BLOGGING 2010

Hello...long time, no blog! Well, hopefully that will change soon. We have been without regular internet access for the past month as we are in transition. I just wanted everyone to know we are still alive. We should have our computer back up and running sometime next month as we move into our new place. We have lots of exciting things to share, so be sure to check back throughout 2010! I assume I'll make at least 1 more post before the New Year, but just in case --- MERRY CHRISTMAS (was I the first to wish you that this year???) and just in case things really don't go the way we expect...HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY, HAPPY EASTER, and have an amazing ARBOR DAY!!!

Random Videos

Here are some random videos from the past few weeks...we should have some more exciting ones soon as we have some fun stuff planned for this Labor Day weekend. Vote for your favorite...

Magician in Training

Bus Trip

Cheer

Cooking Show

Our Girls

Some Observations

Well, it's been a while since my last post...we have been very busy working or spending time with family and friends on our days off. Currently we are having a great time with a house full of 5th grade girls. Now that we've had a chance to spend time with both 5th grade girls and 8th grade girls, here are the top 10 observations that I've found between the two:

1) 5th grade girls love to color...8th grade girls would be like totally embarrassed to be seen with crayons

2) 5th grade girls beg to go outside...8th grade girls beg to go inside

3) 5th grade girls think we are the coolest people in the world...8th grade girls think we're geeks

4) 5th grade girls love to play with their Ken dolls...8th grade girls love to debate whether or not Ken is "hot"

5) 5th grade girls if told to wake up at 7:00 will beg to get up at 6:00...8th grade girls if told to get up at 7:00 would beg to get up at noon.

6) 5th grade girls love to talk to us forever and go on and on and on...8th grade girls avoid talking to us at all cost.

7) 5th grade girls fight with each other about who gets to sit next to us and as close as possible...8th grade girls fight with each other about who gets to sit as far away from us as possible.

8) 5th grade girls laugh at our jokes like we are professional comedians...8th grade girls find our jokes completely lame.

9) 5th grade girls are always wanting hugs from us...8th grade girls wouldn't accept one if they needed the Heimlich maneuver.

10) 5th grade girls eat more than a horse...8th grade girls, well, they do too.

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THAT ABOUT SUMS IT UP!!!

DEVOTIONS

One of my favorite parts of the job is doing devotions every day. Currently we are reading through the book of Esther and playing a version of "Where's Waldo" ---but instead playing "Where's God". Esther is the only book in the Bible that never mentions the name of God or even uses a pronoun to refer to Him...but as you read through the story of Esther, you see God working in the background throughout the entire story (and the girls try and identify places they see God at work).

A few weeks ago Jen and I broke the girls up into small groups for our own "church service" since chapel was canceled due to the flu outbreak. We had great discussions in our groups for well over an hour...and one girl in my group accepted Christ as her Savior! Today we had another great "God Moment" as we read about Esther and her willingness to lay everything (including her life) on the line...and looked for where God was working in that moment. That sparked a very long (over an hour) conversation about God and the role He plays in our lives today. Some of the questions they asked and we discussed were (you can see some are more serious than others hahaha):

1) How do we get to heaven?

2) What is heaven like?

3) Is there a hell?

4) My mom is a Jehovah's Witness and my grandpa is Baptist...who should I be going to church with?

5) My uncle died from an accidental drug overdose...is it possible he is in heaven?

6) What will happen to my mentally challenge cousin when she dies?

7) Where Adam and Eve black or white?

8) Are there animals in heaven?

9) What will my body be like in heaven?

10) What are angels?

11) How do you know the Bible is true?

12) Do you struggle with sin too?

13) Why would God let so many bad things happen to my family?

14) Why is it so hard to be like Jesus?

There were several others we discussed as well, but as you can see God is working on the hearts and minds of these young girls and Jen and I love to be used by Him in the process! We had a great discussion and look forward to where it will take us as we continue to discover "Where's God" in the midst of the only Biblical book that doesn't mention Him by name.

Playing Golf With Your Wife

Bill was playing golf one afternoon with his wife, Emma, and hit a nasty slice off the second tee – landing in an impossible lie in front of the greenkeeper’s shed. Being helpful, his wife suggested, “No need to take a penalty shot darling, just open both the front and back doors and push the tractor out. Then, you’ll can hit hit it straight through the shed with a 3 iron.”

“Brilliant idea darling!” and with that, Bill took a mighty whack at the ball, which struck the rear of the building – bouncing off and hitting his wife in the head, killing her stone dead.

A few years later, Bill was playing the same hole with his new wife… and by sheer coincidence landed at the exact same place in front of the shed. “No need to take a penalty shot,” said his new wife, “we can push the tractor out and open both sets of doors. You can hit straight through the shed!”

“No way,” he said. “Last time I tried that I ended up with a triple bogey!”

Consequences of Bad Choices

Well, it has been a while since I have done a "theological post" so I thought I would share a little bit of what I have been learning recently. We have been going through the book of Esther, and those of you who know the basic plot line remember a wicked man named Haman who attempts to wipe out all of God's people but his plan is thwarted by Esther and her cousin Mordecai (although it created a very tense situation for all involved). Here is a key verse about Haman:

Some time later, King Xerxes promoted Haman son of Hammedatha the Agagite, making him the highest-ranking official in the government. (Esther 3:1)

What is so key in that verse? Haman's heritage...as a Agagite, he is a decendant of the Amalekites. Now flashback several hundred years earlier to King Saul. In 1 Samuel 15:2-3, Saul is commissioned by God to go to war against the Amalekites. He is told to totally wipe them out. But Saul had a "better idea".

Saul (verses 7-9) decided to allow the best parts of the land to survive including Agag and its people (where Haman descended from). Had Saul just been obedient to God and made wise choices, the story of Haman and his wickedness wouldn't have been an issue for Esther and Mordecai. Not following God had lasting consequences.

