Christmas rounds two and three

After spending the morning as a family, christmas tradition brings us to my sister's house where we all get together as immediate family. My brother from Arizona was there and my sister Amy and her husband too. I don't see them all that often so that was fun. We eat ourselves sick usually and then open more presents.

After that we head to Grand Rapids to Kendra's mom's house and wrap up Christmas there. Linda is infamous for her insane spoiling of the the girls and got them every remote controlled dog, dinosaur, and doll that toys r us offers. We are putting aside fifty bucks a week for battery replacements in the next month.

Great times with great family, God has truly blessed us!!!!! Believing for an amazing 2010!!!!!!

ps. What are we going to call this past decade? Obviously the 80's and 90's were easy enough to define, but are we going to call these the zero's or what? I'd love to hear your input.

christmas 09 round one!!

Christmas morning began in typical zondervan fashion. Cinnamon rolls, coffee, and me being obnoxious with the video camera to the dismay of Kendra=) The girls were obviously excited, but have been around enough to know that this is only the beginning of the gift giving. I try each year to enforce what Christmas is really about, hopefully it will prove effective in the years to come!! ( The classic annoyed pose of Addy is when she was informed that it was Ava's turn to open a gift=)

Last minute Christmas gifts!!!

I almost forgot!!! I hope you guys were ok coming up with gifts without my amazing insight and ingenuity I have offered in years past. Last year I introduced you to the couples toilet and "you can do it" motivational tools. (see last decembers post). This year, although a bit late, I have not left you completely to your own devices when shopping for that hard to please person.

forget zulu hamsters or an xbox, I bring you the hottest gift available this year. The snoop d. o double G...PS system!!

Tired of that same annoying british lady talking to you on your garmen or Tom Tom? Now you can hear snoop dog himself help you swear your way to your destination!!! This is perfect for the guy who prefers "rolling down the street smoking endo, sipping on gin and juice" as opposed to just driving to where you need to get. The best part is you don't even need batteries, it runs on twinkies and blunts. No need to thank me, my reward is hearing how your spouse's eyes lit up and heart melted at your thoughtfulness.

so proud of our church!!

I read an article today that has to make the top ten most ignorant things ever stated by a church leader. A priest in britain told his congregation that shoplifting during hard economic times was A OK in God's eyes. After all, prostitution and burglary are the only other logical alternatives and are obviously far worse. He went on to clarify that one should only steal from large corporations that will pass the cost of theft on to the consumer and not mom and pop stores where stealing actually matters. He also advised listeners to only steal as much, and for as long as needed. I mean, after all, nobody likes an overachieving thief?

He summed his entire twisted logic up by stating that this scenario would not violate the 8th commandment because God's love for the poor outweighs the property rights of the rich.

Here's an idea, why not as a church do something for the poor and down trodden? How about actually being the church and acting on the behalf of the least of these instead of promoting lawlessness? Why not at least tell them to steal a little extra, sell it on ebay, and help out one other needy person? This is the most individualistic, twisted, ungodly self help promotion I have ever heard!

Enter the "big give" event at Radiant church last saturday. Our church is far from perfect, but here is an example of the incredible people of Radiant that actually constitute the "church", doing exactly what Jesus called his followers to do.

We had four ways to get involved with the big give.

1. we took an offering where all of the proceeds were split between james Robison's ministry in africa to provide shoes and clean water for the poorest of poor, and the deacons conference, a ministry right here in kzoo that provides for the needs of the poor.

2. we were involved with angel tree where less fortunate families were sponsored so that gifts could be given to them. We not only provided the gifts, but also delivered them to their homes.

3. we took part with hundreds of other residents in packaging and delivering food for the kalamazoo annual food drive.

4. we visited two nursing homes in the area to sing carols to the residents and give them home made gifts made by the children.

here was the impact we had.

1. 21,000 dollars raised in the offering to help African children and local families in kalamazoo!!

2. 48 families sponsored thru angel tree representing 1000 gifts!!

3. 65 of us at the nursing home ministering to the sick and elderly (so precious to see the kids interacting and the elderly singing along!!!)

4.1500 families had a holiday meal delivered to them thru the kzoo county food drive!!

5. 750 winter coats and items received thru our coat, hat and boot drive.

