McKenna-ism #2...

McKenna: Dad, will you read this book to me?
Kevin: Sure!
McKenna: Okay, you read the first page and I'll read the second.
Kevin: (Looking surprised).... Uh, okay. (I read the first page)
McKenna: (After looking at the page)... Dad, I need pictures to read books!

Inaugural McKenna-ism

Summer in TX...

was HOT! But we had a blast visiting my brother and his family. It's always a trip that goes too quickly for us, probably more than for them since we invade! But we enjoy catching up with Krista and Gary and all of our girls have alot of fun together.

Here are the 4 oldest girls...

and little Presley now in the mix...

The girls loved swimming, and spent alot of time in the hot tub.

We brought my nieces back with us to ICT, so we were packed in like sardines.

and this was the typical temp outside on the way home. Highest was 108, lowest 97.

Oy-vay!

It's hot out today!

Wow!

I just got done talking with this dog on Skype. I'm not kidding. He sounded alot like my dad, and complained alot like him too! :)

McKenna-ism...

We have alot of these, but this was this week's McKenna-ism...

Michelle: "How do we get to heaven?"
McKenna: "I know how to get to heaven. You gotta get hit by a car or something..."

VBS and Camp...

Ben, Avery, Presley, McKenna, and Lizzy all had fun this week at VBS and Day Camp.

This is a few of the people at the finale tonight. Burgers and concert at the NW YMCA. Swimming after. Good times.


Well, I tried to get Avery in a shot but she was packed in the middle of 150 other kids dancing and singing.


So the arrow is just to give you the general area of where McKenna actually is... she is in there. She had ALOT of fun. Dancing. Singing. Rockin' it out... and she did. Oh, she did.


And here's my little sweet pea, Presley, and her favorite person in the world. She just got her swimsuit on to go swimming tonight. She LOVES swimming.

A week of humanity...

This has been a tough week for friends of ours. It's been a tough week for Michelle. Friends of ours were pregnant at what they thought was the "safety zone" of about 18 weeks - almost halfway through the pregnancy. Then, Tuesday morning the amniotic fluid started leaking. Basically, a seemingly very healthy baby slowly died in a matter of two days because his natural life support disappeared.

These situations are very difficult. Nothing anyone can do about it. You want to trust God for a miracle, but it didn't happen. Our human bent is to think "why me??". At some level you compare this to situations where the mom didn't want to be pregnant, does everything to harm her baby, and still has an easy, safe birth with a healthy baby. Our human bent is to scream "THIS ISN'T FAIR!!!".

But God's justice is not our justice. God's character is bigger than we understand. And God's provision in ALL of life's circumstances - the good, the bad, and the downright gut-wrenching, horrendous circumstance - is not only sufficient, but we can find hope in Him.

If you haven't read the little book of Habakkuk in a while, I encourage you to today right here. It won't take you 10 minutes. And it could help change your perspective. There's this little word in chapter 3, verse 18 that is a turning point for the whole book. Yet. This one little word changes the prophet's outlook of his circumstances. From mourning and despair (after all, this book is a litany of trouble) into trust, joy, and hope.

God is a God of hope and joy; someone we can trust through the painful times of life just as we can in the joyful times. God likes to take impossible situations and change them to possibilities for His glory. After all... our redemption through Jesus moves us from death to life.

So, how does God use a situation where a mother loses her unborn baby? A baby with fingers and toes. A baby whose time wasn't now. How does healing come? Well, I don't know - Yet, God remains with us. God remains trustworthy. God's love never leaves us.

Yet... there is hope. Emmanuel... God is with us - even in the hard times.

Psalm 47:2

Avery and McKenna are at camp this week and Avery has a new Bible verse to learn everyday. Today's is Psalm 47:2... I like the expanded version:

^1-9 Applause, everyone. Bravo, bravissimo! Shout God-songs at the top of your lungs!
God Most High is stunning,
astride land and ocean.
He crushes hostile people,
puts nations at our feet.
He set us at the head of the line,
prize-winning Jacob, his favorite.
Loud cheers as God climbs the mountain,
a ram's horn blast at the summit.
Sing songs to God, sing out!
Sing to our King, sing praise!
He's Lord over earth,
so sing your best songs to God.
God is Lord of godless nations—
sovereign, he's King of the mountain.
Princes from all over are gathered,
people of Abraham's God.
The powers of earth are God's—
he soars over all.

So be it!

Boundaries for guys...

I quit reading alot of church leadership and pastor blogs several months ago because it's not the occupation God's put me in right now. I just don't have time to be involved in academic innovation and leadership and follow these things on the side. I still have a huge passion for church leadership but I don't really care to follow the movers and shakers out there right now.

So, I was quite shocked when I read this today. I'm sad and disappointed. This is an issue for all guys no matter what occupation you hold, but it's especially damaging to the Kingdom of God when it happens with pastors. Basically, when a pastor commits the sin of adultery everything he or she has ever said is negated in people's minds. Right? Whether it should be this way or not, this is what happens. The bad thing is that if that pastor was a Biblical preacher, then people are negating God's Word in their minds because they equate that with an adulterous pastor who preached those words.

Dave has his take on it here. I have alot of thoughts about this, more observations than thoughts really, and I'm not sure I can articulate them. My first observation is in attitude. There are alot of church planters out there right now with attitude. They're storming the gates of hell for Christ, and they'll tell anyone the same if they get in their way. That's an attractive leadership style to many non-Christians or nominal Christians. Problem is, I think, it can easily lead to what I'll call "Superman syndrome". When that leader with attitude has some measure of success he gets more and more confident that "how" he does things is the right way... so he does more of whatever that is. Slowly, he thinks to continue being successful everything depends on him. So he stays at the church or office more and more hours. He quits dating his wife. He misses his kids games, concerts, and trips. He doesn't tuck his kids in at night because there are committee meetings. All of a sudden, everything depends on his presence. He gets worn out, his wife is (rightfully) nagging him because he's never home, his kids are acting out... all of a sudden there are no boundaries and the other side of the fence looks very green. BOOM! It's all over and he doesn't know what happened.

Guys, create boundaries in your life. Even if others look at you weird! Even if you're not a pastor!

• Don't hold meetings behind closed doors with a female (unless it's your wife or mom).
  
• Don't ride alone in a car with a female (unless it's your wife or sister or mom).
  
• Don't go to lunch alone with another female (unless it's your wife or sister or mom or grandma).
  

Get the idea? People may make fun of you. It may be inefficient. It may seem awkward at first. But, you're creating boundaries and a culture that protects you and your wife.

This isn't a comprehensive list, so help me out. What other boundaries would you include? Computers boundaries?