So are you following God? Are the choices you've been making in line with His desires? A stray path or unwise choice can have an effect on many generations to come (as seen in Esther). If you've already made unwise decisions, our loving God is always there to embrace us when we turn back to Him (woman at the well, Peter's denial, David's sin, etc, etc, etc). Keep on following Jesus!

The Blog Thief

Last night we went back to our apartment and downloaded all of our camera pictures from the past week of some of the neat things we've been doing. I had visions of blog posts about our 4th of July celebration with Jen's family in Lititz, our new hobby of geocaching, etc. When we returned to the home we are at for the summer, Jen was in the office for an hour or so that I assumed she was working --- turns out she took all the pictures, video, etc and put them on her own blog! I guess it's only fair though as I am the one usually stealing all the good stuff and posting it before she has a chance. So instead of reinventing the wheel, go check out Jen's Blog and several of her latest posts (and be sure to comment and tell her to quit stealing the good stuff!). Here is the link... www.jcatanzarito.blogspot.com

Fun in the Sun

New Ride at Hershey Park (our kid actually did pretty good with this thing except for his wipe-out at the end)...

Busy Week

Last weekend we went to DuBois to celebrate my grandma's birthday (April), Zach's birthday (May), Brady's birthday (June), Father's Day (June), and my mom's birthday (July). We took the adults out to a steak dinner, and the kids picked out a video game at their favorite store.

When we returned to campus, we were changed to elementary division for 1 week (due to flu restrictions which finally seem to be under control). So we spent the week with 4 boys...all in 4th grade. We had water balloon fights (Monday night), Home Run Derby contests (Tuesday night), Hershey Waterpark Trip (Wednesday night), kickball game and picnic with other homes (Thursday night), and lots of fun! They sent 2 couples to us throughout the week from the new training class to shadow us and learn from us...which is strange since we still don't really know what we're doing quite yet.

Also this week, Jen's sister and family came for a visit and we went to Hershey Park. We were only able to spend a few hours with them during our off time, but we enjoyed seeing them as always, and had a great time.

Swine Flu Update

Well, the swine flu has pretty much passed...there are only a few kids left at the health center. In all, there were probably about 150-200 kids and employees who got sick...thankfully Jen and I have remained healthy! They sent all the healthy kids home (those who had a home to go to) for a week just to make sure it didn't continue to spread. Many of them will return to campus on Sunday.

Currently there are only about 50 kids left on campus. In the house we are in every kid went home, so we are required to "remain on duty" since we are being paid, but we really aren't doing very much as we are living in a 9-bedroom place all by ourselves. I got to watch pretty much every minute of the US Open golf over the weekend as well as play some basketball, take some walks, watch some movies, etc. Today we went over to Hershey Park and plan on going again tomorrow to take a trip around the new "lazy river" in an intertube (pretty nice to get paid to do those things!)...rumor has it that because we have not been getting our regular "off time" during the day because of this flu, we will even be paid a big bonus when this is all said and done.

We found out today that the elementary division needs some extra help next week, so there will be some kids (ages 4-10) that will be moving in with us next week. We don't know how many, boys or girls, or even when they're coming yet...but it should be interesting. Jen is excited - I haven't decided whether I am yet or not (I like the older kids a little better)...but who knows...I guess if we get the bed-wetters, snotty noses, etc I'll just send them to Jen.

Thank you to those who prayed that the flu stay away from us!

Father's Day

If you met someone for the very first time and could only ask them 1 question about him/herself, what question could you ask that would tell you more about that person than any other? Where they were born? How many brothers and sisters? What kind of job they had? Although these questions may give you a little insight into their world, nothing will tell you more than the question --- what do you believe about God?

Tons of research has been done on the power of this single question...so much so that it is now a standard question on every psychological inventory...and held by many psychologists (despite their own beliefs or lack of) to be the most important piece of information they can obtain to see into that person's heart, mind, and soul. And, as research shows, what people believe about God and His love often reflects (for the good or bad) the relationship they have/had with their Earthly father.

All these years and years of research to come to these conclusions could easily be found in the Bible written thousands of years ago in Psalm 145:4 --- One generation shall praise thy works to another. With this new job this has become even more clear...the negative effects of an absent father. That is why I love my dad so much and appreciate that he has ALWAYS been there for me whether sporting events, magic shows, school productions, whatever...he was always there! It really didn't matter one bit what he said or any mistakes that he made as a father (which are never remembered anyway), just that he was there. Anytime I look back on my childhood and think of dad, that is all I remember --- him always being there! I don't remember many bad times, I don't remember being yelled at much (of course that was reserved for my brother who made me look like an angel!), I just remember that no matter what, dad was always there.

And as both research and the Bible shows, this has had a HUGE impact on my spiritual life. How have I always viewed God since I've become a Christian? I know God as my Heavenly Father who is always there. That is thanks to my dad who taught me that is what a father is all about...being there. If you've had an absent father, God can certainly help anyone overcome any misconceptions about Him (I've seen that happen over and over...even in my dad's life since my grandpa wasn't always present in his life), and today I thank God for giving me a father that has taught me so much --- especially the importance of just being there for my own kids someday and as the Bible tells us, that legacy can be handed down from generation to generation.

Happy Father's Day!

Update/House

AMMEDED UPDATE (5:35 PM) --- Some of the flu cases on campus have been confirmed as the swine flu.

Not much is new on the "flu front". Of the 1800 students here, about 1700 of them have been sent off campus (the ones that weren't sick or have recovered). They still have not gotten word from the state whether or not it is swine flu (which they expect it will be), but in either case, the good news is all students have been responding well to treatment, and have been able to remain at the health center for recovery...none have been sent to the Milton Hershey Medical Center...so if it is swine flu it is a much weaker strain than the one going through Mexico several months ago.

