their own relationships. That they heard the grace and mercy of Jesus and they understood that what they were doing was not what God wanted for them in their relationships and that they knew that God as calling them to make some huge commitments and decisions in their lives. I pray that they continue to take those steps to live the way that Jesus has called them to live not because it is easy but because it is the best for them.
Step Out in Faith
It is almost a year now since my family and I left Northern California and moved back to Colorado to start Elevation Christian Church. There are tons of things that I wish I would have known before we started this adventure and there are tons of things that I am still learning every week. But the things that we have learned over the last year we would have never experienced if we would have never stepped out on faith.
We left last year in the middle of my daughters junior year, my sons sophomore year, and our youngest’s seventh grade year. Not the best time to move kids. But I have been able to watch God grow these kids in ways that I would have never imagined. It would have never happened if we had not stepped out in faith.
My wife has had to deal with conversations like, “I am not sure that we are going to be able to pay that this month.” Or, “The money is going to be there I just believe it.” All moms and wives know the pressure you feel to make sure your kids are taken care of and the bills are paid. I know that for her this has been an amazing growing opportunity to see God show up and provide. We would have never experienced this had we not stepped out on faith.
I have taken jobs and tried things that I never would have probably taken in the past. I have had the privilege to have conversations with guys and gals that I knew a long time ago about who Jesus is and what He has done and is doing in my life. I have had to learn how to lead in areas that I thought I was already prepared to lead, which I am not. I have learned that all of the Lead Pastors that I have served under were amazing men and that I was prepared by each one of them to do what I am doing today. But I would have never experienced this if I had not stepped out in faith.
I think this goes very well with this time of the year. There was a young girl that stepped out in faith a couple thousand years ago when an angel appeared to her and let her know that she was going to have a very special baby. This is how she responded, ” Mary responded, “I am the Lord’s servant , and I am willing to accept whatever He wants.” Luke 1:39a What a way to respond to God when He called her to step out in faith.
The question that I have for you is, “What is Jesus calling you to do so that you step out in faith?” You will never be able to experience the amazing things that He has for you until you do. STEP OUT IN FAITH!
Relationship Recovery – GUYS
As we start this series on the Relationship Recovery I thought that it would be the best to make sure we start with the guys. We have decided to take the stance that Relationship Recovery is not about “therapy” but being like a medic or a firefighter that comes in to recover the injured. We are looking to really get in there and save some relationships through the example that Jesus has set for us. Now I want every guy to realize that whether you are single, married, or just thinking girls are OK. This is an opportunity for each of us where ever we are at in life to realize there is a standard for how to care for the women in our lives.
Ephes. 5:25-30 (NLT) And you husbands must love your wives with the same love Christ showed the church. He gave up his life for her [26] to make her holy and clean, washed by baptism and God’s word. [27] He did this to present her to himself as a glorious church without a spot or wrinkle or any other blemish. Instead, she will be holy and without fault. [28] In the same way, husbands ought to love their wives as they love their own bodies. For a man is actually loving himself when he loves his wife. [29] No one hates his own body but lovingly cares for it, just as Christ cares for his body, which is the church. [30] And we are his body.
We need to make sure that we see the importance of something that come from these verses. First we need to make sure that we are ready and able to sacrifice everything for the relationship, especially if we are married. Jesus set the pace in this area. Second every man needs to know that her well being should be the utmost importance. That means in many different ways. Financially, relationally, sexually (MARRIED ONLY), and in the house. What are you doing to make her feel secure in the relationship? You need to think that through. Then third and finally,He should care for her as he cares for his own body. Now that means for some of us we need to start taking way better care of her, have you looked in the mirror (joke). The point is that you are never going to let yourself die so why would you let her? (Some women really feel that they are dying inside because of the way the men in their lives are treating them.)
Take the time this week to really evaluate the way your are setting the pace in your relationships with the women in your life. What do you need to change? Ladies what would you like to see in the men of Elevation? Or what would you hope would change in your life because of the men in your life?
Weekend Recap
It was a great Father’s day. I was able to spend this weekend at Mountianview Community Christian Church in Highlands Ranch. It was such an honor and privilege to be there and to be able to speak. Here are just some quick things that I was able to really enjoy this weekend:
- No matter what when you share God’s word there should be an opportunity for people to respond. We saw at least 70 people say YES to Jesus today.
- That there are some amazing church leaders like Jim Phillips in Colorado. Jim allowed me to speak and he also allowed us to ask the people in the church he leads to join us in the beginning of Elevation. What a man with a kingdom perspective.
- That humor can really set up a great point. It is OK to laugh at ourselves, even when it is uncomfortable.
- That having my wife and kids with me this whole weekend was amazing and I am so blessed to have them on loan from Jesus.
- That God brings people in and out of our lives in amazing times and way. Loved be able to spend time with people this weekend that I have not seen in years. (Thanks for the encouragement Chuck.)
- That God is bringing people into Elevation that I would have never imagined and it is so much fun doing life together with them. Even if they do like soccer.
