The East Race Baby!!

Kelsey, dad (kels' dad), Chloe and I went down the East Race today...it is a part of the St. Joseph River that has white water rapids...IT WAS SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO FUN! We went in circles...hit waves sideways...GOT extremely wet...BUT NEVER FELL IN! Chloe did a great job and she was so excited to go again...FUN!

Sunday Night Thoughts...

Summer hours are over at the theater! It was sooooooooooooo great today...we catered in lunch today with a little Subway and just hung out at the theater after the service...we had a lot of people stick around...FUN! So, nice to not have to tear down so fast and be out of there...

The service for me was moving...we finished the series "Bridge Over Troubled Waters." Talked today about how to deal with prayers that don't get answered...storms that never end...Think about the Israelites in Exodus 1...they were slaves in Egypt for 400+ years...MANY MANY people prayed that God would come through for them in that they were free...BUT God can come through for us deep inside of us...Philippians 4:7 says that God can give a peace that goes beyond our understanding...a peace that doesn't make sense...A LOT of people need that...

Another thing...sometimes we have a praise band and at times Jerimae plays alone...I like both...Jerimae just ROCKED today...God used him this morning...LOVE coming up to speak after he sets me up with AMAZING worship!!

Excited!

I am excited about tomorrow...our Goshen campus is opening their new building...a lot of prayer, planning...more prayer...has gone into this...in fact the foundation was poured on the names of people who need Jesus...I LOVE THAT! Praying for God to blow our Goshen gang away this weekend!

Looking forward to our service as well...we finally don't have to run out, so we are going to have a meal after the service at Movies 14...it will be fun to celebrate the great job everyone has done getting tearing down over the past copule of weeks.

Kelsey's B-day

Kelsey's birthday is today!! She continues to be 25 years old...we married really, really young! She is soooooooo amazing...Big party was hanging out at Chloe's school and meeting her teacher. Fun & mind blowing...Chloe is going to be in 3rd grade...I don't imagine when Kels was having birthdays through the years that she ever dreamed she would be going to meet her daughters teacher on her bday someday...My kids and I are sooooooooooooooooooooooooooo lucky to have her! THANKS GOD!

Facing Your Fears

Post #3 in less than an hour...1st time for everything...

Today while the kids were swimming I realized that I'm going to have to practice what I preach...I challenge my kids and other people to face their fears...to overcome what they think is impossible...

One of those things for me is swimming in deep water...no joke...My biggest fear is drowning and I don't have a great story as to why...just always have been afraid and I never have learned to tread water...I can swim some (no endurance!) and have been "through" the deep end before...but I have NEVER jumped into water over my head...never dove into deep water and have DEFINITELY never gone off a diving board.

"So why are you blogging that Tim?" GREAT QUESTION!!!! I guess because now EACH ONE of you is my accountability...I am making it a goal to jump into the deep end, learn how to tread water AND jump off of a diving board by next summer...I don't want to miss out on the fun of playing with my kids in the deep end...don't want to have to find reasons to not get in...it is time to practice what I preach...face my own fears...and "do more than I think I can..."

Hey...is it really true that when you write it, you have to follow through or could I just erase this post and act like I never wrote it?

Just asking...

A little 3 year old fish...

We went swimming tonight with friends of ours. Their daughter is a little fish...she is 3 years old and swims in the deep end!!! Not just that but she jumps in the deep end...does flips in the water...hand stands in the water...SHE IS 3 YEARS OLD FOR CRYING OUT LOUD!!!! It was amazing to watch!

My kids are doing so well in the water...Chloe is so good...I love to watch her swim the breast stroke...it is a thing of beauty. Jaden faced his fear today...he would NOT go in the deep end, but tonight he jumped in and then it was over...off he went. Luke...he just jumps and jumps and jumps...really fun to watch!

Running Partner

I'm training for a 5k race in September...the best part is I have a running partner this time! I LIKE HAVING A RUNNING PARTNER! Mark and I have been running together for 3 or 4 weeks now...a running partner really helps to keep you motivated and pulls you through the tough parts of a run. At different times we have helped each other...When we run 2 miles he usually pulls me through...he was a sprinter in college for crying out loud......today we ran a 5k and I pushed him through the hill...we work to not leave the other one behind, but to push each other...we want to bring out the best in each other.