Jen and I have been told to stay in our apartment until further notice. The current plan is to begin bringing kids back June 28th (depends on the remaining sick kids recovery time). So we are a little unsure what we will be doing for the next week and a half. But it has given us time to catch up on a lot of stuff! I have lots of pictures and videos of Milton Hershey School that I will start to share so you all can get a little glimpse of what this place is like.

Today I'll show you are living arrangements. We are currently living in an old farmhouse (built in 1783!) that is considered a "training apartment". Since we have been permanently assigned now, we will be moving into a regular house sometime next month. In the video, you will see the HUGE difference between where we live now, and the brand new $4 million dollar home we are about to move into. Here they are...

State of Emergency

The last few days have been crazy! The health center on campus had 1 person on Tuesday with flu-like symptoms. Wednesday it rose to 7, Thursday to 20, Friday to 40, and by Saturday it rose to 80 as they were restricting graduation to seniors and parents only (usually all staff and high school kids attend) as well as canceled chapel. By Sunday it went to 100 and we all received an emergency message that school was canceled for the remainder of the year (there was 1 week left) and that students were to vacate campus as soon as possible.
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So we have been working hard finding places for kids to go...it is really difficult for those who are under the care of the state (social case worker) they are from and have no family. Some of the student homes that were empty have turned into overflow for the health center. They have confirmed that there are cases of type A flu...they will find out today or tomorrow if it is swine flu (and based on the syptoms and what they are seeing they say it is "highly probable" that it is swine flu).
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Jen and I are currently in a home where both the regular houseparents are sick with the flu and of the 2 girls still here, 1 of them has been sick. They are both supposed to board buses today at 11:00 as long as the one that has been sick doesn't have a temperature. Please pray God protects us from illness!

Our Assignment

We are very thankful that we have been assigned to a permanent position already! Our training class was told to be prepared to fill-in for regular houseparents while they took their vacation days for the next year...which would have meant we would be sleeping in different beds every night, not knowing where we would end up the following day, and not really getting to know the kids very well. We found out (first in our training class and even ahead of some of the prior training classes from January and October) we will be assigned to middle school girls starting August 1st, the first day of school (although we will be permanently assigned on June 19th as summer runs a little different around here).
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Jen and I came here with a unique philosophy --- It's not the good kids who need us, it's the "bad" ones. So early on in training, we asked our trainers to put us in the most challenging house on campus. Next thing we knew we were in a girls home that was out of control...and in need of someone to get it under control. We both loved it there (kept us on our toes!), and we have been filling in that home for the most part of the past 2 weeks. Our assignment is to rotate through a quad (4 homes) --- in what they consider the most challenging quad on campus (so pray for us!). The girls really are great girls who sometimes happen to make bad decisions, and need someone to care for them and teach them.
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Over the past 2 weeks we have seen drastic changes in the home...even our trainers and bosses have noted that it was the best they've ever seen this house and gave us great evaluations. We have gone a long way by connecting with the "leaders" in the home (through magic tricks, 1-on-1 conversations, and just listening to them), by centering devotions around struggles they are going through, and most importantly by praying for wisdom and relying on God (we'd never be able to do this without Him!!!).
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So I have many funny stories (I could start a whole new blog!) about the girls and things that have happened. I will do my best to post more often, but our schedule and not having Internet in our home yet makes it hard. We will be moving into our new home sometime next month. Our home will be a new $4 million dollar home and is unbelievable! Jen's parents were in town today and we took them on a tour and took lots of video so I will be sure to get that up soon. Hope everyone is doing well!

Jen's Birthday

Today is Jen's birthday! Unfortunately we have to work all day, but I'll look for several small ways throughout the day to make it special for her. This year I got her a gift certificate to the Hershey Spa at the Hershey Hotel where she can choose from a chocolate massage, a relaxing cocoa bath, and all kinds of other Hershey themed spa services.

She is doing a GREAT job as a houseparent. The other day she asked one of the students we were with to wash all the kitchen cabinets and he started crying. I kept my eye on them as they talked in the office and she made him feel better...and still made him clean the kitchen cabinets (she doesn't let them get away with anything!).

Our bosses here have also been impressed with Jen as we have been given 3 great reviews by them so far and have been told over and over that the other houseparents keep requesting us to come in to their homes and fill in (of course the kids love the magic tricks too!). And we were just given a permanent assignment last week (first couple in our training class!) and will be working with the middle school girls. I'll tell you more about that later this week.

So happy birthday Jen...I LOVE YOU! Feel free to add your birthday wishes to her in the comment box.