- That the kids in my house can really get me to the heart with the things that they right on cards and facebook. Thanks Danielle, Tyler, and Morgan.
- Finally, that no matter what happens God is in control and I am just along for the ride.
I hope and pray that all of the Fathers out there had an amazing day and that they each remember that God has placed in our families not to just provide for them, but to lead them. May each and everyone one of you, lead like Jesus.
Movie Monday
Now I just love to share with you all some of the things that my kids do and here is another installment in the Ninja Police Movie work. That is the name of the movies that Tyler has been doing for awhile and I have to say and I am not partial or anything but they are pretty good. Check it out.
I hope you had an awesome Easter, praise God that we have a savior that gave His life for us.
Special St. Pat’s Day Video
Since many of you shared how much you enjoyed the first video that Tyler made. He has chosen to bring you some more for St. Pat’s Day. I hope that you enjoy his video as much he enjoyed making it for you. This is another creative opportunity for me to really be proud of my kids and the way that they use their abilities. This one is really fun! Enjoy.
Being a Hero for REAL
So I am sitting in a friends house in Jefferson City, MO with my wife when I receive an email from my 16 year old son asking me to read a book report he is about to turn in at school. As I sat there and read the book report I was more and more amazed at what an awesome man he has become and how proud I am to be his dad. It brought me to tears. His mom then came in the room and I said you have got to read this. In a moment Michelle was reading away at the same report. Her face was all a glow as she just sat there and said, “WOW!” I am not going to just sit here and tell you about it I want to give you the chance to read what he wrote, so here is Tyler Bloyer’s report.
The world that we live in is constantly pressuring us to conform to its ways. The book that I read, Hero: Becoming the Man She Desires written by Fred Stoeker and co-author is Jasen Stoeker, is trying help the men of God fight the fight and staying strong to the commitment we made with our bodies. It is taking on the myths of this world head on and firing back using what the Creator says. It is a book for the defense of those who want to keep sex between their future wives and them, and no one else.
The author is just trying to tell me that, just because I am a follower of Christ, it does not mean that I cannot have the same romance and intimacy that my peers have through premarital sex. Stoeker is helping me by suggesting to me what it takes to be a man of God through my actions with the women around me, and with my future relationships. He writes to me that a man of God does not look at women in a degrading and disrespectful way, and that God created them special and of course different than us men. And these differences are not just physical, but also mentally. The way that women view relationships is very different than the way a man perceives them to be. Women are more likely to be dedicated to a relationship, than a man would be. Also, he lays out all the expectations that God has for his men about sex and abstinence (Oh no I said abstinence!), and how important it is for them to protect their hearts from the temptations of our sex driven culture. God created sex, so why would he think it’s horrible and bad? He doesn’t, God created sex for a reason. It is the bonding of one man to one woman. He made it be awesome and pleasurable. What he doesn’t like is when people abuse this wonderful gift, and use it for our own ignorant pleasures with whomever we feel like it. He created it for a man and a wife to have together, when they had made that commitment to each other and God. AKA when they say I do. But our culture tries so hard to make men like me, fall to its low standards of integrity. Men are constantly under attack through the movies and TV we watch, through the music we listen to, and the websites we view. Satan has used many things to break followers of Christ down. He uses porn, masturbation, and other things like premarital sex. And sure man, we are not perfect people AT ALL, and if anyone says they are, they’re liars. We make mistakes just like everyone else. The only perfect person ever on this planet was Jesus. He never sinned. But yet, he came here on this jacked up world, and he died in place for all the crappy things I’ve said or done. And for this, I know that even though I live in a world of constant temptations and pressures, I know that because I believe that God came here for me and died for my mistakes, that I don’t have to worry about where I’m going after I die. It’s a sure fact.
This book is a tool that God has placed in my life, and I now know what I have to do to be the man that He wants me to be, and the man that future bride deserves.
I continue to pray for the young lady that will some day be my sons wife. I pray that she truly sees what being a Hero for Real looks like.
Music Monday
Michelle and I love to listen to Diana Krall when the kids are in bed and we are able to relax and enjoy our time. This is has been one of those areas that we truly knew was important for us to keep for us to be able to be the husband and wife we needed to be. I also believe that it is because we were able to make sure that we had this time that we were able to be better parents. We had time for us to be unified in heart and mind when it came to life and the kids. This may not be your kind of music but I encourage you to find whatever music you and your spouse enjoy turn the music on and then just spend time with the two of you. No matter how many kids you have no matter what ages they are, you need your time together. Because if you don’t have your time together now when your kids are grown up and gone you will have tons of time together and you may not know who you are spending time with.
What kind of music do you and your spouse enjoy listening to while you relax? If you can’t answer that question then you need to find out.
Merry Christmas Eve
Today we are going to be on the road traveling from Arizona to Colorado. The last stretch of travel that we will make as we move there to start a new church. What I want to say is “Merry Christmas” to the new, old, and not yet met people that will make up Elevation Christian Church. It is truly to be one of the greatest gifts that Jesus has ever given to us as a family, the gift of stepping out on faith. May we all experience it in this coming year.
