the latest:
hey everybody. i just put up some MORE pictures of carson! you can see them by clicking on the "photos" link up top. he's a cool little guy!i’m not the kind of guy who snaps very many pictures. i don’t have the attention span or patience to just sit and take ‘em. but, since carson has been born, i can’t put the camera down. it’s almost like i follow this guy around, nikon in my hand, fiddling with the settings waiting for the next great shot. i am a photo addict when it comes to my now-growing family.
and thanks to social media technology, i have a virtual gallery…so i apologize, in advance, for the ridiculous amounts of pictures you are likely to see on this blog. hopefully you won’t get too tired of seeing this cool guy’s face.
now if i could just put the camera down and actually type some blogs, that would be good too. i’ll try.
9lb 6oz
22in long
probably the most easy going baby i’ve ever seen!
-more pictures under photo tab at the top of the page
david crowder never ceases to amaze me. he’s like a musical einstein. seriously. maybe the power is in the beard…
last weekend i hung out with my brother tyler quite a bit. one day while running some errands we decided to eat lunch at freebirds. only this freebirds was a little different from what i am used to. keep in mind that i have spent over 2 years in austin so i am famiar and quite at home amongst grunginess, tattoos, long hair, skater jeans, v-neck shirts, street-side beggars, very indie musicians, you know…austin.
so when we walk in the doors of this houston freebirds, imagine my curiosity when i see a multitude of clean cut, preppy guys and tattoo-free girls. it was a little surreal. i felt like i was in abercrombie not freebirds. they even came to our table and refilled our drinks. ”did that just happen?”
maybe austin has roughened me up a little.
the look: "le tigre"
first off, if you haven’t seen the movie zoolander you are missing out. you have my permission to drop everything right now and speed to your nearest redbox to rent a copy of it. ok, it may not be at the redbox anymore but just find a copy and watch it expecting great things and you will be glad you did.
the movie plot is simple. a fashionable, cool, somewhat naive model (derek zoolander – played by ben stiller) rules the media world until, all of a sudden, someone new and better comes along. he falls to the wayside because he has lost his freshness and and becomes second to “hansel.” “he’s so hot right now. hansel.” the movie is about derek reclaiming himself, making friends with his enemies, rediscovering his passion, and oh yeah…preventing an assassination at a fashion show despite being hypnotized. now, THAT sounds like quality entertainment right?
the thing about derek zoolander that people begin to notice is that he only has 1 pose, 1 look. that’s it. regardless of what he’s advertising, he has 1 facial expression. and it works for a while. but, in time, grows old. and he’s completely oblivious to it.
this is begging for a spiritual application so…deep breath…here goes:
how much of a gut check is this for us who have grown complacent in our faith? those of us who have our “1 look” down? we can strike our pose at the drop of a hat and most people will totally buy it. we can flash our cheesy grin or loudly speak our christianeese and we, naively, convince ourself that we are on top of the world.
usually, something bad has to happen to make us realize that we, indeed, are not on top of the world and the only person we were fooling is ourself. upon this realization you hit rock bottom, and believe me when i say that it hurts. make sure that you are not so stuck on looking like a christian that you completely miss being a lover of God. that doesn’t mean that you will always be happy. it surely doesn’t mean you will always be popular or have everything you want. but it does mean that when people look at you, they won’t just see 1 cheesy face. instead they will look at you and, hopefully see some resemblance to Christ.
oh, and for your information: derek zoolander did make a huge difference in the world. he founded “the derek zoollander center for kids who can’t read good and want to learn to do other stuff good too.”
i have SO MUCH i want to blog about. i keep an ongoing list on my iphone of blog topics and ideas. i will work on getting some of them up within the next couple of days. i may just write a bunch tonight and set them to post daily. who knows? just rest assured that i have lots to say on here.
so many times i think, “how can i call myself faithful and still be scared of the uncertain?” i mean, if i’m faithful doesn’t that mean that i’m totally at ease with knowing that God’s controlling it all? you read the bible and see instruction to “fear not” and remember that God never leaves us but that, somehow, doesn’t seem to stop me from being a little apprehensive or nervous about the unknown.
