Clayton's Blog

What's on your bucket list?

2010-10-13T16:29:00.007-04:00

From the time that I was in high school I've always had the idea that one day I would go skydiving. It's always been one of those things on my bucket list. For many it's the thrill factor that they seek. Not me. Don't get me wrong I LOVE adventure and finding new ways to overcome most of life's hurdles...but heights??? It's funny when I was telling my tandem partner about my fear of heights, he said, "It's not heights, it's altitude." Call it whatever you want, but apparently now I've got another fear...fear of altitude. Thanks buddy!

Anyway skydiving was my way of facing this fear. I never want anything in this world to hold me back from enjoying the fruits of life, so I jumped at the opportunity to go with some good friends. Let me just say, if you've never been, it's quite the experience! You may not be afraid of heights or "altitude," but I promise you, when that door opens at 13,000 ft and you watch those ahead of you get sucked out of the plane...it becomes REAL real fast! With all of that said, I need to say, "It was GREAT!" - Thanks Clint! - If you get a chance to go then take it. Never let anything hold you back from witnessing the undiscovered parts of life!

So now many ask, "Would you do it again?" My answer is, "With another group of friends, yes. But just to do it because I'm hooked now...nope." Anyway here are a few pics to show that I jumped and survived. -Although, the last picture could pass for another blog entry about coming back from a trip to the moon.

Paper & Heart

2010-07-01T10:04:00.005-04:00

Every week, sometimes every day, Cole asks to go to work with me. It's something that I can usually count on when I wake up each morning. Fun Fact: He told Holly that when he grows up he's going to have his office right beside mine so we can work together! As his daddy there's a part of me that wishes age 5 stayed a little longer. Because I know that over time, age 5 will become a small dot in his rear view mirror and comments like this will become less frequent. But for now I record it in my memory bank and enjoy it while it's here!

As you can see in the picture below, Cole made it to work with me this day. He decided that he would write his first book. I'm not going to tell you about it as to hinder his sales on Amazon... Anyway it was a very cool moment when he came to me to show me his book of Adventure on a day with dad! Thought it was worth sharing!

(Yeah I'm not sure what the yarn was supposed to be either?)

My Hero!

2010-04-27T16:09:00.008-04:00

Many of you have probably already seen this, but in my adventures of being a dad I couldn't help but be motivated by this story again!

My goal, as a dad, is to impress upon my boys
that the word "can't" doesn't exist in our family!

Months into parenthood...

2010-04-15T16:55:00.007-04:00

Many of you have seen our friend's website and have shared in this journey with Sean, Sheyenne and their daughter Whitney. I haven't posted any follow-ups about them lately, so I decided that it was time. Rather than me trying to explain things and catch you up in my own words, I'll let them share.

Thanks for praying for them and for your encouraging comments that I'm sure are helpful through this season of life.

http://www.churchonmission.typepad.com/seanandshey/

You get a line and I'll get a pole...

2010-04-12T16:05:00.013-04:00

I'm not sure what you do for fun and relaxation, but for my family, one of the ways we kick back is to head down to the OH river. No matter the course that life takes us, we have always seemed to find a way to flank a bad day. That may not make sense to you, but that's been our approach to this adventure that we call, "Life!"

Well this past weekend Holly, Cole, Owen and myself went down to the river. A dozen night crawlers, a fishing pole in hand and some snacks to munch on, we were set! Although Cole and Owen decided throwing mud up in the air and letting it land in their hair was more adventurous, we still somehow managed to catch some fish. Here's a few pictures from our day of adventure!

Striper #1 for Cole

Striper #2 for Cole

Striper #3 for Cole

Striper #4 for Cole (Nice fish!)

Catfish #1

Catfish #2

Cole Striper #5
(Owen had to be in the shot too)

Finally Owen's first fish!
(2 1/2 yrs old)
_________________________________

Get out with your family today!
Too often we wait for the weekend to do anything "FUN."
Why is that?
Get the fam together and make Monday an adventure,
don't sit around waiting for one to happen!!!

* Go on a walk together!

* Ride bikes as a family!
* Go to the park!
* Make a fort out of couch cushions and have a family movie night!
* Make supper together!
* Heck, go fishing!
* If you've got a better idea, do that!

Let me know how it turns out!

Duke

2010-04-07T16:29:00.003-04:00

I'm not necessarily a Duke fan, in fact, I don't have a favorite college basketball team that I root for period. However for this years March Madness bracket, I had them winning it. And as most of you already know, Duke pulled it off which catapulted me to the top in order to win this years office bracket. So now that I walk away with $10,000 dollars....I mean a pat on the back, I can honestly say...yeah, I still know nothing about college basketball teams."

Are your days like that? I mean do you ever walk through a day wondering, "Do I really know what I'm doing, or am I just getting by?" Are you intentional with your approach to life or do you waiver with whatever comes your way and hope that works out for you? (Kind of like my bracket) What I'm getting at is, "Do you have specific goals in mind, things you'd like to accomplish?" Like personal goals /family goals / financial goals / spiritual goals /long term / short term goals?
Second part is, "Then what steps are you taking to achieve them?"

It seems to me that most people have a checklist with life.
And once those boxes are checked off, boredom sets in.
Looks something like this:

1) Find that special someone (check) -- Ask out on a date
2) Start dating = (check) --Looking forward to engagement

3) Get engaged (check) --Looking forward to wedding day
4) Get married (check) --Looking forward to first home
5) Buy or move into first house (check) --Looking forward to kids
6) Have first child (check) --Maybe another one
7) Have second child (check) --Boy and a girl. Now we're done
8) Oops, have 3rd child (check)

............Now what?????

Veg out until retirement,
then wish you could have those years back????
.............Seriously???

I don't want to be "that guy" so a while ago I've been making and creating NEW goals on many different levels that I hope to accomplish over time! And even if I come short of accomplishing these goals after giving full effort, I still leave with some pretty cool stories from my attempts at these adventures.

That's my approach and I'm sticking to it.

The Big Apple

2010-04-06T15:39:00.016-04:00

Gosh, it feels like it's been FOREVER since I've posted anything! I guess that's because this past week I was on vacation. What started out as a vacation to simply relax at home with the family, ended up with me flying to Albany, New York.

Let me explain:

See Holly and I have been looking for a car for a while now. We had a 1994 Honda Civic Coupe that Holly had been driving since she was 16 years old! It's been a great car, but it was time for us to start looking for a replacement. We looked around at different cars and I even test drove a couple, many of which were out of our price range. This led us to Ebay, which is how we purchased our van back in 05. Anyway we came across a 2007 Toyota Prius from Albany, New York. Holly and I were shocked at the price and tried to figure out why it was so low. I called (Vinny), the dealer in NY, and he assured me that everything was good. What's funny is when I called the dealer and asked for Vinny, the girl said, "Which one?" Holly said, "It's NY, what did you expect?" Anyway after talking with Vinny, we agreed on a price and I bought a one-way plane ticket to Albany, NY.

--You know even though I've done this before, it's never easy to buy something that you've never seen first hand. I say that but that's how we bought our van, our house, and now our car. (Yes, we bought our house without ever having seen it in person.) Anyway long story short, our Ebay adventure led us to a 4:30am morning, 1 flight to Albany, NY to meet "Vinny," and a 718 mile ride back to Cincy in in the 07 Toyota Prius! I have to say, We LOVE it!!! A very cool adventure!!! Here's a few pictures of the quick trip.

Getting ready to leave

Somewhere above NY

Back home with the fam!

Where has your adventure led you?

They're here...

2010-03-24T14:53:00.004-04:00

Tonight the African Children's Choir will be performing here at Parkside at 7:00pm!

These 23 children are from Uganda, Africa and we get the privilege of hosting a couple of the boys tonight at our house. If I have any good stories worth sharing I'll have to post them tomorrow.

Anyway if your close to the Cinci area, come on...
it's FREE and concert begins at 7:00pm.

NCAA Tournament Bracket

2010-03-22T16:52:00.006-04:00

At the office we've put together our brackets like I'm sure most of you have done. And like most of you...KANSAS...messed my bracket up quite a bit! However even with that, I am currently leading the 22 brackets that are on our wall here in the office (one in the middle is a chart of current stats). It's funny that someone who doesn't watch basketball leads the pack. I realize this could be very temporary, so I'm posting while I'm on top! (Fist pump)

Let me know how you're doing!
Or...let me know if you have no idea of what I'm talking about!

What is the value of "one day"...

2010-03-18T16:07:00.010-04:00

...I guess it really depends on who you ask.

Some would say a single day is expendable,

while others would describe the value of a day as irreplaceable!

Yesterday I sat down with a lady who has a close friend going through a very difficult time. Her friend is a Latino Pastor whose son is in a coma, so I agreed to go to Children’s Hospital and spend some time with this family that I have never met before. The family didn’t speak English very well so our conversations were being interpreted. Let me say this, “Regardless of a language barrier, there is a mysterious level of comfort, empathy and bond when Jesus is the common denominator! And that was definitely the case here!” Some of you know exactly what I mean.

Well without going into a lot of detail, we all circled up, held hands and prayed for this 15 year old boy to regain consciousness. As I was closing out my visit with this family the boy's father said this, “I believe that God is capable of raising my son out of this coma! I believe that with all my heart! (he paused, then went on)...But I also believe that God’s ways are so much higher than my own. And because of this, I humbly accept His answer, regardless if that answer is settling to me or not. From my human perspective I am pained to see my boy this way, and wish for nothing more than for him to come home with me. But if he does not wake here, I know that he will awake to a scene I can only imagine! And because of this I am at peace.”

What else can I say, except he nailed it! Now the difficult part will be for him to live this out, as I received a phone call earlier that his son has moved on.

'What is the value of "one day" day for you?'

Eeewwwhhh

2010-03-16T16:04:00.003-04:00

This past weekend my brother, his wife and 2 kids came down for a visit which was very nice! Well one night the boys were playing together on the floor and Owen (2 1/2) was "doing the dance." You know the kind of dance that little boys do when they "have to go," but can't seem to pull themselves away from playing? Yeah, that's the one! Well after asking him if he had to go potty, he ran to the restroom and grabbed the little potty seat off of the toilet and literally threw it up against the wall, because THIS WAS HIS EMERGENCY!!! All of this was so much of a priority that he didn't even care to close the door, which is how we witnessed this next part.

Now before I go on let me say, "We could have probably won $10,000 dollars on America's Funniest Videos!" See when he got off the big potty, he did what he was supposed to do. He got his own toilet paper "like a big boy," then he wiped his bottom "like a big boy." Now I wish I could say that it all ended here, but it didn't. Because after wiping his bottom, he directly pulled it up and wiped his nose without any hesitation!!!....
Yeah...that's how we all reacted too! "NOOOOOO!!!" is the only answer any of us had for this horrific scene!!! I instantly jumped to my feet and ran to rescue him! Thankfully there wasn't anything to clean off, but believe me...I scrubbed his face anyway!

