Weekend in Review
It's 8:20, and it feels like 11:20 pm. Still, it was a fantastic weekend, and I just need some recovery time, as does my wife. That was made clear by how we bit the kids' heads off this evening over little things. Tonight Shari is at a Ladies' Ministry Tea, but she'll be home soon, and we'll head to an early bed time... I hope.
Friday night went well. I had one final party with the high schoolers, while Shari had a girls' overnighter with the jr. high girls. She, especially, had fun, baking pizza, watching chic-flicks, and playing games with the girls. I, on the other hand, went to bed before 11:00 pm, and actually slept for more than 6 hours, which was nice. Check out the youth group Facebook page for more about our events, and upcoming stuff.
Saturday was a great day! I started the day by getting the boys going, and we cleaned and cleared out the house by 10:00, allowing Shari to come home to emptiness so she could take a couple of hours to nap and recover. The boys and I returned some things, and bought some things, then headed home for lunch. After lunch, the fun began.
Shari took the dirt I bought and finished our new strawberry patch addition. By next summer, somebody's going to have enough strawberries for some great jam, or maybe to freeze for ice cream in August. I divided my time between Mark learning how to mow the lawn and Michael learning how to weed-eat the edges. We also weeded out the front flower beds. Around 5:00, Mark and I headed to the ball fields for a practice. That was fun for both of us. I got to play outfield in a semi-competitive way with the boys, and Mark actually got to captain/semi-coach a team. It was hard to watch him, as leading isn't his strong point. Yet I so much appreciated the coach putting him in that position, then helping him to succeed. Mark walked away not liking to lead any more than he did before, but at least he had been given a chance to do so in a way that was constructive. He also got to play second base, and really enjoyed that. Finally, with a lot of patient coaching from his coach and another dad, he got four hits, and got on base each time. That was especially fun to watch. When that genuine smile breaks out on his face, there's nothing like it in this dad's heart.
It was a full, but fun, day for all of us. Shari and I ended the day, after the boys were in bed, with ice cream and the season finale for Numb3rs. What a great show to make one think about faith... even if I totally disagree with their conclusions.
Sunday we went to church. Jeff spoke a great message on why we need to get out into the community rather than wait for the community to come to us. I probably would have enjoyed it more had I been a bit more alert. I spent a lot of time the second half of the sermon trying hard not to nod off. Sunday School was the final discussion about learning to hear the voice of God. I have really enjoyed helping the kids to take steps towards hearing God's voice rather than just treat God like a religion. Not all have taken the steps I'd like, but they've all been given the opportunity and the tools, and some are making use of those tools, including "The Art of Listening Prayer." We have decided to give the book to all the jr. highers, as well, and encourage them to take the challenge to pursue God and listen for Him to respond.
After church Sunday, we had a church barbecue to raise money for Kevin and Carolyn Johnson, some friends in the church who are endeavoring to go to Papua New Guinea with New Tribes Missions as support missionaries. I'm not sure how much they raised, but I know our church is a very generous one. The BBQ itself was fun, and it was nice not to have to cook when we got home. We got home in time to clean the house, and were almost done when the realtor showed up an hour early. Bummer. So, we took off. Shari went to watch a friend's soccer game with the boys, Michael was already at a friend's house, and I went to Missoula County Juvenile Detention Facilities to lead a church service. Joe and I prayed for a few minutes, then he led worship. I don't know how to explain it, except to say that God showed up, and shared His love through me. There were six students, and God was at work.
After we all got home, we had our semi-traditional apples, peanutbutter, and popcorn, and then just played around. I finally read the boys stories, and they went to bed, but it sure was fun just to play with them. Mark, Matthew, Ben, and I all got a little wet trying to have a squirt gun fight. It didn't work real well, but it was fun to try. The boys want to get another couple bags of water balloons like we did last summer. After the boys were in bed, Shari and I watched "Flashpoint." What an amazing show. Intense, emotional, and well acted and scripted. I doubt if the action and techniques are very realistic, but it sure was a great story that dealt with people's emotions in a very real way.
Today (not technically part of the weekend, but still a great day) I spent the day at the qualifying track meet for the Copper League Middle School Track Meet of Champs. It was great to continue to build relationships with so many of these jr. highers, as well as their parents. I am going to miss so much the opportunities to care for these kids after we leave. It was a blast to watch so many of them succeed, as they qualified, or simply beat their best times at this event. I was the timer for the running races. While I screwed up a couple of times, I still had fun, and got to be there when many of our kids qualified.