To Michelle, Danielle, Tyler, and Morgan,
As a Husband and a Father a could not be more blessed with a better family. You are each the greatest gifts that Jesus has given to me on loan. We are going to rock out Colorado.
Guys what life are you giving up?
Ephes. 5:25 (NLT) And you husbands must love your wives with the same love Christ showed the church. He gave up his life for her
You see Jesus gave up His life so that we might have life. So that we might have a life that is great. But that doesn’t mean it doesn’t take some work and some sacrifice. So really guys what life are you really giving up? Or are you gaining? The choice is up to you!
Wrestling with Persistence
Well I am so excited to say that wrestling at the High school where I coach is getting ready to start in the next month. I love the first two weeks of wrestling because you really are able to see who is there for the sport or who is there because someone talked them into it. With all the amazing training techniques that have come with MMA we use them in the first two weeks. We as coaches want to see who is going to really be a fighter a wrestler that is just not going to quit.
I believe that God is looking for those kind of men as well. See what it says in the following verses:
Genesis 32:22-26 (NLT) But during the night Jacob got up and sent his two wives, two concubines, and eleven sons across the Jabbok River. [23] After they were on the other side, he sent over all his possessions. [24] This left Jacob all alone in the camp, and a man came and wrestled with him until dawn. [25] When the man saw that he couldn’t win the match, he struck Jacob’s hip and knocked it out of joint at the socket. [26] Then the man said, “Let me go, for it is dawn.” But Jacob panted, “I will not let you go unless you bless me.”
There are a couple of things that I think are important when it comes to these verses. First, Jacob was physically prepared to do battle and he was prepared to go at it. Second, that he was able to wrestle all night that he was not afraid to leave it all on the mat. Third, we see that even though he was hurt that he was not going to let go until he got what he was praying for. I believe that these are a few things that God is looking for in men of today. That we would be willing to fight for our faith, fight for our wives, and fight for our families. That we would live a life that is a picture of persistence.
That we would be Anointed Fighters!
Be the Husband that loves His wife
In my office I have several pictures on my wall of my family. There are the pictures of the kids doing different things like football and volleyball. There are the way out of date family pictures where they are all shorter then me. (Not so now.) But there in the center of all of those pictures is the one that you can see below. It is two pictures of my wife in a frame done by some very special friends in Miles City, MT at “Unique Creations”.
A reminder to me of the importance of being a husband.
In between the pictures you can see some typed up lines. Those lines are some verse from the bible that I think are important for me to remember when it comes to being a husband. They are the following:
Proverbs 5:18-19 (Msg) Bless your fresh-flowing fountain! Enjoy the wife you married as a young man! [19] Lovely as an angel, beautiful as a rose— don’t ever quit taking delight in her body. Never take her love for granted!
I can imagine some of you asking the question, “Why are these verse important to being a husband?” That is a great question and I am glad that you asked it. It is important for me to remember as a husband because a husband needs to remember that his wife is a fountain of love in his life. That just like a fountain that we see in a mall that if not taken care of can become unpleasant. If the fountain is not always being refreshed it eventually can become stale.
That I am always to enjoy the wife of my youth. That whether we are twenty five or seventy five she is the standard of beauty in my life. That everyone and everything can not compare to her beauty. That as we grow old together she will always be the wife that I fought for, the wife that I wrote poems for, that wife that I chased after, and that should always be the way that I treat her. As the young husband that worked so very hard at making sure that she knew she was the only one for me.
That I am always to be sexually active with my wife. Now I am sure that some of you are thinking well that is not something you have to work at you are a male. Your right, but there are things of this world that are very busy trying to get me to not focus on my wife whom I love. The things out there are pornography, strip clubs, jobs, sports, and even friends. These are things that can if I let them, keep me from making sure that I am loving my wife emotionally and physically. I believe that for some reason men have bought into the idea that when it comes to sex that their needs are the ones that are the most important. Unfortunately if you are a husband and that is the way that you think then at least one person is enjoying the whole minute of pleasure. I am just saying. Maybe if we took the time to make sure our wives were pleased or wives would take the time to make sure we were. I am to take delight in her and only her.
Then finally I am to “Not take her love for granted.” As a husband I am to always be seeking to make sure that she knows that she is loved. Not that she feels that she is loved because feelings can change with the weather. But that through my words, my actions, and my life that she and those around her know that she is loved. That is why these verses are important to me as a husband. I heard this statement a long time ago, “Maybe if there was more courting in marriage there would be less marriages in court.” Guys it is time to be step up and be the husband that your wife needs and desires. So why not ask her today if she knows that she is loved. Maybe, if you have the guts ask her friends if they know she is loved because if she is not then they will surely know. Take the time to work more on your marriage and the relationship with your wife then you do your fantasy football league.