TMI...maybe, but it cracked us up. I am honestly at a loss for why he even did this in the first place. Whatever the reason, I'm still a little scarred by that night.

I guess the moral of this story is this:

"Toilet paper is used to clean things,
but PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE...
clean these things one at a time!!!"

Our New Floor

2010-03-15T17:54:00.009-04:00

This past week Holly and I decided to redo our kitchen / dining room floors. It's not a very big area, but after taking out tile, grout, concrete backer board, and additional backer board, it became a much bigger job than we originally thought.
(Isn't that how it usually goes though?)

Anyway, I decided to show you the fruits of our "blood, sweat and tears." And I am being serious when I say, "blood, sweat and tears."

Blood--Because I had to super glue Holly's hand shut after being sliced on a tile.

Sweat--Because that's what bodies do when you're working hard.

Tears--At 1:00am one night Holly cried when we couldn't figure something out (Wasn't funny then, but it is now)

Anyway, here are some pictures:

Ohio River Adventure

2010-03-10T16:46:00.004-05:00

As many of you know, I like to go fishing! Well this past weekend I took Cole out fishing to the Ohio River. Since January he has been begging me to go fishing, so when the sun came out this past weekend we didn't pass it up. And let me tell you, it REALLY IS an adventure when you take a 5 year old fishing! I think I did more untangling line, setting the line and coaching him HOW TO CAST, than I did anything else! (Even though it was getting old, I realized these days will pass soon enough so I was proud to do it!)

Well in between doing all of this I saw my pole moving, however it wasn't moving too much so I didn't reel it in. Anyway after I was getting ready to call it quits, I caught this "thing" below. Let me say, over the many years of going fishing I can honestly say I've never caught one of these. Call it strange, ugly, weird...but Cole and I call it another adventure!

Here's a quick quiz for you:

What do you think this creature is called?
Any thoughts?

Brain Test

2010-03-09T13:58:00.002-05:00

I want to let you know that I WAS able to do this, however there were a few times that my foot wasn't listening. I drew the number 6 very well each time with my hand, but it was my foot that seemed not to follow. In fact I began smiling a little bit, not because it was fun, but because it was sort of frustrating that I was losing this stupid, silly brain test. Then when I nailed it and did it right a few times in a row, I stopped as if I was walking away with the upper hand.

Let me know how it went for you!

When a child moves on...

2010-03-03T17:21:00.010-05:00

For those of you keeping up with our freinds' story, here is a picture of them while at the hosptial! Even going through one of life's most difficult hurdles, I believe this picture captured a marriage at its best in my opinion!!! Love you guys!

If you'd like to read more about their story:

http://www.churchonmission.typepad.com/seanandshey

Super Glue

2010-03-02T16:45:00.011-05:00

Super Glue is such a wonderful thing!

I mean seriously, I'm sure each of you have used it at some point in time on SOMETHING! I mean what else can you use to re-glue toys, pottery, your rear view mirror...and my all time favorite...SKIN!!! Which is where I'll pick up my story from this weekend.

Holly and I have been working on our kitchen floor by breaking out the tile that's currently in there. Well on Saturday, just as everything had been going smoothly with breaking up the tile, I hear a hammer hit the floor and hear Holly say, "Uhh! Oh no Clayton, I just cut myself and it's bad!" Nonchalantly I say, "Let me see." After seeing about a half inch gash in her hand, I told her to pinch it shut and that it wasn't too bad. Reality, yeah she could have used stitches. But what's funny is, we were too cheap to go to the ER. So instead I went and got some Super Glue that we had so I could glue it shut! (Now before you think I'm the worst husband in the world, realize that super glue is like Dermabond which hospitals sometimes use instead of using stitches.) Anyway the funniest part, looking back on it now, was right before I glued it I asked her, "Do you want to go to the hospital because it's going to scar."
Her response, "I don't care as long as you don't care."

...Now...I wish I could say that, right then and there we gazed into each others eyes and got mushy with phrases like:

"Honey, I'd love you with or without scars."
"Heck honey, I'd love you with or without hands."
"Honey, I'd still love you even if you were a vegetable."
And then realizing how deep our love goes for each other, we passionately started kissing...

...Instead it was more of us looking at each other,
as if to read the others mind
Holly: "You're really going to glue my hand aren't you."
Me: "...Yep!"

May seem silly to others, but I love our marriage!

The Tooth Fairy

2010-03-01T16:33:00.004-05:00

I thought this was worth sharing!
(Her mother sent this to me and I had to share it!)

A little 6 year old girl wrote this letter today right before school. But before she put it under her pillow, she gave it to her mother and included some instructions. She said, "Scan it and send it to my friend and make sure she knows what the Tooth Fairy is up to!"

So "Tooth Fairy," if you're reading this...
you might want to rethink the whole tooth steeling bit!
Apparently money isn't enough these days.

A Love Story

2010-02-25T16:49:00.006-05:00

If you have not read any of my previous blogs about an amazing little girl named, "Whitney" then you have missed out on an incredible story! Sean and Sheyenne are not only friends of ours, they are an encouragement to everyone who has read or heard about their personal journey into parenthood!

Let me step out of the way and open the door to their story...

http://www.churchonmission.typepad.com/seanandshey

Love you guys!

Charlie Bit Me

2010-02-24T17:09:00.002-05:00

If you haven't seen this clip before, then you've probably been living under a rock somewhere. That or you don't do YouTube very often. Either way, this is probably THE most watched video clip ever posted on that site. So whether your seeing this for the very first time, or laughing at this clip again for the 100th time...here you go!

Laughter can be contagious

2010-02-23T17:08:00.004-05:00

Things have gotten away from me today so instead of not posting anything, I'll leave you with a short video clip. And if you haven't had much to laugh about today, this may be just what you needed.

Who knows, maybe your smile today is just what he/she needed

Not Just A Receipt

2010-02-22T16:55:00.013-05:00

Recently we went to Taco Bell for some lunch. Cole was still hungry and so we gave him some money to buy another soft taco. He went and paid for it ALL BY HIMSELF, which apparently to him was a BIG deal! As you can see in the picture, he was so proud of his receipt! It was kind of like his verification or certification that HE did it ALL BY HIMSELF!!! It was his trophy! His confidence has now grown to a level that he now feels ready to carry the tray to the table, drinks and all. (Although I've let him, that's not an easy one to sit back and watch!) But I guess that's all part of the whole learning process.

When I see these moments of him not needing dad or mom anymore, it quickly makes me realize that he's growing up right before our eyes! And it's in those vulnerable moments, as a daddy, that I want to be sad. But I soon realize that these are the signs of what I have hoped to instill within him as his daddy. I hope to raise my boys as independent, confident young men who will see possibilities in life rather than limitations in life! And although I haven't done this perfectly, I am beginning to see signs of these accomplishments!

So as I look at this picture, I begin to see that what he's holding is more than just a receipt for food...

Whose life/lives are you intentionally investing in?

Whitney's Story Continued

2010-02-18T16:53:00.006-05:00

For those of who you read my blog entitled "Whitney's Day," you know that our good friends have been moving through some difficult days here lately after being separated from their daughter. Rather than pretending I know what to say in situations like this, I'm just going to post their follow-up story of Whitney.

http://www.churchonmission.typepad.com/seanandshey

TODAY'S WINNER...

2010-02-17T15:23:00.004-05:00

If you're just tuning in, yesterday there was a MAJOR...HUGE...GIGANTIC...TITANIC-LIKE competition, (yeah, that big), as to who could guess how many pieces of Lucky Charms that were in the bowl below. Anyway I'm pleased to say that as cut throat as this competition was, nobody was hurt.

Okay, okay now getting to the winner!
As I painfully counted these out piece by piece, I came to this number...(which I will tell you right after this commercial.) Hey that's what they do on American Idol. Can't stand that.

The highest number submitted was: 615
The lowest number submitted was: 155
The closest number submitted was: 262

Actual pieces of Lucky Charms = 387
So the WINNER to this competition is...............

KRISTAN!!!

For all of you who submitted numbers, thanks for playing and I hope you had a little bit of fun with this! Special thanks goes to the makers of Lucky Charms for providing the tools for this strange, but fun competition. And for coming up with the phrase, "They're Magically Delicious" which is just fun to say!

Let's play..."Are You Lucky?"

2010-02-16T16:55:00.005-05:00

Are you Lucky?
(How many pieces of Lucky Charms are in the bowl?)

Okay so yesterday I sat down to eat a bowl of "Lucky Charms!" You know...the cereal that says, "They're Magically _________!" (Please tell me you didn't just sing that out loud) Anyway if you managed to finish the phrase correctly, then you either love the irresistible taste of this marshmallowy cereal, or you just watch WAY too much TV! ....L..i...k..e ME...HIGH FIVE!!!

Well my son Cole is big in to numbers and said, "WOW, that's like a thousand pieces of cereal Daddy!" And I said, "Eh, it's probably more like 3oo." Then while we were both just staring at each other in a trance-like-sort-of-way, I looked away and thought, "I wonder how many there really are?" So I began counting. Stupid you say...Why? There wasn't any milk in there yet. Anyway I wasn't about to lose this guessing competition to a 5 year old!

So now here's your chance! You need to guess how many pieces of Lucky Charms were in this bowl in the picture above! The closest person to the actual number gets a BRAND...NEW...CAR!!! (I even said it like they do on the game shows!) Okay you don't get a car, but I will mention you as the winner in tomorrow's blog. Hey if you're going to whine about the trophy then don't play. Alright, clock is ticking...I will only take 1 guess per person and will stop accepting guesses by 3:00pm / Wednesday / February 17th / 2010!
(That's my fine print, legal stuff)

Email guess to: chershner@visitparkside.com
"They're magically delicious!"...GO!!!

Whitney's Day

2010-02-11T16:37:00.016-05:00

Some real good friends of ours have been pregnant with their first child, whom they have named Whitney. Just as any first time parents would be, Sean and Sheyenne have been excited to meet this little girl of theirs! Today they got the opportunity to meet their little girl, however it was not under the circumstances they had hoped for. Yesterday doctors could not find Whitney's heartbeat and so Sheyenne was scheduled to give birth to Whitney today, as still born.