It's been a good day. I praise God for sunshine, and the first really hot day of the spring.
Friday night went well. I had one final party with the high schoolers, while Shari had a girls' overnighter with the jr. high girls. She, especially, had fun, baking pizza, watching chic-flicks, and playing games with the girls. I, on the other hand, went to bed before 11:00 pm, and actually slept for more than 6 hours, which was nice. Check out the youth group Facebook page for more about our events, and upcoming stuff.
Saturday was a great day! I started the day by getting the boys going, and we cleaned and cleared out the house by 10:00, allowing Shari to come home to emptiness so she could take a couple of hours to nap and recover. The boys and I returned some things, and bought some things, then headed home for lunch. After lunch, the fun began.
Shari took the dirt I bought and finished our new strawberry patch addition. By next summer, somebody's going to have enough strawberries for some great jam, or maybe to freeze for ice cream in August. I divided my time between Mark learning how to mow the lawn and Michael learning how to weed-eat the edges. We also weeded out the front flower beds. Around 5:00, Mark and I headed to the ball fields for a practice. That was fun for both of us. I got to play outfield in a semi-competitive way with the boys, and Mark actually got to captain/semi-coach a team. It was hard to watch him, as leading isn't his strong point. Yet I so much appreciated the coach putting him in that position, then helping him to succeed. Mark walked away not liking to lead any more than he did before, but at least he had been given a chance to do so in a way that was constructive. He also got to play second base, and really enjoyed that. Finally, with a lot of patient coaching from his coach and another dad, he got four hits, and got on base each time. That was especially fun to watch. When that genuine smile breaks out on his face, there's nothing like it in this dad's heart.
It was a full, but fun, day for all of us. Shari and I ended the day, after the boys were in bed, with ice cream and the season finale for Numb3rs. What a great show to make one think about faith... even if I totally disagree with their conclusions.
Sunday we went to church. Jeff spoke a great message on why we need to get out into the community rather than wait for the community to come to us. I probably would have enjoyed it more had I been a bit more alert. I spent a lot of time the second half of the sermon trying hard not to nod off. Sunday School was the final discussion about learning to hear the voice of God. I have really enjoyed helping the kids to take steps towards hearing God's voice rather than just treat God like a religion. Not all have taken the steps I'd like, but they've all been given the opportunity and the tools, and some are making use of those tools, including "The Art of Listening Prayer." We have decided to give the book to all the jr. highers, as well, and encourage them to take the challenge to pursue God and listen for Him to respond.
After church Sunday, we had a church barbecue to raise money for Kevin and Carolyn Johnson, some friends in the church who are endeavoring to go to Papua New Guinea with New Tribes Missions as support missionaries. I'm not sure how much they raised, but I know our church is a very generous one. The BBQ itself was fun, and it was nice not to have to cook when we got home. We got home in time to clean the house, and were almost done when the realtor showed up an hour early. Bummer. So, we took off. Shari went to watch a friend's soccer game with the boys, Michael was already at a friend's house, and I went to Missoula County Juvenile Detention Facilities to lead a church service. Joe and I prayed for a few minutes, then he led worship. I don't know how to explain it, except to say that God showed up, and shared His love through me. There were six students, and God was at work.
After we all got home, we had our semi-traditional apples, peanutbutter, and popcorn, and then just played around. I finally read the boys stories, and they went to bed, but it sure was fun just to play with them. Mark, Matthew, Ben, and I all got a little wet trying to have a squirt gun fight. It didn't work real well, but it was fun to try. The boys want to get another couple bags of water balloons like we did last summer. After the boys were in bed, Shari and I watched "Flashpoint." What an amazing show. Intense, emotional, and well acted and scripted. I doubt if the action and techniques are very realistic, but it sure was a great story that dealt with people's emotions in a very real way.
Today (not technically part of the weekend, but still a great day) I spent the day at the qualifying track meet for the Copper League Middle School Track Meet of Champs. It was great to continue to build relationships with so many of these jr. highers, as well as their parents. I am going to miss so much the opportunities to care for these kids after we leave. It was a blast to watch so many of them succeed, as they qualified, or simply beat their best times at this event. I was the timer for the running races. While I screwed up a couple of times, I still had fun, and got to be there when many of our kids qualified.
It's been a good day. I praise God for sunshine, and the first really hot day of the spring.
Labels: Church, Family, High School Ministry, Jr. High Ministry, Parenting, Praises, Sports
posted by Pastor Paul at
7:19 PM
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