Our Daily Schedule

Here is our basic daily schedule now...you will see that if we get off schedule by 5 minutes it can really disrupt everything! (as we have already found out)...
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5:00 - WAKE UP! Jen heads to make breakfast and I get ready.
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6:00 - Wake up for the kids
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6:10 - Kids have to be dressed and at the breakfast table
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6:10 - 6:20 - Breakfast
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6:20 - 6:23 - Medication for those who need it
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6:23 - Bag check for students leaving on activity bus (band, choir, etc)
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6:25 - Activity bus students leave
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6:25 - 7:00 - Chores...when you have 12 middle school kids all doing chores at the same time, "controlled chaos" might be a more appropriate name
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7:05 - Bag check for students leaving on overflow bus (because our van only hold 9 kids)
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7:10 - Overflow bus leaves
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7:20 - Bag check for students leaving in the van
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7:25 - Van leaves for school (I drive...Jen stays behind and checks chores and bedrooms)
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7:45 - 3:15 - School for the kids
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8:00 - 8:30 - Administrative Time (forms, budgets, food ordering, etc)
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8:30 - 11:30 (Mon. Wed.) - Meetings and/or training
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8:30 - 11:30 (Tues. Thurs. Fri.) - Free Time A.K.A Nap Time
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11:30 - 2:00 - Free Time for us
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2:00 - 3:00 - Administrative Time (check e-mails, budget sheets, etc)
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3:00 - 3:15 - Drive to pick up students
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3:15 - 3:30 - Drive students home
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3:30 - 4:30 - Students on detention or restrictions do extra chores
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3:30 - 4:30 - Students on "homework club" (failure to complete homework sent by e-mail from teacher) has an extra study hour
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4:30 - 5:30 - Free Time (Jen cooks dinner with the "chef" for that week and I play outside with the kids)
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5:30 - 6:15 - Dinner
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6:15 - 6:30 - Prayer and Devotions
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6:30 - 6:35 - Magic Trick
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6:35 - 7:00 - Dinner Clean-up
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7:00 - 8:10 - Study Time and shower time (in groups of 3...each has 15 minutes)
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8:10 - 8:15 - Medication for those who need it
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8:15 - Bedtime for those on the lowest behavior levels
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8:30 - 8:40 - Snack
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8:45 - Bed Time for those on the middle behavior levels
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9:00 - Bed Time for those on the highest behavior levels
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9:00 - 9:30 - Administrative Time (daily notes, behavior charts, etc)...also walking the halls to make sure the kids are asleep
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10:00 - Bedtime for us
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5:00 - WAKE UP!
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***Also included in the entire schedule for all 24 hours with the middle school girls --- DRAMA CONTROL

Training is Over!

Friday we finished up our training for the new job and we will be thrown right into the action! This weekend we covered 2 girls homes, and all this week we will be in charge of a boys home (and will be in charge of different homes every day now until we are placed into a home of our own). Our schedule consists of breakfast, chores, school, recreation, prayer time, devotion time, showers, of course some magic time, dinner, and homework. Our training class consisted of 7 couples (including us)...we were chosen from a list of more than 350 couples that applied. Here is a video of some of the things we experienced...

Ignorance

We are finally in our last week of training...starting this Friday, we're on our own! I am making a video of our training class and will be sure to post it when it is done. One of the biggest things we've learned is to assume the kids "know nothing". We keep hearing stories of kids who (before coming here) have never used a fork before, kids who have never been to a restaurant other than fast food, who have never had their clothes washed before, etc, etc, etc.

As I was thinking about this, I had the opposite problem growing up --- I had everything...and since my mom, dad, grandma, and/or great-grandma did it all, I never really had to learn anything. Dinner was always waiting for me, my clothes were always washed, the house was always cleaned without me --- me and my brother and sister were pretty spoiled as we had all that handed to us!

But because of this my ignorance in household things really was embarrassing when I got out on my own. Two things I remember that were pretty embarrassing looking back:

1) During a job interview on safety instruction I was asked how often the lint trap should be emptied from the dryer. My answer --- twice a year (somehow I was still offered that job?!?).

2) OK...this one tops the cake...during one of my first grocery store visits, I bought some Hamburger Helper. When I got home, I started to make it, and for the life of me, I couldn't figure out why there was no hamburger meat in the box (I had no idea you had to buy it separate). My roommate Steve was rolling on the floor laughing at that one!

Thankfully I am a very quick learner so these things pass very swiftly! So what about you? What are some of the dumbest things you've said/thought/done/etc? Leave a story or two in the comment box!

Cable TV --- Discovery Health

One of the perks of living on campus here in Hershey is free cable TV! However, Jen has quickly become addicted to the "Discovery Health" channel which has all kinds of programs showing surgeries, health topics, ER reality shows, etc. I am not at all a fan of the station, but I must say I was pretty entertained by one of the shows we watched the other night.

The show is called, "Mystery Diagnosis" and it is based on true stories of people coming to the hospital and the struggle for doctors to find out what is wrong with them. So in walks this 70+ year-old man and his wife to the ER. He has a history of heart problems as well as hemorrhoids and passed out trying to go to the bathroom. The doctor determines the man is constipated, gives him some laxatives and sends him home. Half hour later, the couple is back and the man passed out again going to the bathroom. All vital signs are normal so they send him back home and say he must have stood up too quickly. So the couple goes home again and a half hour later they're back...he passed out again going to the bathroom! Everything still seems to be normal so they tell him to stick around until he has to go to the bathroom again and they will monitor him.

So in about a half hour he is in the bathroom and they have him hooked up to all kinds of machines waiting for something to happen --- but nothing happens. The doctors leave the room and are discussing the situation when the man's wife comes running out screaming that it happened again. They rush in to find him passed out on the floor with a very low blood pressure. Now they suspect the wife must be trying to out him or something for insurance money and begin to question her.

The wife explains everything she does for her husband including caring for all his medical issues. She explained that the only thing she has been doing is putting on his hemorrhoid cream each time he finishes in the bathroom. When they ask to see his hemorrhoid cream, they discover the problem...for his heart condition he was prescribed nitroglycerin cream that is applied to the chest to increase blood flow to that area. She accidentally mixed that up with his hemorrhoid cream. So all this time she was putting hemorrhoid cream on his chest, and nitroglycerin cream on his rear end!

OK, so maybe it's not all that entertaining. But hey, it sure beat the episode of the liposuction Jen made me watch on the 700 pound man!

A New Post (Finally)

Well, we are starting to get settled in...we still do not have internet access in our apartment, but they gave us access to a computer in a different section of the house we are living in. Things have been very busy...we are on a 12-day straight working schedule, and with the little time we do have off it has been filled with finding new banks, Dr.'s, dentists, switching driver's license, car registrations, etc, etc, etc. The best part so far is a local golf course owned by the Hershey Company that allows me to play for free! The worst part so far has been not having any time to enjoy all the things there are to do in this area. Hopefully that should change when we get through training (we have 3 weeks left)...then you are all welcome to come out for a visit. We found out that as employees, we always get into Hershey Park for free, but we also have the benefit of getting in up to 4 guests in for free as well...so now nobody has any excuses not to come!