I don't write this so you can feel sorry for them. In fact I write this to celebrate the fact that, although Whitney's time on earth was limited, she has impacted MANY LIVES...including mine! How is it that a little girl, who has not seen this side of the womb, impact so many lives? I don't have that answer. I just know she has! Sean and Sheyenne, although wading through this painful situation, have managed to carry an amazing story of hope throughout their whole pregnancy! I couldn't possibly say things better than them, so here's the link to their AMAZING journey with their little girl Whitney!

www.churchonmission.typepad.com/seanandshey

Love you guys!

A similar story of the complications that Whitney had

Just a Snowman...or something more?

2010-02-10T11:43:00.001-05:00

Yesterday I posted some things to do in the snow with friends or family. It isn’t just advice that I gave for others, because when I got home Holly, the boys and I went out and built a snowman together. The best part was when we got him finished, Cole looked up at the snowman and asked, “Is he alive?”

You know building this snowman wasn’t just about rolling up 3 sections of snow and piecing them together in order to create a snowy sculpture. It was more about intentionally creating some fun and memorable moments with my family! Weeks from now, “Frosty” will have melted away, but those memories of building him will last much longer.

It’s funny how many opportunities we find
when we intentionally look for them!

SNOW DAY!!!

2010-02-09T13:12:00.008-05:00

Here’s a picture from my office window that I took this morning. I personally like this weather A LOT!!! Granted I don’t like it for the people who have to drive on the roads, but for me there’s nothing like a good snowy day! I know this excitement isn’t shared by everyone, so I’ve posted some things that might help you enjoy it a little better.

Things to do on a day like today:

* Be grumpy and complain about things the entire day...or...
* Get out and make a snow angel (Seriously, when's the last time you did that?)
* Have a snowball fight! (If you don't have someone to pick a fight with, call me! It's on!)
* Go out and make a snowman! (This was our 7 1/2 ft tall snowman! Good memories!!!)

* Get some hot chocolate and make tonight a movie night with family or friends! (This past Thursday night I set up a full 6 man tent in our basement for Holly, the boys and I so we could watch a movie right from the tent! I recommend it! It definitely gives a fun feel to a movie night!)
* Or get out and shovel a neighbor's driveway!

Either route you take, there are some opportunities that come with this new day! Enjoy it, regardless if you like the white stuff or not! Who knows...maybe by creating a fun memory in the snow it will change the way you view it in the future.

For what it's worth, enjoy it! I know I will!

Drew Brees

2010-02-09T10:25:00.002-05:00

Congratulations to the New Orleans Saints, winners of this years Super Bowl! In case you don't know who Drew Brees is, he's the starting quarterback for the New Orleans Saints. That's not the title that he's most proud of though. Here's a semi short video of Drew in an interview talking about something that matters more to him than a Super Bowl win!

Brotherly Love

2010-02-03T16:48:00.009-05:00

This is a video of my boys back in the summer of '08.
A fun clip that I thought was worth sharing!

"Trip to the Dentist"

2010-02-02T16:44:00.006-05:00

Video #2: "Trip to the Dentist"
Leave it to a dad to video tape his son's trip to the dentist!
And being a dad myself...I laughed!

Video #1 "Flip...the News Reporter"

2010-02-01T12:07:00.005-05:00

Each day this week I'm going to post a video.
Feel free to write your thoughts about the video or you keep them to yourself...your call.
Either way, hope you enjoy this one!

Star Spangled Banner

2010-01-28T17:38:00.000-05:00

You may have seen this before, but even if you have,

it's worth watching again.
(I believe the oldest girl is 8 and the youngest is 5)

Random

2010-01-27T16:41:00.004-05:00

Phrase of the day: "Sounds good"

Song of the day: "Heartless" by Kanye West

Thought of the day: "If I eat a happy meal, will it really make me happy?"

Funny of the day: "Calling 1-800-295-0051 to the Nestle Hotline / wait for the operator to ask English or Spanish / do nothing / the number options will begin...press 4 and listen."

Best part of the day: "Going home to see my family!"

Advice for the day: "Don't do the breath check where people can see you. Seriously everyone knows what you're doing.

"Tying my shoes"

2010-01-26T17:22:00.005-05:00

Have you ever been so frustrated that you just wanted to give up?

Cole, my 5 year old, is just learning how to tie his shoes. Talk about a frustrated little 5 year old. He starts out pretty good as he’s putting the shoe on, then after about a minute of making the loop and wrapping the other shoe lace around it…things begin to fall apart. At times it can be kind of funny. I try not to laugh, but I don’t always do well at that.

Here’s how the process goes:

* He happily goes and gets his shoes
* Sits down, unties the laces and puts the first shoe on
* He then begins making the loop or loops to move forward
* Starts making the loop or loops over...again
* (Hhhhhhh)...(mad growl)…then starts again
* With a shaky, whiny voice says, “I can’t get it!”
* He starts back over…again…(I try not to let him see me smiling)
* Slams his foot on the ground and fusses
* Gets back to it and FINALLY get’s it tied!!!!
* Only to find out it’s on the wrong foot. (Now he sees me smiling)

Do you ever get that way? You try something over and over again and still can’t seem to win, till you finally just want to give up? Then other times you push through the frustration to get the job done, only to find out you didn’t do it the “right” way.

Why is that? Why do we have those days? It’s almost as if going back to bed is the best solution to that type of day. Regardless of what the “right” answer is, these days happen to all of us at some point or another. It may not be with tying our shoes, but it’s on a level that’s real to us in that very moment. I guess when these days find us, consider this…

Maybe it’s not that you’re doing it wrong after all. Maybe that’s just your way of doing it. Because when the shoe is finally tied and someone looks down and says, “They’re on the wrong feet,” remember this…“If they were on the wrong feet, then they wouldn’t be on your feet.”

That’s my story and I’m stickin’ to it!

A good man has moved on

2010-01-21T16:58:00.007-05:00

7 days ago would have been my Papaw’s 78^th birthday, but back in April he stopped celebrating his birthday’s here on earth after moving on to bigger and better things! And although I know he’s moved on to a better life, I tend to still miss him from time to time. So I’m going to dedicate this blog to a man who has helped inspire me and others to live life a little fuller because of his example.

Here are some things that, when I remember him, make me proud to be his grandson:

He left school at a very early age so he could work in the mines of KY to help support his family
Became a Corporal Medic in the US Army
Married his sweetheart Patsy! My mom later asked him, “Why did you marry Mother?” His response (no joke) was, “I don’t know. We started going together and just kept it up.” (For 54 years I might add) Too funny!
His contagious laugh (The man seemed to always laugh)
His jokes (After telling a joke he would just laugh, even if it really wasn’t all that funny) – Makes me laugh now though. Go figure.
His love for the Lord and his family!
One thing I remember him telling me right before he moved on was this: “We shouldn’t just love some people! We need to love ALL people!” In that same conversation over the phone, I mentioned that I wished I could be there with him. His answer to me, “Don’t chew you worry, we’ll be together again!” That was my last conversation with him…at least for now…

Who do you miss that has impacted your life?

"one of those days"

2010-01-20T18:07:00.006-05:00

So yesterday I didn’t blog. Here's why. Have you ever had "one of those days?” I mean, I think we all pretty much know what someone means when they say this. Well for me it really was “one of those days.” I honestly cannot say exactly what triggered it either. It was much more subtle than that. It was as if, over the course of the day, I began doubting the things that I’m capable of. Like thinking thoughts of, “I’m not good enough for this” or “I’m not good enough at that,” and I slowly began to agree and believe that. And it wasn't as if I could even trace it back to anything that would have caused it. For instance:

* Things good with the wife? (check)
* Boys doing good? (check)
* Watching the new season of 24 where Jack Bauer can get tazzed / get beat up/ foil an assassination attempt / and hook up with an old girlfriend from the past, all in one episode? (check)

Maybe that’s the key, change my name to Jack Bower and I’ll believe I can do anything. As you can probably tell, today is a much different day. I guess the main reason I wanted to be transparent about yesterday was so that if anyone reading this blog is having, “one of those days,” you can be encouraged. We all go through these up and down moments in life and it’s okay to go through them…but we can’t stay there. For me it takes getting away and talking with God. For you it might be something different. Whatever it is, my advice to you is to not let yourself stay there. It’s okay to have a bad day, but tomorrow it’s time to move on.

May not be real polished, but there's my 2 cents.

0 - 5 in the blink of an eye

2010-01-18T16:55:00.006-05:00

I've always heard from folks who are a generation ahead of myself say, "Time goes by so fast with your kids!" So I have taken their advice, which has moved me to daily soak up my time with both of my boys! Well yesterday was Cole's 5th birthday, which is just crazy to me! As you can see from this first picture, things have changed quite a bit from how they started.

I remember when:

* He would sleep after every meal

* He would let me hold him until he fell asleep on me

* He would never talk back

* He always needed my help

* He threw up all the time (well I guess I don't miss that)

But as you can see, that has now become a thing of the past. See for some this can be a sad reflection of how time really does goes by too fast, but from my perspective I am glad to see his life move forward. Sure I enjoyed those earlier days and would never take ANYTHING for those amazing memories!!! However I am certainly enjoying these new seasons of watching a boy learn what it's like to be 5 for the very first time!

* To hear him count to 40

* To watch him take a scrape on the knee and consider it "cool"

* To hear him pray well beyond his years

* To wrestle with him (letting him win) then literally watch his confidence grow

* To hear him talk back (that will go away when he hits his teen right?)

All in all, I have enjoyed these 5 years with my son...no doubt! But I certainly don't want to keep looking back as to miss who he is now and who he is daily becoming!

Happy Birthday Cole
From Daddy

Eye love my wife!

2010-01-14T14:35:00.007-05:00

Okay, so if you have a weak stomach or don’t do well when looking at graphic photos, then this blog probably isn’t for you. For those of you who say, “Bring it on,” well stick around and carry on.

2009 wasn’t the easiest year for my wife, so when the idea came up for her to renew contact lenses and get new glasses, I suggested Lasik eye surgery. I was hoping that this would be a positive step forward for her and I wasn’t going to let money hold us back. Plus it helps that I hit the Power Ball lottery in NC this past year. (True story! I actually won 4 dollars!)

Anyway I was given the option to watch the surgery today and I said, “Yes.” I took some photos and thought I would post them and let you see exactly what I saw. I’ve put them in order from “not so bad…to ewwwwhhh.”

(Pic 1) Close up of the eye while closed
(Pic 2) The outer layer of the eye has been peeled away and is getting ready for solution to be put in.
(Pic 3) Yeah…that’s the layer being pulled back. (Told you it was graphic!)

I might as well just stop here, because most likely everyone has already left.
“See” you later!

Haiti

2010-01-13T16:44:00.012-05:00

Of anything that I could have posted today, it would have simply paled in comparison to what the people of Haiti are going through today.