6. 84 people had beautiful holiday family portraits done for them free of charge thru "help portrait"


I could not be more proud of our church and the generosity displayed. Amazing what can happen when the church actually becomes the hands and feet instead of encouraging five finger discounts=)

beautiful

byoo-tuh-ful--–adjective


1. having beauty; having qualities that give great pleasure or satisfaction to see, hear, think about, etc.; delighting the senses or mind: a beautiful dress; a beautiful speech.
2. excellent of its kind: a beautiful putt on the seventh hole; The chef served us a beautiful roast of beef.
3. wonderful; very pleasing or satisfying.


Oh Lord, your beautiful
Your face, is all I see
And when, your eye, are on this child
your grace, abounds to me

I want to take your word and shine it all around
first help me just, to live it Lord
And when I''m doing well
help me to never seek a crown
for my reward, is bringing glory to you.




I love this song. It speaks both of the beauty of God, and the reason we actually "live" as christians. For his glory, not to keep a moral code.

I pray that the beauty, wonder,, pleasure and delight of Jesus Christ coming down from heaven to Earth will find room in your heart this Christmas.

This song is by "Jesus Culture", they are amazing and I highly recommend all of their albums. This track is off of "your love never fails"

sledding is hard work!!!

Took the girls to Radiant Church's new youth pastors house to do a little sledding on my day off friday. Josh and his wife Jessica just joined our staff and moved to the area. I am so stoked about what God has for him and his wife here at Radiant!! Cool story of how he and I re-connected, but that's for a different post.

Anyways, sledding with a three and five year old has its own challenges, but especially when they are girls!!! No offense to the weaker, should be at home barefoot and cooking gender, (whoops, did I just type that? I am KIDDING!) but not only did they have to stay warm, but everything must be pink, stylish, and God forbid the hat mess their hair up!!!!

When we finally began sledding, there was a ton of powdery snow because no one had gone sledding yet so it was dad's job to go down the hill fifty straight times to create a proper sledding surface. Of course if the girls went off the path I made, snow flew up in their faces and somehow that was all my fault? Addy's face was so rosy by the end, it literally looked like she had painted herself red with a marker!!

Walking up the hill is always the worst part of sledding. Turning your boots inward and waddling like a duck for traction, as well as all the huffing and puffing of going up a hill with fifty layers on and a sled in tow. I seriously wish I had brought our video recorder because I had Ava and Addy quoting Rocky Four as we went up the hill!! Ava is breathlessly chanting "no pain, no pain!" while Addy is making the declaration "Rocky never quits!" on the way up!=) It was a total classic. What dad's heart wouldn't melt at the prospect of his girls quoting such inspirational lines from this life changing film?

Anyways, I knew it was time to, pardon the rocky pun, "throw in the sledding towel", when at the bottom of the hill Ava looks at me and says, "daddy?" "yea" I said. "Rocky feels pain now." =) "ok honey, we can go=)"

All in all, we had fun, relived rocky four memories, and even had hot chocolate (or barely luke warm chocolate as my girls prefer) after the ordeal!!

Thanks Josh and Jessica for letting us hang out!!!

where is your trust?

Received an email about the importance of my vote to preserve "In God we Trust" on our u.s currency. Something about how as Christians we need to stand up to this kind of persecution. I had almost forgotten that our money included this statement so I pulled out a good old dollar bill ( I used to know what twenties looked like, then I got married) and sure enough there is was.

two thought crossed my mind almost simultaneously.

1. With all Jesus had to say about the love of money being a root of evil, the difficulties of the rich entering heaven, and the inability to love both God and mammon, I'm wondering if even Jesus thinks thats a great idea? Isn't it a bit ironic that the one thing that we as Americans trust more than anything else would contain a statement about how we trust God?

American christians spend more on dog food then is given to the local church and we wonder why our message is rendered ineffective? Here is a quote from Ghandi, " I like your Christ, I do not like your christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ. The materialism of affluent christian countries, appears to contradict the claims of Jesus Christ that it's not possible to worship both God and mammon at the same time" OUCH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


2. I guess I understand what the email was trying to say, but the removal of "In God we trust" off of our currency does not constitute persecution. Neither does the removal of manger scenes in public at christmas or the lack of prayer in schools. I'm not saying these things have no importance, but ask the christians in China what persecution looks like. Pick up Foxes book of Martyrs and have a look at what it really means to take a stand for Jesus. I am becoming more and more convinced that persecution in America may be the only thing that separates those who go to church to ease their conscience, and those who are truly sold out to Jesus.