I don't have many stories to share yet as most of our days are spent sitting in classes. But those of you who know Jen will appreciate our trip to the park --- we took a group of 7 boys in 5th grade to a local park called the "Castle". It is an enclosed area with a lot of play areas with the little tubes you can run through, bridges, monkey bars, swings, etc, etc, etc. The boys and I decided we were going to play hide-and-seek/tag. Jen spent the next 1/2 hour constantly running around counting kids to be sure none were missing or had tried to run away...but it wasn't easy since they were all hiding! Needless to say it cause her quite a bit of stress (not sure what she had planned to do if one of them did turn up missing?!?). Pray that she survives! Other than causing herself too much stress by worrying, she is doing a great job.

Please e-mail us and/or call us (we still have the same cell numbers) and let us know what's up in your world! I'll try to blog more often, but it will be hard to do more than 1 or 2 a week over the next few weeks.

Moving Monday

Well, the movers are supposed to be here around 8:30 and we'll officially be on our way back to Pennsylvania! To all our Ohio friends, Ohio family, and Ohio random blog guests --- we'll miss you! To all our PA friends, PA family, and PA random blog guests --- we're coming home! To all our other state friends, other state family, and other state random blog guests --- you don't care!
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Any ways, I am unsure about how soon we'll have the internet up and running, and I am sure it will be pretty crazy with all the unpacking, starting a new job, etc for at least a week, so I won't be posting for a week or so (but keep checking back!). To keep you busy while you continue to see this same message over the next several days, keep watching and listening to this awesome song our worship leader introduced me to! It is by a "bluegrass" band (which I don't like all that much), but you'll never know it by listening to this. It is a little know group called "Nickel Creek" (anyone ever hear of them?)...I listened to several of their songs, but this is the only one I like. Make sure you read the words!...
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Final Answer Friday --- The Change

THIS WEEKS ANSWER: $33.55

THIS WEEKS WINNER: Joni (2 points)

RUNNER-UP: Dana (1 point)

STANDINGS:
Joni - 6
Dana - 5
Jen - 4.75
Julie - 4
Steve - 2.75
Janet -2
Jeff - 2
Jerry - 1.5
Jason - 1
Jill - 1
Ron - 1
Renae - .5

Theological Thursday --- Baseball

In honor of the start of the 2009 season --- THE LORD'S BASEBALL GAME

Freddy and the Lord stood by to observe a baseball game. The Lord's team was playing Satan's team. The Lord's team was at bat, the score was tied zero to zero, and it was the bottom of the 9th inning with two outs. They continued to watch as a batter stepped up to the plate named 'Love.' Love swung at the first pitch and hit a single, because " Love never fails."

The next batter was named Faith , who also got a single because Faith works with Love .

The next batter up was named Godly Wisdom . Satan wound up and threw the first pitch. Godly Wisdom looked it over and let it pass: Ball one. Three more pitches and Godly Wisdom walked because he never swings at what Satan throws .

The bases were now loaded. The Lord then turned to Freddy and told him He was now going to bring in His star player. Up to the plate stepped Grace. Freddy said, "He sure doesn't look like much!" Satan's whole team relaxed when they saw Grace. Thinking he had won the game, Satan wound up and fired his first pitch. To the shock of everyone, Grace hit the ball harder than anyone had ever seen! But Satan was not worried; his center fielder let very few get by.

He went up for the ball, but it went right through his glove, hit him on the head and sent him crashing on the ground; the roaring crowds went wild as the ball continued over the fence . . . for a home run! The Lord's team won!

The Lord then asked Freddy if he knew why Love, Faith and Godly Wisdom could get on base but couldn't win the game. Freddy answered that he didn't know why. The Lord explained, "If your love, faith, and wisdom had won the game, you would think you had done it by yourself. Love, Faith, and Wisdom will get you on base but only My Grace can get you Home.

For by Grace are you saved, it is a gift of God; not of works, lest any man should boast. ---Ephesians 2:8-9

What Is It Wednesday --- The Change

Here is a video of my spare change jar --- how much money is in it? I will keep the comments turned on this week...just don't be fooled by the guesses of those before you as they may be way off!

Talking Point Tuesday --- Disney World

A video of our recent Disney World Trip...the song is from the Spectromagic Parade at the Magic Kingdom which we saw several times...

Media Monday --- Messed Up Story of the Year

OK...I need your help. I am confused after reading this story whether I should be saddened by the sinful nature, laughing at the irony, shocked by these events, or sitting in disbelief that this story is true. Someone please tell me how I should feel!

In Stuttgart, Germany, a court judge must decide on a case of honorable intentions in a situation where a man hired his neighbor to get his wife pregnant. It seems that Demetrius Soupolos, 29, and his former beauty queen wife, Traute, wanted a child badly, but Demetrius was told by a doctor that he was sterile. So, Soupolos, after calming his wife’s protests, hired his neighbor, Frank Maus, 34, to impregnate her.

Since Maus was already married and the father of two children, plus looked very much like Soupolos to boot, the plan seemed good. Soupolos paid Maus $2,500 for the job and for three evenings a week for the next six months, Maus tried desperately, a total of 72 different times, to impregnate Traute. When his own wife objected, he explained, "I don’t like this any more than you. I’m simply doing it for the money. Try and understand."

After Traute failed to get pregnant after six months, however, Soupolos was not understanding and insisted that Maus have a medical examination, which he did. The doctor’s announcement that Maus was also sterile shocked everyone except his wife, who was forced to confess that Maus was not the real father of their two children. Now Soupolos is suing Maus for breach of contract in an effort to get his money back, but Maus refuses to give it up because he said he did not guarantee conception, but only that he would give an honest effort.