Whether you pray or not, please remember these people!
For those of you that pray, please do that at this time!

50 today!!!

2010-01-12T14:02:00.001-05:00

Today is sort of a mile marker for me. I’ve officially hit 50 blogs that I’ve written to date! (Wait for the applause…umm that’s your cue) I know that probably doesn’t mean anything to anyone else, but for me it’s been a small accomplishment. Basically the whole reason that I started writing these blogs was that I felt it would be one way for folks to see other sides of me besides a minister. Although I am a “Children’s minister” at Parkside Christian Church, there are many other titles that I would say define me as a person.

For instance I am a “husband” to a beautiful woman that I have had the privilege of calling, “my wife” for the past 9 years! A “daddy” to 2 special boys that I intentionally pour my love into, in the hopes that they will one day become great men! A “brother” to 3 great siblings! (One of which I used to beat up, but is now stronger than me.) A “son” to two incredible people who have loved me and whom have set many examples for me within the 33 years of my life! “Grandson” to my Mamaw whom I love very much! “Uncle” to seven little guys and gals who think I’m the coolest thing ever! (Okay I might have made up that last part, but seriously, it’s not like they’re going to read this) “Nephew,” “Cousin,” Neighbor,” “Friend”…etc.

These are GREAT titles that define some amazing relationships, but I have to say, the one that I’m most proud of is…“child of God!” The first part of James 3:1 says, “How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!” As imperfect as I am and as many times as I mess up, I will always be proud that the Creator of the universe chooses to attach me with this title!!!

At the end of a day, what title are you most proud of?

The "man test!"

2010-01-11T15:12:00.014-05:00

Let me just say, there are no apologies with this blog that you’re about to read. In fact this is about my friends and I living up to the idea of never getting too old to have a little fun. Like it or not, this is us.

Let me set it up for you. Every year for the past 7 years, during New Years Eve, we guys do a “man test.” Now if you’re already rolling your eyes, then it’s probably best if you just stop here. But you and I both know that this sort of stuff doesn’t happen in most people’s lives, so curiosity will keep you here. So…a “man test” in our definition is something difficult that you have to endure for a short period of time or accomplish within a short period of time. Well we debated several options, but since it had snowed several inches and the temperature was in the teens, we landed on this one.

1) Run from the front porch down to the pond. Continue around the pond and then back to the porch. (Totaling 1/4 mile)
2) Cannot wear shoes, socks or a shirt.
3) Cannot turn back!

As you’ll notice from the pictures:
(pic 1) realizing and talking about how dumb this idea was.
(pic 2) ignoring sound advice from our wives and going anyway.
(pic 3) returning with numb feet. (Notice I’m not in this picture.) I was ahead of the pack hoping…the faster I go, the faster it’s over!
(pic 4) Trying to hide the pain for the picture.

You know as silly as this was, it will always be a fun story that we will talk about when we remember and smile about New Years Eve 2009! Who knows where 2010 will go!

What did you do New Years Eve?

Love my family

2010-01-06T17:21:00.004-05:00

I know that I already posted a Christmas picture of my family, but this one was taken at my parent’s house over our vacation last week. I thought it represented exactly who we are. Plus I ran out of time today with all that I had to do, so posting this picture was plan B.

Make sure you tell your family that you love them today!

Christmas and Long Johns

2010-01-05T16:36:00.018-05:00

Alright…where was I? It’s been like what…a year since I’ve written something? Well after taking some vacation time, visiting family, getting sick and recovering, I am now back on track. I really don’t even know where to start because so much has happened. I mean I’ve got some fun stories and some not so fun stories from the adventures that I’ve been on these past couple of weeks. But since everyone likes a fun story, let’s go that route for today.

Christmas day was GREAT!!! I mean when you’ve got a 4 ½ and 2 ½ year old, Christmas is just a fun filled day of adventure! This year instead of buying the boys a particular gift, Holly and I decided to MAKE it for them! So the weeks prior to Christmas we would put the boys to bed and then make our way to the shed and construct this gift from scratch. Well after a few arguments, dodging hammers that were being thrown and a couple of 2x4 wars, it was completed. (Totally kidding! Actually this line really might get me in trouble.) Anyway Christmas day, the boys came downstairs, saw the table and began playing with it right away. We moved it to their room afterwards, and as you can see from the pictures, it was a hit! (A great start to the morning!)

(Still Christmas day) Next we all got packed up in the van and headed north to visit the grandparents. Well on the way we needed some gas, so we stopped at a place that was actually open. That’s when I saw him. I wasn’t sure at first what he had on, because from a distance it looked like “long johns.” You know…like that full body underwear that my grandpa used to wear when I was a kid. Yeah the adult pajama where it has 2 buttons holding a flap up in the back for…well…some purpose. Well sure enough, that’s exactly what he had on! “Oh man, I have got to go take his picture,” is what I told Holly. (It must be a guy thing because she just rolled her eyes at the idea) Anyway as you can see from the photo he didn’t mind me taking his picture. In fact it ended with both of us laughing, shaking hands and wishing each other a Merry Christmas.
Not sure if you call long johns "Christmas spirit," but it sure worked for 2 guys at a gas station who had never met.

If you get a chance, let me know how your Christmas went!

Merry Christmas!!!

2009-12-24T10:56:00.001-05:00

From the Hershner family!!!

Jump!

2009-12-23T14:39:00.011-05:00

So last night Holly, the boys and I went to the mall and did a little Chic-Fil-A together and then dropped Holly off to get her hair done. Yeah let me just say, I think EVERYONE in Cincinnati was there! There should have been traffic lights in the mall just to move people along. Gotta love that last minute Christmas shopping!

Anyway while Holly was getting her hair done, the boys and I headed to the play area in the middle of the mall. And just like most boys do, (or at least like MINE do) they played until playing just wasn’t enough anymore. Apparently if danger isn’t involved, it’s just not as fun! So Owen (2 ½) saw Cole (4 ½) jumping off of the bridge and thought…that looks like fun and thought he’d try that. (You know that whole thing, “If your brother jumped off of a bridge, would you do it too? Well I’m pretty sure Owen’s answer is, “Yep!”) Well after Owen would jump, he would hit so hard that he bounced! So as I’m taking his picture, the woman beside me says, “He’s hitting the ground pretty hard” (hint, hint). And as I’m holding my phone to take his picture, I say, “Uh huh.” (Check out the guy in the orange shirt in the background. It caught his attention too!)

Why is that? Why do little boys like danger? One explanation that I’ve read about in the book “Wild at Heart,” goes back to the very beginning of man when God created Adam. John Eldredge shares that in Genesis 2:7, God creates Adam. Then in verse 8 God places him in the Garden of Eden. Therefore although Eve was created in the Garden, Adam was not. Eldredge uses this to indicate that this might be why men and little boys desire adventure and the wild, because that’s where it all began.

Regardless of the reason, unlike the woman beside me,
I was pretty proud of my little guy’s jump!

Reality of Christmas!

2009-12-22T15:18:00.001-05:00

This video basically says it all, so I'm going to let it!

"The Shack"...I mean..."The Cabin"

2009-12-17T16:36:00.009-05:00

I'm headed to where my heart longs to be most every day...the woods!!! Let me introduce you to "The Cabin!" This is kind of like my home away from home! If you are a friend of Trevor or myself then there's a pretty good chance you've visited the cabin! It's kind of like it's not official until you've met the cabin...well sort of.

I know it may not look like much, but this picture stirs up many good memories for me and the many friends that have visited! And...if you look closely you may see the next generation of stories that are soon to come!

What place stirs up good memories for you?

Santa Clause Is Coming to Town

2009-12-16T17:03:00.004-05:00

I know there is a lot of debate out there as to whether Santa Clause really exists or not. Now granted I don’t know exactly where you stand on this or what your experience is with this, but I felt that there was a definite need to post this. So for those of you who struggle with the idea of the Tooth Fairy, Easter Bunny or Santa Clause being real…I am posting this proof that Santa does exist!

Now I know exactly what you’re thinking and no…there are NO altercations to this photo! I just happened to get lucky and get this 1 in a million shot of the big man himself!

I am so setting cookies out this year!

Proud Daddy

2009-12-15T16:43:00.007-05:00

Have you ever spoke or sang in front of people before? For some folks it is a scary thing to get in front of people to speak or sing. (My wife being one of these folks!) For me it all began when I was just a little guy. I can remember days and nights where dad would have all of his buddies over to play music and they would jam in our living room. Multiple guitars, both acoustic and electric would fill the house with sounds of vocals, violins and harmonicas. It basically depended on the night and the buddies that showed up. Although I didn’t play music at that time, me and Trevor (my brother) would run around in our underwear and dance to the music. Not the audience they were looking for…but it was fun for us!

Now that I’ve grown up some I don’t run around in my underwear “much” anymore. But one thing that I still enjoy is music! Well today I got the chance to appreciate some Christmas music sang by a bunch of pre-schoolers. My oldest son Cole sang at his Christmas concert / pageant and got to be on the “big stage!” Although he didn’t have a solo or special part, it was pretty special for “daddy” who got to watch and wave from a distance. While I was sitting there feeling proud of my little guy, it reminded me of how my dad said he felt when I was on stage. Neat how things come full circle sometimes! Here is a picture during the concert and one after.

Who are you proud of?

Have you let them know today?

The Only Thing

2009-12-14T17:36:00.001-05:00

Several of you might have wondered, “I wonder why he has never mentioned God in any of his blogs…then again maybe you haven’t. But if you have, it’s because I have intentionally done this. However please don’t be mistaken. Because as the books “Esther” and “Song of Solomon” have never mentioned “God,” it in no way defines a lack of God’s presence! As good as my relationship is with the Author of life, I certainly have a LONG way to go! And if I can be transparent with you right now, I’d like to share a song with you that really identifies the heart of the one who authors this blog! (Listen)

Ronnie Freeman “The Only Thing”
http://www.myspace.com/ronniefreemanmusic

What song do you identify with?

Family Night!

2009-12-10T22:51:00.004-05:00

Here is a small glimpse into a night at the Hershner household as the boys are INTENTLY watching Ice Age 3 "Dawn of the Dinosaurs!" I think Owen was a little scared, so he jumped up on mom's lap. Gotta love a movie night!

Don't forget to spend some good quality time

with your friends or family this weekend!

P.S.--This is random, but if you have an iphone

check out this website and you get to upload a free game each day.

http://appventcalendar.com/

The adventure continues...

2009-12-09T09:46:00.003-05:00

Here is a picture to bring back a few memories for me. At first glance it resembles my two boys, Cole and Owen. However when you look at the picture a little closer you should notice the cut off jeans and the old green station wagon in the background. Yep, early 80's! Good times!