We need friends like that in our lives...people who will pull us through the hard times and push us when we think we can't do more. The phrase that comes to mind is one that Jim, our lead pastor says: "You can do more than you think you can." I long to be the kind of leader that pulls the best out of people...That pulls people through those tough long hills in their lives...who challenges someone to give more when they go toward the finish line...and who CELEBRATES the victories and learns from the failures...

Sunday Night Thoughts...

Lots of things to think about tonight...

1. WOW...WOW...AND WOW!! What a moving service this morning...Tears were pouring out during the closing song. To think that Job stood strong in the worst adversity ever...that he went without fault...that he never cursed God...then to know that God wants to meet us during those dark times...I was just undone...When Jerimae and the band played and sang the words..."Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death...I won't turn back I know you are here" MAN...THANK YOU GOD FOR THIS MORNING!!

2. With 10 minutes before the start of the service we didn't have power to our projector (remember our message is on video, so the projector is just a little important!)...With 5 minutes before the service was to start we had no power to the lights in the auditorium and NO power in our Kidzone area...At 9:30...we had everything up and running...we prayed...we ran cables...we found power, baby!

3. Pastor Jim and his family came to our service today...I love having him there...here one cool part for me...I remember back when I first started teaching and the principal came in to observe, I would "kick into another gear." What I love about what we are doing here, is that I didn't know Jim was coming today and I wouldn't have changed ANYTHING that we did. I know Jerimae feels the same way...I love that we try to do our best every week to have a service that creates an atmosphere where people connect with God and others...AND it helps that Jim is a very freeing and empowering "boss" and wants what is best for us...sure he has HIGH expectations of us, but it is for our and the Kingdom's benefit...I love working with him!

4. We had to be out of Movies 14 in MINUTES after the service today...looking forward to school starting so we can get our later "be out" time back! BUT our group did an AMAZING JOB AGAIN at tearing down and getting out of there! WELL DONE EVERYONE!!!!

5. I start coaching at LaSalle tomorrow...that is the school where I used to teach. It will be my 6th year coaching 7th & 8th graders...I look forward to working and pouring my life into the young men...

6. I'll apologize now if I forget an appointment, your birthday, anniversary, email address, phone numbers...WHY you ask? Because I have the dreaded blue screen on my laptop. Yes my laptop may have "bit the dust!" I may have lost a lot of info...SO GO BACK UP YOUR FILES RIGHT NOW...DON'T WAIT OR YOU MAY BE LIKE ME...haven't backed up in...well I'm not sure how long!!!! Here is hoping we can save something off of my hard-drive!

Soccer Camp 2

I helped with a soccer camp this week near Brown School. Another church in our area and several other organizations put it on. They did a good job with the camp...they are reaching an area of our city that desperately needs help. It is always so cool for me to see the kids playing soccer and then in discussions about life and spiritual things. GREAT WEEK!

Cool thing...our team is so amazing at Grace! The camp this week used everything from ours...registration forms, basic schedule, team postures, name tags, and on and on...I was reminded AGAIN this week why the people of Grace are so amazing...such great people using their gifts for the Kingdom...I LOVE IT!

Not that I'm competitive...but if I was...My team lost the first coaches' game 3-2 today...MAN it was a close one...I had a goal called back because it was halftime...and I missed a shot with seconds to go too...OK, not a game that really matters, BUT MAN...MAKE THE SHOT BOUCHER!!!!

Wisdom...

Reading Proverbs right now...today in chapter 1 a couple of phrases jumped out at me..."My son, if sinners entice you, do not give in to them." The whole idea of peer pressure...This isn't just for teens...it's all of us...we all need to not give in to wanting to fit in with those around us. To run from sin...

The other verse that got me today was: " ...whoever listens to me (wisdom) will live in safety and be at ease, without fear of harm." WOW...how true that is...may we all LISTEN and then ACT on wisdom and not the other voices that can be heard!!