Final Answer Friday --- The Boxes

Well, we had guesses ranging from 22 to 425 and everywhere in between! Everything that you pick up and would call a "box" (including the plastic ones) was counted...but not the "boxes packed inside bigger boxes". Basically, it was the number of boxes I had to physically pick up and carry into the living room. In the video itself, you can see far more than 22, so that number is far too low, and thankfully 425 is far too high! The correct number of boxes is 96 (where was Julie's guess...she is usually good at these "shot in the dark" questions). It is a small illusion as most of the small boxes are in front (so it makes it seem like there are more there than really exist) and only big ones are in the back.
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So that makes Dana our winner this week with a guess of 87. As a prize you can come and pick out any 3 boxes out of the pile you want.* Please pick the big ones so we don't have to move them!!!
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*Winner must claim prize in person by 8:03 am on 4/03/09 or winnings will be invalid.
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Jen - 4.75
Julie - 4
Joni - 4
Dana - 4
Steve - 2.75
Janet -2
Jeff - 2
Jerry - 1.5
Jason - 1
Jill - 1
Ron - 1
Renae - .5

Theological Thursday --- Desires of the Heart

Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you your heart’s desires. --- Psalm 37:4

Prior to going to seminary, my Bible study group in Pittsburgh did a study on King Solomon, and I reflected on the story of God promising anything to Solomon that he wanted --- and of all the riches, possessions, etc Solomon could have asked for, he instead asked (and received) wisdom. I knew if I were to go into ministry, I would need far more wisdom and problem solving skills than I possessed, so I began to pray daily (and still do to this day) for wisdom.

When I was in elementary school, we took an IQ test. I got a 116. For all people, 100 is considered "average" and 132 is considered "genius" --- so I was pretty far above average, but far from the top of the scale. In a room of 100 people, I would be above 75 of them, but below 25...just a face in the crowd as far as wisdom and intelligence are concerned.

As I began to pray for wisdom 5 years ago, as the days have gone by, I have noticeably seen God making things much clearer and my wisdom grow by leaps and bounds. IQ is supposed to be a "static" thing (meaning it doesn't change over your lifetime). It may fluctuate plus or minus 5 points, but for the most part should never change. During my counseling classes 2 years ago, we took and IQ test and I scored a 138. There is no explanation of how it could jump by 22 points, and I thought maybe it was a fluke and maybe I had just guessed some of the answers right.

Many of you may remember that I said I was taking the MENSA test --- which requires the 132 score or above and accepts only the top 2% of the population in IQ. I received a letter before vacation that I had passed the test! They didn't provide an exact score, only that it was above the 132 mark. I think it is an incredible testament to the power of God and how He works through our prayers and wants to give us the desires of our hearts (Psalm 34:7) when they align with His will. Wisdom and IQ are not exactly the same, but they both have the components of discernment and knowledge. I have no doubt that God will use this to further His Kingdom in some way, and I am excited to see how it will all play out. God has used my life to take something that is supposedly statistically very unlikely (jumping by 22+ IQ points) and has made it happen for His Glory in mine (and Jen's) ministry for Him.

What are you praying for? What are your desires? Do they align with His? Most importantly...Jerry (Jen's dad), you better listen from now on when I say during the football game whether it is best to go for it, punt, go for 2, kick the FG, etc --- cause it will be the wise choice!

What Is It Wednesday --- The Boxes

Well, we offically began the process of moving. We decided that we would completely empty out our spare bedroom and move everything into the living room and as things get packed we will label them and move them back into the spare bedroom. I knew it would motivate Jen to move quickly if the living room looked like a complete mess (which you'll see on the video that it does!). Your question is simple --- how many boxes are currently in the living room (see video below).

P.S. I turned on comment moderation until Thursday afternoon so you won't be able to see other people's guesses until then. So don't be waiting to see what other people say (cause you won't see it)...just post your guess!

Talking Point Tuesday --- Florida Vacation (Part 1)

Here is a video from the 1st half of our vacation to Florida...Amelia Island. Next Tuesday I will post the video from the 2nd half of our trip...Disney World. Enjoy!

Media Monday --- M-I-C-K-E-Y M-O-U-S-E

Well, we have returned to Ohio from our Amelia Island/Disney Trip, and I really have no "Media Monday" topic because we did not watch the news, have Internet, or listen to the radio. Our biggest concerns were what time the parades and fireworks started and what to eat for dinner...and it was great! For the first time in years I had no clue who was winning the March Madness and nor did I care.

So I think everyone needs a "Mickey Mouse Week". Doesn't have to be Disney, or even far away, just a week to turn off the TV and computer and have a week of "Hakuna Matata". Maybe your stocks still tank, maybe your favorite team loses, etc...but you can deal with it all later.

I went to a conference several months ago by Dr. Daniel Spaite (M.D.) who wrote the book Time Bomb in the Church...he has done tons of research that supports those involved in ministry are "silently" killing themselves by not utilizing Sabbath rest. He suggests (if you want to really live healthy) that you must have some "Mickey Mouse Time" at least 1 hour a day, 1 day a week, and 1 week every quarter-year to allow God to refresh your mind/body/spirit/soul.

So next week I may have a news story for you...that's 7 days away...so you can start your week right now and not miss a thing! (oh, but be sure to check back tomorrow to see a video of part of our trip hahaha).

Florida Vacation --- Day 15

Well, today officially ends our vacation...but not before we get to take my niece Karley out to pick out her birthday present (she turned 3). Later this afternoon we will travel back to Ohio. Every 5th Sunday of the month is "Evangelism Sunday" in our kids church program at Grace, and I am speaking and doing a few tricks for each age level tomorrow morning. Then we will get right to packing for our move, doing all our laundry, etc, etc, etc, etc --- so if you were jealous of us over this last week, I think the tables have turned and we want to trade places with you!

See you back here on Monday for my regular Blog...if I am not too depressed.