In this picture Trevor and I had just got done doing some Pete Rose dives through mud puddles left behind by a storm that passed through the night before. Not sure when mom took this picture, but it has accurately captured the hearts of both Trevor and me…“Go for the adventure!” So much so that I think we forgot to eat!

Although a lot of things have changed since the 80’s…I still have the desire for adventure! And if given the chance, I would join these little boys and take another Pete Rose dive with them!

Not sure where I wanted to go with this post,
except to recognize that this little boy’s adventure still continues!
I hope yours does too!

It's Skyline Time Tonight!

2009-12-07T15:07:00.008-05:00

Every year about this time, things have a tendency to spin out of control. Gifts to buy, house to clean, decorations to put up, parties to attend, dinners to make, MORE gifts to buy…and all of this with a smile to hide the stress of it all. Well here is a story about a family that has decided to do things a little different this year. Instead of falling into the same routine year after year, these children have decided to think beyond themselves and get to the heart of what Christmas is really all about!

Erika(14), Emily(14), Sami(9) and Josh(6) (all siblings) have decided to try and raise $1,000 dollars to buy presents for terminally ill children at Children’s Hospital! They are calling this effort, “Creating Smiles for Kids!” This is not a school activity or an idea their parents pushed on them. This idea came from when one of them was a patient at Children's Hospital and when leaving, she left with a deep sense of need to do something for those children who couldn't leave! Currently they have already teamed with Chic-Fil-A and are now teaming with Skyline (At Beechmont and Salem) TONIGHT between 5 - 8pm!!!

Here are the details for those of you in the

Cinci area that would like to help:

Who: Erika, Emily, Sami, Josh
What: Fund raiser for terminally ill children
Where: Skyline (Beechmont and Salem)
When: (TONIGHT) Monday, December 7th between 5 - 8pm
How to help: Simple! Enjoy some Skyline tonight at this location and be sure to write “Creating Smiles for Kids” on your bill and Skyline will donate 20% to their cause!

Thank you Erika, Emily, Sami and Josh for helping me

see a greater side of the Christmas season!

Christmas Decorations

2009-12-03T17:57:00.004-05:00

I didn't have time today to write what I wanted to say, so instead I'm sending a little humor your way. Here's a story from someone named Kerry:

"Good news is that I truly out did myself this year with my Christmas decorations. The bad news is that I had to take him down after 2 days. I had more people come screaming up to my house than ever. Great stories. But two things made me take it down. First, the cops advised me that it would cause traffic accidents as they almost wrecked when they drove by.

Second, a 55 year old lady grabbed the 75 pound ladder almost killed
herself putting it against my house and didn't realize it was fake until she climbed to the top (she was not happy). By the way, she was one of many people who attempted to do that. My yard couldn't take it either. I have more than a few tire tracks where people literally drove up my yard. Kind of feel like I gave in to the man by taking him down but my neighbor did confirm to near miss accidents on the busy street next to my house. I think I made him too real this time, so it was fun while it lasted."

--Kerry--

Ahh...Christmas memories

2009-12-02T15:39:00.009-05:00

Alright, I have to be honest with you. Yesterday’s post about “O Holy Night” was not actually by me. But for as bad as it was, it almost has 200,000 views which isn't too shabby! I found it on youtube and thought it would be a fun hello for Dec. 1st to kick off the Christmas season!

Hey, let me ask you this. Since Christmas is what…23 days away, what are some of your favorite memories or traditions that you and your family used to do? Do you have any good stories worth sharing?

Well for me I remember we had a 50’ foot Christmas tree in our living room one year. (Well it seemed like 50’ when I was little) Anyway I remember we had it set up and all I could think about was finding this “Big Bird Sesame Street Jacket” underneath of it for Christmas!!! This jacket was the hottest item in my opinion that year! (And no it wasn’t my senior year) Anyway on Christmas day as we were opening presents there was a box sitting on the floor that had my name on it. It was all wrapped up and was exactly the right size to possibly be hiding this 1 in a million jacket! When my mom handed it to me I tore it open, hoping this was the jacket that was going to make me the coolest kid at my school! I opened it up and sure enough it was a Sesame Street jacket!!! However…as I turned it over it was...Oscar the Grouch! WHAT!!! Now I was going to be known as “The Grouch” of the school??? I wish I could say that I eventually came to my senses and realized that it cost my parents a lot of money and they tried their best…buttttttt…yeeaahhh……not so much.

Right behind me was a fireplace that my dad had started earlier to keep us warm on that early morning. (Yeah, you’re already ahead of me) Well as soon as mom and dad left the room I opened the door and threw it in and closed the door. My mom came into the room and saw the fire blazing and asked, “Where’s your jacket?” Let me just stop things there. Needless to say…funnier now!

Anyway if you get a chance,
send me good Christmas story that you have!

American Idol...here I come!

2009-12-01T14:20:00.004-05:00

Well...it's officially December! For some of you you're dreading the fact that it’s December and are still trying to wake up from the Triptephan over Thanksgiving. For others, you are excited and listening to Christmas music, putting up Christmas lights, Christmas trees, making hot chocolate, burning wood in your fireplaces, watching Christmas movies, burning Yankee candles to remind you of Christmas, making some hot chocolate and possibly…already making cookies!

I may not be doing all of those things, but one thing that I have been doing is singing some Christmas songs. As most of you know…I love to sing. So I’ve recorded and posted on youtube…me singing, “O Holy Night.” Pitchy in a few places, but overall not too bad.

Let me know what you think!

Saying Goodbye

2009-11-30T15:14:00.020-05:00

Well it's official!!! Last day of November means last day for these crazy beards! Maybe not for everyone, but certainly for me. I have to be honest. It was a fun ride until it started to feel like a broom on my face when I tried to sleep on my pillow at night. Plus it felt a little weird shampooing my hair AND my face! Felt a little bit like Teen Wolf…if you remember what that even is!

All in all…good time with good friends…worth it!

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!

2009-11-25T16:15:00.006-05:00

This is the time of year that we tend to focus on all of the things that we are thankful for. I’ll be honest…a lot of thoughts, memories, faces and experiences come to my mind. Heck just this week I have had the chance to further friendships from California and North Carolina!

Monday night was a good chance to hang out with Sean and Sheyenne, playing some Settler’s of Catan and pounding down some sliders from White Castle at 11:00pm. (Sounded like a good idea at the time.) Love you guys!

Then Tuesday hanging out with Steve from NC, eating at Butterbee’s and playing some new game of Monopoly with cards till 12:00am. Leave it to Steve to find us a new game! Love ya bud!

That’s just the first 2 days this week, so I’m looking forward to being with family once I finish this blog! As always, I’m sure I’ll return with stories. Just might not be able to share all of them with you.

Be sure to enjoy your families this holiday and don’t forget to be thankful! We only have family and friends for a short time!

Love ‘em this week!!!

Who Am I?

2009-11-24T09:54:00.012-05:00

Who am I? Have you ever confronted yourself with this question? I’m not talking about an audible question that you ask yourself and then quickly answer...only to look around and see if anyone saw you talking to yourself. I’m talking about a more in depth look inwardly as to who you really are! For instance if I asked, “Who are you,” could you define yourself by more than just a first, middle and last name? If so, how would you define yourself…the core of who you really are?

I am pushing for these answers in my own life. Granted I know myself pretty well after 33 years of being Clayton Hershner, but there are so many unknowns as to what I am REALLY capable of. I mentioned one of my goals being skydiving in a previous blog, but that is just one of the ways in which I hope to test myself and see exactly what and where my boundaries are, where each of my weaknesses lay, and where each of my strengths reside! I am going through my goals for 2010 and it has pushed me to look at this from a professional viewpoint, but also from a personal vantage point. I want to reveal these areas in my life so I can be confident of who I am! The tested, tried and true version of who I am…not just who I THINK I am! This kind of confidence I’m talking about is described by Maximus Decimus Meridius in the movie Gladiator, played by Russell Crowe.

In case you are not familiar with this movie: Maximus lost his wife and son to a corrupt emperor who now confronts him in this scene, unaware that this gladiator is Maximus...whom he despises. When asked his name, Maximus responds not only by revealing his name, but by revealing “Who he is!” Notice that he defines his identity through his full name, by those he leads, by the allegiance of the one he serves, and even by his pain! He has been tested and tried by life in many ways and confidently reveals “Who he is!”

Do I believe we should all go out and be gladiators, testing our limits in order to better define the core of who we are…you tell me. Because I will say this! As I encounter difficult seasons in my life, the ones I turn to first are those who have bravely fought through life’s battles and have intentionally weathered those storms!

Because of this I choose to be a gladiator!

Time To Celebrate!

2009-11-23T15:46:00.006-05:00

TIME TO CELEBRATE!!! I finished the book “Wild at Heart!” If you’re not sure why I’m celebrating the fact that I got through a book, you’ll need to check out this blog:

http://claytonhershner.blogspot.com/2009/11/accomplishment.html

So how am I going to celebrate? Holly and I are going to be spending some time with some close friends of ours tonight! Actually the visit with them wasn’t planned for the finishing of my book, but the cherry sparkling (non-alcoholic) wine is! Even if it’s a small step forward…celebrate it!

What are you celebrating today?

Novembeard's 11-19-09

2009-11-19T09:53:00.034-05:00

First of all let me say, “I AM SHOCKED!!!” I thought for sure I would at least have 1 comment from yesterday’s blog about the tree. Seriously, does everyone put up a Christmas tree the week before Thanksgiving??? It’s funny because I remember when I was younger we put it up like the week before Christmas and Trevor (my brother) and I said it had to be a live tree!!! It just wasn’t Christmas with a “fake” tree. Funny how things change huh.

Alright, enough about yesterday! As promised here is an update on the beards around the office. Everyone keeps asking me, "What does Holly say about your beard?" Well…when I first started it she was kind of dreading the whole process, but now that it’s filling in she’s getting used to it and doesn’t mind it as much. This leads me to the second question that I get which is, “What do you think about it.” My answer: “It’s growing on me!” I don’t know…I guess I’m looking forward to getting it off of my face for the most part, but there is a small part of me that will miss it. Kind of weird for someone who’s not a big facial hair guy. Anyway, here are the pictures of the “Novembeards!”

Hey if you are doing this or know someone that is, tell me about it!

Top (Left to right) Gregg / Brian / Matt

Bottom (Left to right) George / Me / Sean (CA)

What do you think?

