A Day Off

This past Sunday was the first Sunday since last August that I did not preach. It was good to get a break. I love preaching, but it’s nice to hear someone else. The service at St. Simons Community Church was great. If you are ever on the island on a Sunday, you need to go there.

Kevin Neufeld preached in my absence at Summit. As usual, Kevin did a great job. It’s nice to have someone like Kevin on staff. Kevin will also preach this Sunday. I am using this week as a planning week. I have several sermon series I am working on right now. This fall is going to be awesome at Summit.

Scabhead

We have just returned from a few restful days at St. Simons Island. It was great! However, I did have a mishap. While I was body surfing, I got smacked really good by the ocean floor. Usually the waves at St. Simons are of the kiddie pool variety. However, this week they were the best that I have ever seen on the island. On Wednesday, I got on top of one of the waves and I remember thinking, “I ain’t never been this fast on a wave before.” (I don’t alway think in proper in English) Then all of a sudden, BAM! I hit the ocean floor and scrubbed my head. When I got out, my head was bleeding between my eyes. All I could think about is how little bit of blood it took for Bruce the shark to get all worked up on Finding Nemo. 

For the rest of the week, I walked around with this huge scab between my eyes. At church yesterday, I thought some people knew who I was because they kept looking at me. Maybe they were someone I used to know? Then it hit me that everyone was looking at my scab. Even the cashier at Winn Dixie couldn’t give me my change without looking at my scab. I felt like the Elephant Guy.

Family Time

The next several days I will be spending time with my family. It’s great to have some time to get away and just focus on Stephanie and the kids. It will be non-stop activity during the day and cards and movies at night. We are going to have a blast.

However, getting away with the kids hasnt’ always been a blast. I can remember when we would go on vacation with our oldest three. Sometimes it just wasn’t worth it. One time we turned down a trip to the beach because it made us tired just thinking about all that we would have to do. You see, our oldest three are 30 months apart. Virginia was born and then 17 months later we had Marty Jr, and then 13 months later we had Masey. I don’t know how it happened. It just did!

When you get tiny kids out of their child proof environment and put them somewhere else, it seems like you spend all of your time keeping them safe. The kids get off their schedule and then they get cranky. No one has a good time. It becomes a test of endurance until you get to go home and put everyone back in their normal routine.  

Now, with three teenagers and a 7 year old, life is different. We try to get the kids out of bed in time for a sandwich. They ride bikes on busy streets. They play basketball and tennis. They ride waves in the ocean. They go to the bathroom by themselves. They feed themselves. If they spill something, they have to clean it up (atleast in theory). I just sit back and direct the flow of events. It’s great! The only thing that gives me reason to pause is that every now and then Stephanie says, “I wish we had another baby.”

Sunday at Summit

I thought today went great. Because it’s summer we continue to have people out on vacation and away with travel baseball teams. However, our attendance continues to hold strong. A special thanks to Tyler Watts for being “Exhibit A” during my message. I really like the mohawk hairdo. Also, a special thanks to all of our volunteers. I know I keep saying it, but they really are awesome!

Great Staff Meeting

Yesterday, we had an awesome staff meeting. I can not tell you how excited I am about what’s coming up at Summit. God has blessed us in so many ways. We are planning some changes in our Student and Children’s ministries. It’s gonna be great. Also, we are planning for Summit’s one year anniversary in August. It’s amazing how far we have come in one year. God has been good to us!

Sunday Recap

• Awesome Father’s Day at Summit!
• Our attendance was over 150.
• The band was incredible. The Toby Mac Song was great!
• Our volunteers are amazing people. They work until the job is done.
• Several new faces in our service.
• Hopefully, people got a better understanding of how great it is to have God as our Father

We’d Never Make It!

My wife, Stephanie, and I have often joked around about our lack of survival skills. She doesn’t bake her own bread or sew her own clothes. I am a hazard with a hammer or a screwdriver in my hands. If we lived in the days of the “Old West” we would be the dead family in the burned out wagon that everyone would pass by on their way to California. We would be the family that should have stayed back in Boston.

Well, the apple has not fallen far from the tree. Last night, my seven year old son and I built a fire in the back yard and put up a tent. The fire made him get a bad headache. We came in and slept inside shortly after the portable DVD player ran out of charge. We were in the tent watching Finding Nemo. We are definitely a 21st century family. Otherwise, we might not be around!

Happy Camper

Tonight is a big night for me and my seven year old son, Stephen. We are going to camp out in the back yard. Now, I am not a camper. I much prefer to sleep in my own bed with a ceiling fan and some nice air conditioning. However, he has been looking forward to this night for quite a while. Also, we are going to build a little camp fire in the back yard and roast hot dogs.

A camp fire in my neighborhood may result in me getting a letter. I hope not. Last year we had permission to have a fire in the back yard. I hope that still holds true in 2008. Nevertheless, we will have a blast! For my son, I will be a happy camper.

Sunday Rewind

Sunday was another good day at Summit. The structure of our service was totally different. I received quite a few positive comments from people saying how much they enjoyed the change. Our attendance was good for a Sunday in early June. We had quite a few new faces.

Our volunteers were on top of their game once again. They are fantastic! Also, the band was great. It was perhaps the best worship service we have had in our ten months as a church.

Different Sunday

Tomorrow is going to be interesting at Summit. The structure of our worship service is going to be totally different. It should be great!