About Me

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I’m from New York but my driver’s license lists that my address is Ohio. My passport has a number of stamps in it. I’m the youngest of six, yet oldest son. I have a number after my initials, but not my name. I like music. I like coffee, beer and bourbon. I am a follower of Jesus. I watch bonus features on DVD’s. For four months each year my wife and I are the same age. “I pledge allegiance to a country without borders, without politicians.” I am an ordained pastor, but don't currently have a church. I’ve eaten raw horse meat. I’m fifteen inches taller than my wife, but I look up to her. I still prefer buying CDs to downloading music. I’m a night owl, who doesn’t mind getting up early. I like to play games. I moved to another country nine days after my wedding. I sometimes quote random lyrics. I believe in miracles. I prefer desktops to laptops. I like listening to audio books. I watch Buffalo Bills and Sabres games. I have five sons. I'm living life mid sentence.

Saturday, May 16, 2009

May I Never...

...Forget that I am His, and He is mine.

...Neglect to be a "little Christ" to those around me.

...Stop loving my wife.

...Take each day for granted.

...Forget that God is sovereign.

...Pass up an opportunity to share the gospel message with someone.

...Stop praying for those around me.

...Live as if this life doesn't matter, even though this world is not my ultimate home.

Tuesday, May 05, 2009

Love Is Different Than You Think...

...it's never in a song, or on a TV screen.

As of today, I have been married for 633 days. And if you ask my wife, next week we will have been together (dating+engaged+married) for three years. If you had asked me before I met my wife what love was I wouldn't have really known. I had ideas, and on top of that I could have quoted chapter and verse of what love "is", but I wouldn't have really know through experience.

Then I met my wife. This isn't the part where I get all sappy, and say all the flowery rhetoric that we've all heard before. I'm not going to say much about it, actually. The love my wife has shown me didn't come from the butterfly-esque/feeling/emotions. She showed me what love is through her actions. She was kind, when she had every right to be angry. She forgave when she had every right to seek revenge. She chose to love me when I was unlovable. She made sacrifices to take care of her boys, and did so ahead of looking out for herself at times.

Today I have a better idea of what love is, because I have seen love in action. In the future, when I reflect on what love is, I am sure I will have even a better idea then I do now. I am glad that my wife and I are in this for the long run. Yes there are ups and downs, but as our lifelong fling continues, the number of opportunities to demonstrate love will grow as well. Each day we have together is a new opportunity to put love into action.

Monday, May 04, 2009

Time to Move On?

Am I being too sentimental? Is it time for me to move on, and make the call?

One may wonder what has brought about this bout of sentimentality, and what this call is that I am referring too. The call that I've contemplated making, but have yet to do, is to my cell phone carrier, and the call is in reference to changing my cell phone number. Twenty-two months ago I moved away from what had been my hometown for six years, and at that time I imagined that I'd move back there in a couple years. However, as the months and years pass I now realize that the chances of me moving back to my former stomping grounds is becoming less and less likely. Yet I still can't bring myself to make the call to switch the number.

Over the past seven plus years that I've had this cell phone number I have been a college student (and a college graduate), worked five or six different jobs, lived in eight apartments, and two countries, been through two relationships that ended, met and married the girl of my dreams, became a father, owned three different cars, attended a handful of different churches, as well as countless other changes. One of the few things that remained unchanged throughout this time period was my telephone number.

I've gone through a list of pros and cons of changing my number, and so far they haven't helped me determine what I should do. One side says that I should have a number that is a local call for those I live near, but the other side of me says that most of the people who call me do so from cell phones and so the whole long distance issue isn't really an issue. Another thought I have is how would I go about contacting everyone who may have my current number to update them with a new number? That thought alone is enough to bring on a headache.

So do I hold on to something that has been a consistent in my life, or do I move on? I guess I have a decision to make.

Sunday, May 03, 2009

Dear Son

Recently I started writing a journal of sorts to my son. It's something that came to mind a while back, and so I started writing down my memories dating back to the day that I found out he existed. Someday I hope to share this journal with him.

Friday, May 01, 2009

The Scenic Route

Throughout life I, like most men, have had tendencies towards being a checklist person. I come up with a list of the things I want to, or have to do and once I've accomplished them I cross them off.

When I was younger I said I wanted to go to college. Check. I wanted to work in radio. Check. I wanted to get married. Check. And I think you are starting to get the point. However, after spending some time thinking about it, I think the checklist mentality can be responsible for a lot of relational problems that people face. While only a fool would say on his wedding day that's he's accomplished another thing to check of his to do list, many walk away from the alter with a similar mentality.

A few days ago something came to mind. Relationships can be described in word pictures of a person driving a car. If a person is intent on only getting to their final destination, then they are likely to break the rules, and risk injury to both themselves and others to get to their destination. However, if one compares a relationship to taking a scenic route, they will see that sometimes the drive is what makes the relationship, not simply the destination.

If all I am looking for is to end my life married to the same person, then I can possibly do that. But as I've seen first hand, if the only thing keeping two people together is their opposition to divorce, they are in for one long and bumpy road. While a married couple taking the scenic route is also likely to encounter long sections of road, and rocky roads, the distance and bumps aren't likely to have as much damage because they are side-by-side with someone are growing with.

While someone looking to simply cross the finish line may deal with frustration when their partner repeats a story they have heard before, the person on the scenic route may relax, kick up their feet and enjoy the story once again.

When it comes to relationships in life, I'd rather take the scenic route then use the route only to serve my own desires. Along the way I may find that there are things I didn't know I would enjoy, and likely wouldn't have found out if I hadn't taken the time to smell the roses. At the end of the journey, what would you say is more important: total number of miles crossed, or the number of photo albums filled with the snapshots of wonderful times experienced on the scenic route?