2009-11-18T17:24:00.010-05:00

I'm not sure where you stand on this, but I came home last night and saw something that caught my attention. Now before I go on, I need to warn you! What I am about to describe may not be for everyone. In fact this may make some of you reading this feel a little uneasy or upset, while some of you may run home to make some hot chocolate, start a fire and watch Lampoon's Christmas Vacation. Here's how it went down:

I got home last night and saw something that wasn't there the day before. In fact when I saw it, (if I'm being honest) it kind of drew me in. It was as if I were a moth to a flame. I walked in our front door and immediately my shadow was cast on the door behind me. This 7 1/2 foot object was taking up a large portion of my living room, but for some strange reason I was okay with it. When I was younger it was typical to see a live one of these in our house. Yes for some it's a little premature but it is...our Christmas Tree!

I may be setting myself up, but let me know what you think:

In your opinion when is the best time to set up a Christmas tree?

Accomplishment!

2009-11-17T15:04:00.007-05:00

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 15, 18, 16, 17, 20. Cole has been trying to count to 20 for the past month or so and got there this way! Well after some hard work and persistence, Cole is now able to count from 1 – 20…in the correct order! As you can see from the smile in this picture, my boy was pretty excited and proud of his accomplishment! So Holly, Owen, Cole and I celebrated with a round of Frosties from Wendy’s! Seriously, what’s better than a chocolate shake? (Besides a real one!)

It got me thinking. What are you working towards in your life? Are you working towards something to accomplish…besides just making it to Friday? Even if it’s a small step forward, I am convinced that we need to set goals for us to accomplish. Cole counted to 20. Honestly for a 4 year old that’s not a huge step. I mean it was something he needed to be able to do, but it’s wasn’t huge. When setting goals I think we sometimes think we need something monumental or BIG! I’m not discouraging that, but I think smaller goals are just as important. If we always set these BIG goals ahead of ourselves, we can get discouraged with the climb and walk away thinking, "I can’t do it!" And we believe that! But if you read my blog labeled, “I haven’t been able to yet,” then you’ll know that this is a lie! It’s not that you can’t, it’s simply that you haven’t been able to yet. BIG difference!

For me, I’m not a big reader. I wish I liked reading more than I do, but I don’t. So one of my goals is to simply go through several books this year that will help me sharpen myself towards becoming the man that I need to be! So far I’ve completed one book and I am currently going through 2 others. Not a big step you say? You’re right…for some! But for me I’m intentionally stepping forward with a goal in mind. One of my bigger personal goals is to go Skydiving! Not a big step you say? Now you’re just flat out lying! Actually for me it’s a HUGE step because I’m scared to death of heights, not to mention the falling and possibly hitting the ground part. It may not get me over the fear of heights, but it will be my approach to come face to face with one of my fears. Again, it’s my attempt to step forward.

This last part is important too! When you accomplish a goal you need to celebrate it with someone, even if it’s a Frosty from Wendy’s!!! As big or as small as your goal is, celebrate it! Don’t diminish your work and write it off as petty. Be proud of your accomplishment and celebrate it! Who knows, you might inspire someone else in the process!

Your turn…what’s one goal you have?
Now how and when will you move forward to accomplish it?

Tyler

2009-11-16T14:19:00.005-05:00

I have been teaching and leading children for a while now! I have been doing this fulltime since 2003 and have witnessed some amazing changes within the lives of families and children! In some ways I have even watched these children become young men and women! And although there are SO MANY people that I am proud of I wanted to share a quick story today about a boy (excuse me) young man named Tyler.

I met Tyler in NC, who happened to be a 4th grader at the time. He has what doctors refer to as…a lot of energy! (Much like myself at times!) Tyler was an individual who had the attention span of a fly. It really didn’t bother me too much except when it came to him listening and paying attention. While someone was teaching, Tyler seemed to always revert back to what he likes to do best…talk! He was one of the children where all of the teachers knew his name because they had to call it out a lot.

Well one year I remember being at camp with Tyler and he DID NOT want to be there. He didn’t keep it a secret either! He refused staying at camp another night and tried to make his point by not eating any food. I tried everything, but he wasn’t budging. Later that night I saw something in Tyler that I have never forgotten to this very day! That night there was a young girl who was getting baptized in the pool at camp. It was somewhat dark outside so the pool was lit up and students lined the entire span of the pool in order to watch. Directly across from me was Tyler, sitting on his knees, focusing on what was happening. As this girl was being baptized all the other kids were clapping and talking, but not Tyler. I noticed that Tyler had tears in his eyes and was smiling, as if to understand the deeper meaning at hand! From that very moment on, I have never looked at Tyler the same!

Let me fast forward you to Tyler now. Tyler is now 16 years old and is seriously…I mean this with all my heart…one in a 10 million!!! Honestly, any parent would be proud to call him their son! And although I am not his dad or even the one who deserves any credit, I still feel a deep sense of honor, love and pride to be someone that has helped lead him in his life! I KNOW in my heart that he will be, and IS ALREADY…“a man after God’s own heart!” He loves the Lord and he genuinely loves life and the people in it! A very rare find for someone who is 16!

How about your child? What do you see?
Hyperactive? Strong willed? ADD? ADHD?

I hope when you look closer, you see what I saw during that North Carolina summer night!
I hope you see a future "Tyler!"

Here’s to “doing what I do!”

Novembeard's 11-12-09

2009-11-12T14:34:00.015-05:00

Okay so we're 12 days into "No Shave November" and it's time once again to give you an updated picture of us grizzly boyz.
Actually after I took these pictures, I thought I saw some resemblances. Do you see it or is it just me?

Let me know what you think.

(Couldn't find anyone I resemble)

My New Roommate

2009-11-11T17:04:00.004-05:00

Today Matt (Student Minister) moved into Paula’s (Pre-K Minister) and my office today! We are making this change in order to better align Children’s and Student ministries so that we have a stronger long term plan! We hope to daily put our heads together, dream and assemble a game plan that has an intentional end in mind! It’s really been pretty exciting for us all!

What’s been exciting for you today?

Article

2009-11-11T09:54:00.003-05:00

Each day I post something that has caught my attention for that particular day and so I share about it. Well today, since I live in Cincinnati, OH, something has caught my attention that I thought I would share with you.

What do you think about it? Or do you even care? I would love to hear your responses regardless where you stand. Here is a link that describes what I’m talking about.

http://news.cincinnati.com/article/20091110/NEWS01/911110333/%20Godless%20%20billboard%20greets%20I-71%20drivers

I haven't been able to yet!

2009-11-10T11:28:00.005-05:00

One thing we are doing with our family is removing the words, “I can’t” from our vocabulary. The biggest reason for this is so Holly, our boys and myself will see life as one big opportunity! A place where anything can happen! It’s been fun trying to teach a 4 ½ year old not to say, “I can’t!” Because at this age, there are a lot of things that are difficult to do! So instead of saying, “I can’t,” we say, “I haven’t been able to yet!”

Well Cole has had a difficult time tying his shoes lately and has said, “I can’t” a lot within the past couple of months. I keep telling him, “Cole it’s not that you can’t, because one day you WILL be able to!” ‘When you say the words, “I can’t,” that tells me that you have given up on trying!” ‘Instead say, “I haven’t been able to yet!”

True story, he came home from being at his grandparent’s house and was getting frustrated at tying his shoes. He held his shoestrings and said, “I ca...(he stopped himself then began again)…Daddy, I haven’t been able to do it yet!” You talk about being proud! I smiled from ear to ear and told him I was proud of him not giving up! He still continues to remind me every day that, just because it hasn’t been done doesn’t mean it can’t be done! Pretty cool!!!

Remember it’s not that you can’t,
it may simply be that you haven’t been able to yet!

"Art" by Owen

2009-11-09T10:35:00.016-05:00

A typical morning for my wife and I is our youngest son wakes up and crawls into bed with us. We don’t mind it as long as he lies still, but that never happens! And it’s not just the fact that he crawls into bed, he’s got to WEDGE himself in between us with his cold little feet! Now I love my son, but cold feet on a warm body…someone’s gonna get hurt! Okay, not really. But seriously! I mean even when you’re exhausted, hibernating in a cocoon of blankets, trying to get that last half hour of rest before your alarm goes off and someone touches 2 ice cubes to your bare back…you’re gonna move! In fact there are some days we wake up as the letter H…my wife and I lying on polar opposites of the bed with little “Cold Feet” himself lying long ways in between us. (Seriously...it’s not funny)

Well that wasn’t the case this morning. Instead Owen decides he’s going to "go potty,” which he’s now learning to do all on his own. - (By the way, when do we quit cheering for people when they "go potty?” ) Well while he’s in the bathroom he decides that he’s going to try putting on some of Holly’s makeup. As you can see from the picture, it’s more art than anything. But I don’t know what worries me more, the fact that he put makeup on his face all by himself, or the fact that that he did it so well! Actually our reaction to this little face painting escapade ended in us laughing and taking some fun pictures.

So as this has brightened up my day some, I thought maybe it might do the same for you. If not there’s still the idea of getting someone to cheer for you after you “go potty" today!

Trick or Treat

2009-11-07T10:08:00.006-05:00

Here’s a picture of Cole, "Skeleton Pirate" and Owen "Curious George" doing some Trick or Treat’n last week. I dove into the KitKat's and the adult sized candy bars! Is that bad...taking candy from a baby?

Hey does anyone out there have any good stories from your night out?

Just Say No

2009-11-05T15:31:00.018-05:00

It’s “NO SHAVE” NOVEMBER time!!! Yeah I’m not real excited about growing a beard, but here it goes! I wish I could tell you there was some spiritual, well thought out reason for doing it but it’s actually much simpler than that…peer pressure! George (River Campus Minister) asked me about it and I agreed, as long as he did it. Then I talked with Matt (Student Minister) and he has also agreed. To be honest it feels like a sentence that I’m serving, hence my picture! So from Nov. 1st – Dec. 1st I’ll be doing my time!

I’ll post a picture each week and give you glimpse of what peer pressure does to a person! Hey that’s it! Yeah, I’m teaching people to “JUST SAY NO” to peer pressure! You know what…you should grow one too! What...it worked on me.

Hello...

2009-11-04T16:46:00.005-05:00

…That’s basically how I answered the phone yesterday evening about 5:45pm. It was a number that I didn’t recognize, except for the area code. (419) is the area code where I grew up so I had some thoughts of who it might be, but I wasn’t sure. So after saying, “Hello,” I began having this casual conversation with someone who I really wasn’t even sure who they were! (Has that ever happened to anyone else?) Well after about a minute of talking, I began to make out who the voice belonged to. If I’m right, I haven’t talked to this person for over 3 years…and things did not end on good terms. I was right, it was my brother!

If you have been keeping up with these blogs at all you would know that this is John, my half brother. I’m not about to write the entire story as to how things got unaligned, but let me just say, “This was a HUGE step!!!” And the strange thing is that it was an easy and pleasant conversation to have, even after 3 years of no contact whatsoever. Let me just say, it was a very cool surprise!