Florida Vacation --- Day 14

Today is pretty much just a travel day. We will head from Virginia to my parents house in Pennsylvania. I am hoping we don't run into what you see in the picture above!!! Tune in tomorrow for the final day of vacation.

Florida Vacation --- Day 13

Today is our final day in Disney and we begin our long trip home...but not before having a fancy breakfast at the Floridian Resort (pictured above). Jen said it was her favorite, but we couldn't stay there cause it was completely booked for this week (maybe next time). Tonight we will be using another free Holiday Inn night (along with our free gas cards!) and driving up to Virginia.

Florida Vacation --- Day 12

Today we will be spending the day at the last of the Disney theme parks...Animal Kingdom. We will get to see the musical production of Finding Nemo live as well as the Jungle Parade. We have plans for a nice dinner tonight back at the resort.

Florida Vacation --- Day 11

Today we are heading back to Magic Kingdom and will watch the "Make a Dream Come True" parade in the afternoon, and later this evening we are going to some special production called "Hoop De Doo Review" (Jen said it was her favorite thing when she went to Disney many years ago). All I know is we get all-u-can-eat ribs! Pictured above is our resort that we have been staying at all this time.

Florida Vacation --- Day 10

Today we are sticking around our resort for the morning and the afternoon to rent "Sea Raycers" (pictured above) and play on one of Disney's famous mini golf courses next to our resort. This evening we will be heading back to Epcot to eat at a little Mexican place called "San Angel Inn" and then watching Epcots Illumination show later tonight.

Florida Vacation --- Day 9

Today we head into the city of Orlando for a special Sunday and head to the theme park called, The Holy Land Experience (pictured above). It is a replica of Jerusalem when Jesus was alive, has people acting out living history (so you feel like you are part of the events), and they present different Biblical events throughout "Jerusalem" throughout the day. It should be a neat experience, although I am not so sure the Ice Cream Machine in the picture above is historically accurate hahaha.

Florida Vacation --- Day 8

Today we head over to Planet Hollywood for the day and look forward to the "Block Party Bash" at 3:00 as well as the new Disney American Idol daily contest (maybe I'll try out!). We are also eating at a fun restaurant tonight...Mama Melrose (pictured above)

Florida Vacation --- Day 7

Today we head to Epcot Center in the morning and then this evening we have special tickets (front row!) to a production called "Cirque de Soleil" (pictured above) that is the central attraction in the main Downtown Disney theatre. Jen really wanted to go until she saw how much the tickets were, but she got them as a surprise for Valentine's Day.

Florida Vacation --- Day 6

Today we leave Amelia Island and head to Disney World. I have never been there, so we are heading straight for Magic Kingdom (pictured above) when we arrive.

Florida Vacation --- Day 5

Today is my day as I get to golf on one of the resort courses that runs along the Atlantic Ocean (pictured above). Jen will come along and be the cart driver!

Florida Vacation --- Day 4

Today is Jen's day as she will get a 60-minute massage from the spa attached to the resort (Ritz - Carlton)...pictured above.

Florida Vacation --- Day 3

Today, Jen and I are renting Segways (pictured above) to zip around the Island and check things out. Of course we will also do plenty of beach relaxing as well as a nice steak dinner tonight!

Florida Vacation --- Day 2

Today we journey off to our first destination --- Amelia Island (pictured above). It is an island resort just outside of Jacksonville on the Atlantic. If you watched American Idol this year, one of the "try-outs" was on Amelia Island and Jen said, "Wow, I would love to stay there"...and she had no idea I had already had the placed booked. So we are in an ocean-front room, and temperatures are supposed to be in the mid to upper 70's this week!

Florida Vacation --- Day 1

Nothing really exciting today, so you all don't have to be jealous yet! Today we are traveling 2/3 of the way to our first destination (that Jen has no clue about where we are going and what we will be doing there). Tonight we stay in Charlotte (pictured above) at one of our free nights in the Holiday Inn. Check back tomorrow to see where we end up!

Final Answer Friday --- Final Exam

Well, someone hit the number exactly! Jen sister Julie, pictured above (doesn't she look smart?), got the answer on the nose with 3.85. If this were the Price Is Right, I'd be giving you a $500.00 Bonus, but since it is just my dumb little blog, you can have 2 bonus points. Great job!

SPECIAL NOTE: Tomorrow Jen and I leave for Florida for 2 weeks for Disney World and other surprises Jen does not yet know about. I have a picture and very quick description of what we are doing each day scheduled to post on this blog every morning at 8:00 for the next 2 weeks if you want to stay up-to-date with where we are and what we are doing and want to be jealous of us!

CURRENT STANDINGS:

Jen - 4.75

Julie - 4
Joni - 4
Steve - 2.75
Dana - 3
Janet -2
Jeff - 2
Jerry - 1.5
Jason - 1
Jill - 1
Ron - 1
Renae - .5

Theological Thursday --- The Ugliness of Sin

I know I have made comments on here several times that we are all sinners and from a spiritual standpoint they all point us to our need for a Savior no matter how big or how small. So if we commit murder or tell a little white lie, even though from society's view one is far worse than the other, from God's view it just shows us that we need Him.

I never knew how to illustrate that well as many unbelievers have a hard time understanding that their sin is "bad" as people love to compare themselves to other "worse sinners". But these last 2 months I have been reading a lot of books that I've never had time to, and although I love to give my own thoughts and perspectives on things, I have to quote 2 paragraphs from Jerry Bridges book, Respectable Sins. He spells out the ugliness of sin (no matter how "big" or "small") with the best illustration I've ever heard:

If I spill black indelible ink on a rug you bought at the local discount store, that's bad. But if I spill the same ink on your very expensive Persian rug, that's really bad. Why? My act is the same and the ink is the same, but the value of the two rugs are vastly different. The extent of the damage is determined not by the size of the ink blobs on the two rugs but by the respective value of each of them.

