Follow along as I relentlessly pursue the epic story God has for my life, my family and my church. It's not for the faint of heart.
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Dear Jackson,
One of my all-time most favorite things is when I come home from the office and you are waiting for me with ball glove and baseball in hand ready to play catch.
You are such a cool kid, Chase! The other day I turned on your music playlist that you created and I noticed you've gone from songs about Pokemon to artists like Green Day, Weezer, Queen and Radiohead.
It is a tradition in the Mehaffey home that every New Year's Eve we feast on a slow cooked Prime Rib dinner ... at least it is now since I cooked one for the first time as we celebrated the end of 2016.
While lots of people took the polar bear plunge in freezing water on New Year's Day, my eight year old son, Chase took another kind of plunge.
Oh Jackson! I am such a fan of your devoted heart. You don't know how to do anything half way. You are either all in or all out.
The force is definitely strong with this one.
Chase, you never cease to amaze me. About six months ago you started playing guitar. Two months later you were playing in front of over 150 kids in your school's first grade talent show.
It's a beautiful thing to watch how God uses many people to draw just one person back to Him. God writes people into our stories; some for just a brief chapter and others that carry through from cover to cover.
We love going all out on Resurrection Sunday. Last year we built a boxing ring on stage, this year we built a bridge because that is what Jesus is. The Bridge.
Three weeks ago we officially became a one car family. This was not by choice, but neither was it a surprise.Â
The last two winters in Ohio were like Narnia under the rule of the White Witch but this past weekend I was in shorts.
Yesterday using a scythe, a yoke, and running shoes I told Janie I felt a bit like the comedian Carrot Top ... before the steroids.
Let me give you a glimpse of why I love the team at North Terrace. Yesterday before our 8am service I was talking with a teammate who was visibly shaken about something. "You OK," I asked. He said, "Yeah. I'm fine. There's just so much potential that God could do through us today, I just don't want to get in the way."
When Janie and I talk to parents who have grown children that have qualities we want to see in our sons, we want to know what they did and how they did it. Every time the parents have told us, "We read to our kids every day." So almost every night at bedtime we cozy up with a book (and the Bible) and go on all kinds of adventures together.
Only one word describes what we are experiencing in 2016 at North Terrace ... MOMENTUM.
When Christmas season comes around we are just like any family. We want to make special moments that our boys will remember but we also don't want to break the bank to do them. Here is one of our favorite traditions that you can feel free and steal.
Sometimes I look back over a year and regret all that I failed to accomplish. But add God to the mix and He accomplishes more than I can ask or imagine.
One thing that never gets old about my "job" is seeing people take next steps in their journey with Jesus. Yesterday, we saw that in spades.
Sunday morning I refilled my cup, kissed Janie and the boys goodbye and Jackson met me with, "Daddy, you're not going to spend much time with the birthday boy today." Ouch. Truth hurts.
Jackson Cooper Mehaffey,
Happy Birthday!
You are such a special young man and I count it a blessing every day that I get to be your daddy.
Dear Chase,
So you're a big, bad first grader now and this is the first year you can actually read your birthday letter from me.
I usually stick to recapping only what happened on Sundays in my Monday Morning Office Chair blog posts but this time I need to mention what happened on Saturday evening as well.
What a phenomenal Sunday from start to finish. The amazing "Fall-is-in-the-air" weather didn't hurt.
It never ceases to amaze me how far my emotions can swing on a typical Sunday. The highs can be atmospheric and the lows can be crushing.
We started a new series this week on parenting called "Four Questions Every Kid Needs Answered."
For an introvert like me today could be a nightmare.
125 miles, 31 days and 31 chapters of Proverbs and I'm done.