3 years ago, a situation involving guns and police, is now transitioning back to a family reuniting, loving and talking once again! The ONLY reason that things are healing this way…(and I believe this with all my heart) is because of the common ground we share and believe…Jesus is LORD of all! Although things are not completely fixed or healed yet, it’s cool that I am able to write and tell you that things are heading in this direction for the first time in over 3 years!

That was something worth sharing!

"I Do"

2009-11-03T16:49:00.003-05:00

"Anyone can face difficulty,

but only few stay to finish the course."

Someone very close to me could have quit his marriage a while ago...and many would argue he had good reason to. But more than a year later, he and his wife still choose to move forward, to love each other and to forgive one another!

I am very proud of him and his wife and believe this quote belongs to them!

Just Another Day...

2009-11-02T16:41:00.010-05:00

This past Friday was unusually warm for the end of October in Ohio. A warm front pushed through and bumped temperatures up to 80 degrees! So Holly, the boys and I decided to head down to the Ohio River to enjoy some fun in the sun! I set up a fishing pole to tight line, but the wind was blowing too much to tell if I was even getting a bite so I took it down. This opened the door for plan B.

With the woods right behind us we took the boys on a little hike and found some firewood that we started picking up to use for a fire. (Hey picking up wood might not sound exciting to you, but for boys under 5 it WAS!!!) We weren’t just after any type of wood though! It had to be wood that was dry and ready to burn! If you have never been down by the river and noticed the wood, much of it is dry on the outside but wet on the inside, from being soaked by the river. You can tell this by the weight of the stick or log. (Probably more info than you needed!)

All of a sudden…there it was! At first I just stared at it without making a single move. I looked at Holly, who was right beside me, then quickly looked at the boys to see if they saw it too. It was HUGE and even seemed a little dangerous at first! But being the man that I am, I quickly ran towards it…grabbed it…and it lifted me off of the ground! That rope swing was AWESOME!!! Holly and I both took turns swinging on this rope, yelling to the boys, “Hey watch me!” (Almost as if our children were the adults!) They didn’t even care because, to them, breaking sticks was more fun. So Holly and I kept taking turns, seeing who could swing out the farthest. We did this until our hands hurt!

At the end of the night we asked Cole what his favorite part of that day was, he said, “Picking up firewood!” (Surprised?) The best part for Holly and I had to be the swing! But I think more than that, it was our ability to look back and know that we made a day worth remembering for us and for our boys! And because of that, October 30th, 2009 will no longer be...just another day!

Are you beginning to see what the keys to a great adventure are? For us it wasn’t a financial investment. It wasn’t even well planned or thought out. It was simply looking for a way to be free, have fun and willing to be a child-at-heart!

All of us will leave “today” behind as we step into “tomorrow.” It’s up to you to decide how it will be remembered!

Let's Go Krogering

2009-10-30T11:52:00.006-04:00

In my attempt to make life as an adventure for my wife, my boys, myself and for those around me...I went to Kroger this past week with my boys. Yeah I know what you’re saying, “Kroger is such an adventurous place that they should charge admission because of all the uncontained excitement that people feel when walking through their doors!” Okay much the opposite, but here’s the story:

We needed to get a few staple items in order to have food for the following week. It was kind of a drag because we didn’t feel like going to the store, especially with a 4 ½ and 2 ½ year old. So to change the situation I made a treasure map! I put dotted lines on a piece of paper with an X for the treasure. Then at the top of the paper I added the items that we needed to pick up. With excitement in my voice I told Cole and Owen that we were going on an adventure to find some treasure at Kroger and they were going to lead the way! So we all put on our toboggans, because every good detective needs a “cool” hat right?

You should have heard these little guys yelling, "MILK," BREAD," BOLOGNA DADDY," as they ran to these items! It was a little embarrassing because people were looking at me as if to say, “Why would he let his boys (with winter hats on) run wild like this! With my winter hat on too, I just smiled and followed my boy’s excitement! Cole made some wrong turns when it came to finding the deodorant, but I followed him anyway. I followed closely behind him in case he needed my help, but I wasn’t going to do it for him. See I gave him this role and I didn’t want to take it from him. After he found the deodorant we all walked away with a fun and memorable day trip to Kroger.

I’ve come to realize more and more that some days come with adventure, but many do not! So the next time your day needs a little more spice, it might be up to YOU to create the recipe for adventure!

Wild at Heart!

2009-10-26T13:46:00.010-04:00

I’ve been going through a book called, “Wild at Heart,” which has really helped me step up my game in a lot of ways, as both a husband and a daddy! It has helped me to see that every day is full of adventure and can be exciting if I let it be. Here’s how my boys and I unveiled an adventure from 10.25.09.

Last night Holly, the boys and I went to watch our nephew (Andrew) play in a football game. Andrew is in 2nd grade and is going through his end of the year tournament in order to win “The Super Bowl.” As exciting as it was to watch 2nd graders run around the field chasing each other, my boys, Cole and Owen (4 ½ & 2 ½) didn’t find it as impressive as the unexplored woods and neighboring pond that sat right behind us. In fact, Owen (2 ½) yelled out, “DAHDEE…WAHERR” when he saw the pond!!! But since that wasn’t why we were there, I had them sit down beside me so we could watch a 2 hour game together…Well if you have or have had children this age you will understand that this is NOT how things played out! In fact after about 5 minutes of this they were ready for something else and ADVENTURE was calling their names! And if I’m being honest, it was calling my name too!

We headed over to the pond together where we scarred out some bass from their mossy coverings, beside the bank. We would stomp on the ground and the fish would take off, leaving a wake behind them. The boys were impressed by this and Cole basically jumped around the whole pond thinking there was one every 2 feet! Then we headed to the woods! Now getting to the woods was not exactly easy. It meant that we would have to go down a BIG hill! It was so big that Owen wanted to scoot on his bottom so that he wouldn’t fall down the hill. But Cole and I were ready for the adventure so we ran, letting gravity do its thing as our legs did their best to keep us from kissing the ground. Cole’s momentum was so fast that his legs couldn’t keep up…and down he went, tearing both layers of his pants and even the skin on his right knee. I thought it was bad at first but then realized his pants saved him from most of the damage. After we got to the woods and explored as boys do, we left taking with us some cool memories and stories from our adventure of being together!

Let me ask you a question. Are you more like Cole or Owen in this story? Like Owen, do you prefer to take the safest route when it comes to difficult or scary situations in life? Or are you like Cole, where even though a situation is tough or scary, you are still willing to go full speed ahead in order to explore new and uncharted territory…even though it means you could fall or fail? I’m not here to say that one is better than the other. But I will say this, as you look at this picture, Cole is pretty proud of his scar! In fact he was so excited to show his teacher at school today because, to him, it wasn’t just a cut or a scrape. It was his proof to everyone that he had been on an ADVENTURE!!!

What proof do you have from being on an adventure today?

The Artist

2009-10-22T11:34:00.007-04:00

I'm not an artist by any means! Well that might be an overstatement because I can draw some pretty sweet stick people! Alright even though I'm not an artist, my wife is! She can draw, paint and sketch almost anything really well! For those people who really know art, they can point out exactly what painting belongs to which artist. They can look at a painting by "Monet," a color splashed canvas by "Van Gogh," or a masterpiece by "Michaelangelo" and identify those paintings accurately!

Same thing for those who really know music! For me, if someone just gave me the intros to these next songs I could easily nail down who the artist were. For instance, give me the guitar intro to Lynyrd Skynayrd’s “Sweet Home Alabama,” the stomp clap intro to Queen’s “We Will Rock You,” or even the high hat intro to Vanilla Ice’s, “Ice Ice Baby” and I could easily tell you who those artists were! (“Alright stop, collaborate and listen, Ice is back with my brand new invention…WOW I don’t’ know what’s more embarrassing, me writing these lyrics, or the fact that you just sang them and could have kept on going!)

What I want us to see is that each of these artists have a style all to themselves, which is how we usually identify their work. I believe the same can be said about God! If God truly is the Author and Creator of all creation as the Bible points out in Genesis, then everything that has been designed (including us) HAS to reveal the Designer…or “The Artist!” David says it this way in Psalms 19:1-3:

“The heavens declare the glory of God;

the skies proclaim the work of his hands.

Day after day they pour forth speech;

night after night they display knowledge.

There is no speech or language

where their voice is not heard.”

My question to you is...

"What will YOU find today that identifies “The Artist?”

Answer to yesterday's blog is...

2009-10-20T13:44:00.008-04:00

Yesterday I posted a poem entitled, "Saved" and gave some options as to who wrote it. The answer is D: “A prison inmate.”

If you’ve been keeping up with my blogs, you might remember me talking about a friend of mine who is currently serving time in prison. “Jess” is the name I’ve given him on my blog. I just received a letter from him yesterday and he sent me some pictures which I’ve tried to photograph with my iphone and post for you here. (Not the best pic, but I felt the visual was valuable) Anyway here is a picture of him and three other guys that he has become friends with during his time there. He has been encouraging these guys a lot lately which has now led to them studying Scripture together and praying together! “Jess” mentioned that one of the guys recently asked him, “What do I need to do to become a Christian?” (A follower of Jesus) Pretty amazing, especially for “Jess” because he has seen this as confirmation that God is still willing to love, forgive and use him, despite his shortcomings, failures and mistakes!

With God as the lens through which he views his life,
he now responds to his current situation with these words:

“God has taught me about unconditional love and the fruit of that being grace, mercy and forgiveness.” “I have grown closer to the Lord and I’m a much stronger person because of it. I am humble, grateful, and blessed to be where I am today. My attitude has changed and my values of life are now prioritized and I owe that all to God.”

What lens are you using to see your situation today?

Poem entitled "Saved"

2009-10-19T09:56:00.007-04:00

"Born into darkness as black as night,
no answer for my sin.
Down from heaven came The Light
and cleansed me from within.
He gave his life and paid the price
with every drop of blood he shed.
What once was darkness as black as night,
was now stained crimson red.
The Temple was destroyed and placed in a tomb
where forever he would stay.
But, three days later he rose from the dead
and rolled the stone away.
I had to die in order to live
so I plunged beneath the sea.
No longer stained crimson red,
my soul had been set free.
He clothed me from my head to my feet
in wool so pure and white.
I never would have survived the dark,
if it hadn’t been for The Light."