This is how we should think of our sin against God. Every sin we commit, regardless of how insignificant it seems to us, is an assault on His infinite glory. And the value of an expensive rug, even if it is millions of dollars, is nothing compared to the value of God's glory.

So society views our sins from the perspective of the size of the ink blob. Did we make a big spill (murder) or a little spill (white lie)? But the Christian should view their sin in respect to what their spill (sin) is falling on --- God's infinite glory. And as we mature in the Christian faith, hopefully our spills get smaller and smaller, but our recognition of what we are spilling onto never ceases to grow.

It makes it so much clearer Paul's view of himself as a sinner. In 1 Corinthians (55 AD) he saw himself as the "worst of the Apostles" (15:9). Five years later (60 AD) when he wrote Ephesians, he called himself the "very least of the saints" (3:8). Finally, 3 years later (63 AD) when writing 2 Timothy, Paul called himself the "worst of all sinners" (1:15). So as Paul matured in his Christian walk, his view of his sin got worse and worse. It is not because his spills were getting bigger and bigger, but because his view of his awesome, perfect, and powerful God to which his spills were falling upon were getting clearer and clearer. May we do the same.

What Is It Wednesday --- Final Exam

Well, tonight is my final, final exam and I will graduate again with my second degree with a Master of Divinity. I've taken a total of 46 classes. That's 1,380 hours of sitting in class or 82,800 minutes or 4,968,000 seconds (but who's counting?). I've also written about 1,610 pages of papers or about 402,500 words or about 2,012,500 letters (but again, who's counting?).

So you question this week is simple --- What is my final GPA?

Scale runs from a 0.00 to a 4.00 --- Post your answer to the nearest hundredth (example: 3.23). Just so everyone is in the same ballpark, those who were here for my first graduation knew I graduated with honors which means my GPA was somewhere between a 3.70 and a 3.90. At that time I had finished 80% of my classes, so the final 20% of classes I took after that may have tipped it slightly above or below that range, but it would be a pretty safe bet to guess somewhere in between. Good luck!

Talking Point Tuesday --- Jerry's Birthday

Today is Jen's dad's (Jerry --- pictured above) birthday. He has been a great father-in-law (watching the Steelers, letting me beat him at golf, putting the family up in million dollar homes at vacation, etc, etc, etc).

The second time I met him, he took a good hour trying to convince me that the Earth "could be" flat and that it is not necessarily round. As a former math teacher, he spent a full day of class laying out the arguments for his students as well. I still to this day don't know if he really considers that the Earth could be flat, or if he just likes to present the arguments and possible evidence for fun. If anyone is interested in the arguments, there is a group called the "Flat Earth Society" (Click HERE) that is convinced the Earth is not round. But, I will have to go against my father-in-law on this one and go with my Heavenly Father who says:

It is God Who sits above the circle of the earth (Isaiah 40:22)

But in any case, Happy Birthday Jerry! Feel free to leave him birthday wishes in the comment section as well...and also with all his traveling now that he is retired, pray he doesn't fall of the edge of the Earth!

Media Monday --- The Direction of Government

Well, here we are with another week gone by, and you just can't escape government in the news. This week, Obama decided to take away the conviction clause that would allow doctors to abstain from doing abortions if it went against their religious beliefs (so much for separation of church and state/freedom of religion), he took away all the governmental bans on funding for stem cell research (so much for saving money and taking a scalpel to our budget), and we are hearing more and more about the government taking over the banks, health care, etc, etc, etc. So, what does this all mean?

Well, when we look at politics throughout all history, there are 5 models of government:

1) Anarchy (the people have total control/no government)

2) Republic (the people have some control/limited government)

3) Democracy (the people and government share control)

4) Oligarchy (an elite group of government have control)

5) Dictatorship (one person has total control)

Although these sound possible in theory, you can eliminate 3 of these as long term governments. Anarchy results from people rebelling against government and trying to tear them down. Every group of anarchists throughout history have had an agenda in mind as to who would take over power if they did overthrow the government...so there is no such thing as an anarchy rule (the people in total control) as it would eliminate all laws, military, etc, etc, etc (as someone would have to run these things)...it is only a temporary attempt to overthrow a government.

Same with dictatorship...even the most notorious dictators (ie: Hitler) had his group of goons working with him. In reality, he was the leader of an oligarchy, where a select few were in charge of the masses.

Democracy also doesn't work. Our Founding Fathers were very purposeful in not mentioning democracy in any of our founding documents. They believed 100% in a Republic....where a limited government would represent (not rule) the people. In a true democracy, majority would always rule...so a criminal trial would only need 50% for a conviction, if at anytime the senate wanted to overthrow the president they could as long as they got a 50% vote, if city council voted 5-4 to take your house away, in a true democracy they could without other reason. All democracies were very short lived and fail miserably and always result in a Republic or an Oligarchy (depending on if they give more power to the people or the government).

So that brief history brings us to the point of this post. Our Founding Fathers dreamed of and set us up as a Republic. The government is to represent the people. We know we can't have anarchy nor a dictatorship, and democracy can't and doesn't work. So we are left with 2 possibilities --- remain a Republic or become an Oligarchy where the elite government officials rule the people rather than for the people. All this nationalization and government control of everything is slowly taking us down a path I don't think we want to go. But maybe our time is up. Consider the cycle of great countries throughout history:

1) From bondage to spiritual faith

2) From spiritual faith to great courage

3) From courage to liberty

4) From liberty to abundance

5) From abundance to complacency

6) From complacency to apathy

7) From apathy to dependence

8) From dependence back to bondage

It takes about 200 years to go through this cycle and we are in year 233. I see us somewhere around #6 moving toward #7...and the Oligarchy would put us in dependence on government. Very scary thought. Where/what do you all see us moving toward?