i think God may get a little kick out of our jittery faith. maybe you can relate. it looks like this, “hey God, i know you are in control but i was kinda wondering how you are going to be working through all this stuff.” you may be there. i know i find myself shivering from time to time. i don’t think this is a lack of faith. instead it may be the ultimate display of faith. not knowing what may happen but knowing where you find your reliance.
so, take a deep breath, calm yourself, and KNOW that it’s really all good.
happy new year! i hope new years eve wasn’t too hard on you. we had a great time watching some incredible fireworks in west houston and then made it home in time to be in bed by one. it was good.
i don’t know about you, but i have never been happier to see a year gone than 2008. it was a busy, busy year. it provided a few highs and quite a few lows. maybe 2008 was the year of reality. it was the year of teaching. it was the year of “get over yourself.” it was exactly what i needed.
but 2009 is here now. i am not going to make a long list of resolutions. i’m not going to guarantee myself financial success, caffeine abstinence, 25 lost pounds, or anything of the like. instead, i am going to pledge, to myself and others, that 2009 will be a year of radical living. i want to act with sincerity, move with purpose, love with humility, smile with joy, and prosper with faith. hows that for a resolution? i don’t know if that means i will get in better physical condition or blog everyday, but hopefully i will bear fruit (and put it to use) from being diligent in my longing for authenticity.
a few goals for 2009:
-truly be a faithful follower of Christ
-be the best husband possible
-reunite with and make new friends
-spend time with family
-seek God’s direction in my career
-refrain from selfishness
-read more books
-purchase a new home?
-go back to school
-don’t mistakingly put 2008 on any document that requires dating 
-there are more, but these are starting to sound like resolutions.
good sunday morning. the time in houston is now 8:09. i just got out of the shower and dressed myself. (impressive huh?) i’m checking e-mail, having an amazing cup of coffee and am ready for church. today, we are visiting ecclesia houston. this is a church that i have heard so much about. i know people from there and i have heard of things that have originated there but have never been “there.”
becca and i are about to go full speed towards finding a church home here in the houston area. it’s a huge decision and one that i am looking forward to figuring out. there is so much to consider but here are a few of the things we are looking for in a church: (keep in mind, this is only a few)
-genuine people loving God in whatever means they can regardless of age, race, background, lifestyle
-relevant application of the always relevant word of God; sound in doctrine and humble in delivery
-no cheesiness (sad that i even have to say that)
-worship leading and atmosphere that actually provokes you to worship and not just “turn to hymn 419 and stand on the 3rd stanza as the choir exits”
-a church that weeps for and changes their community (see www.austinstone.org for a phenomenal example)
-a place where we can learn & lead
-a community that teaches the necessity for biblical wisdom not just biblical know-how (props to the pharisees for teaching me about that!)
-there’s more but we are truly just seeking God’s direction throughout this decision. who knows?
this is a busy week for us. i will be going back to austin this evening to work for a couple of days and finish moving out of our apartment. that is a chore. moving your life is hard. packing all of your stuff into boxes and not knowing if you will be using it at your next place is difficult. i do think that it has taught us to let go of some stuff, showing us that we don’t need to be too clingy to our stuff. while i do that, becca will be at home preparing to take her nursing state boards and meeting with people about her new job. i am so proud of her! she has accomplished so much and it’s great to see her hard work pay off. so, needless to say, she is quite busy this week too.
we expect to wait in line for things, and usually food is no exception. i don’t know about you but i have NEVER had to wait in a line for arby’s. maybe i should have caught that subtle hint but i just counted it as God’s provision that my hunger would be satisfied immediately anytime i pulled in to the driveway.
imagine my dismay, my shock, my confusion when i find myself in a line last night. and this was not your run-of-the-mill line. no sir! i actually ended up waiting for over 20 minutes to get my arby’s melt and curly fries. truly disturbing.
yet, oh so satisfying.
i’m thinking arbys…