Who do you think authored this?
(Choose one below)
A) A friend from college
B) My Grandmother
C) Me
D) A prison inmate

...I'll have the answer in tomorrow’s blog

Gone Fishin'

2009-10-14T16:50:00.009-04:00

This past Sunday I decided to take my oldest son Cole out fishing with me. Before we left the house, I talked about the ADVENTURE that we were about to embark on and how he was going to lead the way! (Cole is only 4 ½, so I knew it was going to be an ADVENTURE!) He immediately got dressed and was ready to go when he and his brother Owen, who’s 2 ½, got into it. After I separated them, both were crying. Cole still continued to get dressed and I told him, “What you did was wrong wasn’t it?” With a sad face he stopped and looked up at me saying, “Yes.” I followed by asking him another question. “Do you think you should still be able to go fishing after you just hurt your brother like that?” As tears began filling his eyes, he said, “No” and began to cry harder. At this, Holly and I looked at each other and were a little taken back by his answer! We didn’t expect that answer from our 4 ½ year old! Before we almost broke out in tears ourselves, I knelt down and talked with him.

I have learned SO MUCH about God through my privileges of being a parent! What I learned in that moment was this:

Like Cole, even when I get excited about the adventures of being with “Daddy” I easily become distracted by life, quickly forget about the invitation and totally screw things up! It’s in those moments that reality sinks in and I acknowledge that I’m not much wiser than a 4 ½ year old. However the way that I chose to “discipline” – (correct & train) Cole that day was due to my understanding of who God is! Although in my immaturity I mess things up, God (lovingly) still invites me into each day, knowing that there is more for me to see and to learn from! That’s how I want to be a daddy to my boys!

By the way, YES, Cole and I still went on our adventure for that day! Although we didn’t catch any fish, it’s all he talked about for the rest of that night!

Hallmark

2009-10-12T09:24:00.005-04:00

Yesterday was a pretty cool day. I received several cards fom children between the ages of 4-5 years old which made my day! The first part of the card read like this: "I like you as my Children's Minister because..." and here's what followed that phrase.

You are good to me--Nathan
You give me a hug--Logan
You make pictures for us--Jacob
You give me hugs--Matthew
You teach kids--Isaiah
You give me hugs--Hayden
You are kind to other people--Cole (my son)

What else can I say, "pretty cool!"

Brown County Fair

2009-10-07T10:59:00.006-04:00

Here's a picture of me and Cole at the good ole Brown County Fair last week! We are close to being at the very top of the Ferris wheel in this picture. No big deal huh? Well then apparently you're not afraid of heights or at least "fair rides!" Cole actually did better than me on this because I'm not a big fan of heights, especially being on a rickety, 2 bolt secured, put together in one day, Brown County Fair, Ferris Wheel. Yeah, I could barely hold my phone still to take the picture.
I started off good and was even rocking the cart back and forth at the beginning until I read this on the cart in front of me: "Danger DO NOT rock carts!" WHAT??? Are you kidding me? Yeah that makes me feel real good! Because when they stopped us at the "very top" my cart was rocking and all I could think about what was why they had to put that sign on there in the first place. Some ole boy probably got on this ride after loading up on some elephant ears, funnel cakes and cotton candy, then rocked his seat right off those 2 bolts! (See my hands are getting sweaty all over again!)
I guess some new words of advice from me are, love your family, take lots of pictures and enjoy the ride. "Just be sure to read the signs!"

I've Got Friends in Low Places

2009-10-06T14:41:00.000-04:00

I was thinking about all my friends today and I realized…I am really nothing like them. I mean I’ve got some friends whose lives are seriously messed up! For names sake I won’t give you their real names, but take “Tim” for instance. He is on his 3rd DUI/DWI and continues to drink himself further away from the success that he’s capable of!

“Brandon,” “Wess” and “Roger” all three have strayed from their wives for what seemed, “at the time” to be a better opportunity…only to embrace heartache and regret from a marriage & family that is now severed because of those decisions.

How about “Jess” and “Mitchell?” Both have experienced life in prison from making some STUPID decisions!!! “Jess” still continues to serve time because of his choices! I just wrote “Jess” a 2 page letter yesterday letting him know that he has a friend several states away that still loves him with a love that God has for us both…

You know something? I am SO FAR from being perfect! At times I let my inner turmoil and deceptive thoughts drag me further away from the success that God knows I’m capable of…like “Tim.” And like “Brandon,” “Wess” and “Roger,” at times I have let my mind stray from the love of my wife, and so have severed a daily joy from having a pure heart! And like “Jess” and “Mitchell,” I am guilty and therefore am worthy of being punished.

Here’s what it boils down to. We all need the saving grace of Jesus to be poured into our lives, whether we acknowledge that part or not! We are all guilty and worthy of judgment when we compare ourselves to a PERFECT and FLAWLESS Savior! But what we find instead of judgment is One who holds out His scarred hands and reveals a forgiving and redemptive love…then, in some Divine way, embraces us and empowers our broken lives with that love! THAT is what I have in common with all of my friends, and hopefully have with you!!!

You know, I was thinking about all my friends today and I realized…

I really am a LOT like them!!!

McDonald's...of all places

2009-09-29T15:44:00.000-04:00

I won't go into the whole story, so I'll just start here!

For the past 3 years, my dad and my half-brother were not on speaking terms. No phone calls, no visits, nor a mentioning of wanting to change this between either of them. In fact it had declined to the point of not even recognizing that there was a father/son relationship anymore. It felt like a death in the family…that changed this past weekend!

My dad walked into a local McDonald's and saw John (his son, my half-brother). They were both caught off guard a little by this situation and reluctantly said hey to one another for the first time in over 3 years! Surprisingly, dad asked John if he and his wife wanted to sit with him to eat breakfast. Again, surprisingly, John said, “Yes!” They sat together and had random conversations. I mean what would you say after 3 years anyway? Well right before they left, my dad opened his arms and asked John's wife for a hug. She said, “Yes” and hugged him. John opened his arms and dad opened his and they hugged each other for the first time in a LONG time, with dad kissing him on the cheek.

I realize you don’t know our family situation very well, but this is HUGE...even miraculous in a lot of ways!!! And although their relationship sill has a long way to go, I have prayed for this day for some time and am excited to share this new beginning with you.

I hope in some way that this story will bring you hope and encouragement today if you are dealing with a difficult situation, especially if you currently see your situation as impossible!

But from what I've prayed about and have witnessed...I promise you it’s not!

New iphone app!

2009-09-28T09:48:00.000-04:00

I just uploaded a new app for my phone today called "Red Laser." What it does is it scans barcodes, then gives you a detailed list of prices and places to purchase that particular item from. Pretty amazing really! In fact there are times in which I'm blown away by the iphone's capability and don't understand how a lot of it is even possible. I just end up accepting the fact that it is.

In a similar way, I personally don't understand how God can truly love us as the Bible describes!

Consider...all of this for you and me!

--Jesus chose to limit his authority and power as Creator of the universe by becoming a fragile infant, born to a virgin, then placed in a manger which was used to feed animals! (John 1:1-5) (Luke 2:11-12)

--He lived a perfect life by denying all temptations and wrongdoings for 33 years of His earthly life, and still chose to endure a criminals death on a cross. (Luke 3:23) (Luke 23:20-49)

--Even chose to love those who executed him! (Luke 23:32-34)

--And to this very day He is willing to love us and call us "friends," despite our imperfections and short comings. (John 15:15)

I guess in some ways, like the iphone, I don’t understand how it’s possible…I just accept the fact that it is!

"The Beard"

2009-09-24T16:04:00.000-04:00

This weekend my brother is coming down for a little fishing escapade on the OH river. He and I decided to grow out our beards in anticipation for this weekend. The hope was that whenever we looked in the mirror it would remind us about the fun weekend coming up. I have another reason for it, but that’s for another time.

“The beard” got me thinking about something though. How often do we intentionally put reminders (whether verbal or visual) into our life that will help remind us of what is yet to come? Take goals for instance. (You do have goals right?) Then what are you intentionally putting in front of yourself that will remind you daily to take steps towards accomplishing them? How about life in general? What do you daily prompt yourself with that will encourage you and engage others to live life to its fullest?

I’m not here to answer these questions for you. In fact this is written more to get you thinking in this direction. We all have different lives and circumstances, so really what comes next is your part. If you get a chance let me know what works for you!
Hey…maybe it’s a beard?

(Although I've seen facial hair on women, this comment was more for guys)

Logan...my hero!

2009-09-17T17:16:00.001-04:00

Have you ever noticed how little children feel they can do anything? For instance, ask a little child (boy or girl) if they are good at something. The answer is usually, "yes." Are you a fast runner? "Yes." How about singing, are you good at that. "Yes." Can you draw/color really well? "Yes." (Seriously, try this with a child under the age of 5). It's almost as if they believe they can do anything!

My question is "Where does that go?" "When do we lose that?" My guess is that it's when we begin comparing ourselves with others. Because someone is always skinnier, prettier, stronger, faster, wealthier, better...etc. Most innocent little children haven't learned to pollute their minds by comparing their abilities against others. They are FREE and GOOD at anything they try! They are SUCCESSFUL because that's how they view themselves!!!

Here's a true story about Logan (4 1/2) who has been diagnosed with Spina Bifida.

Logan was at church worshipping , singing songs with others her own age. She was singing the songs until another song came on that had some motions to it. These motions had children jumping up and down, something that would prove difficult for a child diagnosed with Spina Bifida. (Or at least one would think) For those of you who don't know Logan, Logan daily pushes a walker to get around, along with braces on each leg which helps support her body. She is what some would call, "disabled." But Logan does not see this as her title! When the song came on she looked around the room and saw all the children jumping. She didn't make excuses and decide to sit that song out, although no one would have blamed her. Instead she used the strength in both her arms and her legs to begin jumping! She was as FREE as any one else and was just as GOOD as anyone else!

Now, will there be a day where Logan begins to see the abilities of others and then begin to doubt what she's capable of? Will she one day believe in her limitations moreso than her ability to succeed? I hope not! And as long as I'm a friend in her life, I will help redirect that within her!

"I will not fade from this life within the limitations that adulthood sets within my mind, but rather will open my heart to live out the freedoms that I have built as a child."

--Tobias--

First day of school

2009-09-14T16:36:00.000-04:00

Cole, my 4 1/2 year old, had his first day of school today. I thought I'd share a picture of his first day. He actually WANTS to go to school...must take that after his mom.

Testing...testing...is this mic on?

2009-09-14T15:32:00.000-04:00

Here we go! I'm doing my first blog...(wait for the applause)...yeah, got nothing there. For what it's worth, my hope with this is to record small glimpses from my every day life and share it with you. Thoughts go through my mind from time to time, so I'll probably share those as well. Be forewarned though, my own mother has even said, "He marches to the beat of a different drum." (True story) What can I say, she might be right.

Either way the journey begins...