The "T5" Guy

2010-09-13T14:21:00.001-04:00

This is a test....

2010-09-13T14:15:00.001-04:00

What a season...

2009-11-02T11:22:00.004-05:00

Well to say the least, this Fall has been crazy! I have so much to write about, but so little time to do it. But here is a snippet...

It has been soccer season for the last few months! I love soccer! My kids have been on the same team for a few seasons now. Caroline's team a few season ago were taking their lumps. They were lucky to sneak in a win. You find that with time, kids grow and improve. This season, they went 10-0 and won the tournament. Caroline had a great season. She scored a few goals and played some great defense! She was so much fun to watch this year. Very proud.

Maddie's Select team has been together for 3 seasons now. They are a solid team. Maddie has been planted in the Goal Keeper position this season.. she hates it. She takes every goal she allows so personally. So she basically came to the conclusion..if I have to play this position, i might as well play it well. Maddie has become a really good keeper this season. She has really stepped up her play. Her defense in front of her is great, which is always a big help. She allowed 4 goals for the entire tournament, which was the least amount for any keeper in the division. I only know this because our division made for a fantastic tournament. U12 Girls Red! Highly competitive! Very evenly matched teams. The fact that we had 3 ties this weekend in 4 games, sort of describes the parity. The girls tied the Tournament Champions in the final match 1-1. We finished 2nd in the league and in the tournament! We lost the first game of the season 6-0 and never lost again. 10-1-3 to finish up. Great season for the Capitals! Maddie has an opportunity to be a stifling keeper is she continues to learn the position, work hard and love to play keeper with a deep passion for the game of Soccer! I love soccer, but I really love my girls!

life is so busy...

2009-08-10T16:19:00.002-04:00

Ok, I have fallen off the blog bandwagon this year. I can make a ton of excuses about why I am not updating but I have only one that I will share here... I am tired.

I will say that I love to blog. I like putting my thoughts down, so I can go back later and reflect on where I was at that moment in my life. I have just ran out of time to blog. I don't work in a job where I have time to take breaks and dispel the thoughts in my head, most of the time my head is spinning.

I have had a few things happen recently that are worthy of some blog posts. I am reluctant to wait any longer before the thoughts leave my head, so here is a summary and maybe I will get time to go into greater detail.

Cool things this summer:

We took a trip to Nashville. We enjoyed a leisure walk to the Parthenon. It almost ended with divorce and 2 kids hoping for Dad to get a taken out by a drive by shooting... thank you Nashville Transit Authority for the ride back to the hotel. All in all, a nice little getaway.

The band had an opportunity to open up for Big Daddy Weave. This was big for us. We had a great time, and i feel we did our best to represent for our friends, families and our community. The Paramount Theater was amazing! The crowd of people who came out to support us was very exciting and a bit humbling to say the least. The Jason Lovins Band were fantastic and really went out of their way to accommodate the band. We felt very welcome on the stage of the Paramount...2 songs later and a Standing O...i am sure can thank "the mfer's" for that one! (Note to self: from this day forward NEVER refer to the fans and friends of "the mfe" as "mfer's" :) )

A few weeks ago, Jen took a trip to NYC! A girls weekend away from the family. I got to spend a ton of time with my kids. Just the three of us...sort of. In the life of Marty, you often have "other" family members that tend to frequent our presence when Jen is away. Maddie, Caroline and I had a great weekend... with Luke, Trent, Jordan, Carter, Val, and Jon Mark. What can I say, I tend to travel with an entourage. We spent the better half of Saturday cleaning out the new Band Van...code name Vanzilla! We played at Firefest which spent most of the day trying to recover from all of the rain. We nicknamed it Smolderfest, due to all of the rain. We finally played around 6:30 before Day of Fire took the stage. We grabbed dinner with the gang and then crashed at my house to organize the van. Kids only 2 hours late for bedtime...CHECK.

Sunday was a day to ourselves. Swimming all afternoon. Good times. The storms came again. So we camped out on the screened porch and watch the rain. it was dark. No lights on so we could watch the lighting. I started telling stories about doing the same thing with my Grandparents as a kid. I watched many a storm from my Grandparents porch. For the next hour or so, I told Maddie and Caroline story after story about their Great Grandparents. They sat and listened so closely. It was dark, we could not see each others faces. I think I cried through most of the stories. The girls cried too. They wanted to know all about them. Every detail. This moment was so precious to me. I will never forget what Maddie said, "Dad, I didn't even know them, but I love them so much. I can't wait to see them in heaven." Caroline chimed in, "I love them too. I miss Grandma Perky." It took me a minute or two to recover from those words. I too, miss Papaw Lewis, Grandma Rosemary, Pap and Grandma Perky. I have faith that one day, Maddie, we will get to see them in heaven, too.

brought the light...

2009-07-08T10:27:00.003-04:00

It is a dark and lonely road, I travel out here all alone.
Facing fears and battles deep within my soul in need of great relief.
But You came into my world, still you came into our world.

The narrow path seems impossible, to many demons the truth fore told.
Blinded my my every sin, my anger rages deep within my soul.
But You came into my world, still you came into our world.

But in the distance a light shines, overtaking the darkness in my mind
To know that Jesus you are near conquering all my tears, all my fears.

You brought the light, shine it bright in me.
Raged a fight, for my soul to set me free.
Bore the pain, the nails and the night.
You stepped into my world and brought the light.

- Marty Ford

I find myself in this place as much as the next person. It comes from the heart and a moment of worship that I had with my God that may have been the most intimate moment ever. He reminded me how powerful His light is and that light can not be overtaken by darkness. We hide in the dark place, but still the light shines. Shining hope, mercy, love and grace. We often forget that those things... hope, mercy, love and grace are still available to us. I have friends going through some real crap in their lives, and because they are... so am I. It is part of being in community and we share in this thing called life. I am blessed. Jesus brought the light, may we reflect it.

Caroline turns 7 years old today.

2009-03-04T09:22:00.002-05:00

I can't believe that my baby is now 7 years old! It is amazing how fast she is growing up. Caroline is such a cool kid. Her smile is infectious and has this terrific giggle. I am so proud that she has her own mind, and defends herself with her sister. I love the fact that she still runs to me when I get home from work and she gives me great hugs. I know that she is growing older so fast, but I am in no hurry for you to grow up. I hope you have a wonderful day, Caroline! Happy Birthday!

Love,

Dad

today I have an 11 year old..

2008-12-18T17:05:00.002-05:00

My daughter Maddie turns 11 years old tonight just after 6:00PM. I can remember the day she was born very vividly. I remember how excited I was about the fact that we were going to have a child. I remember how nervous Jen was that morning about the whole process of birthing a baby. To top it all off.. we had no idea what Maddie was going to be... a boy or a girl. We had refused to find out, we enjoyed the surprise. She had so much hair! She was so cute. I was afraid I would break her.

She is starting to grow up now. We have had 11 great years of growing, laughing, playing and just amazed by what she has been able to accomplish. The next 11 years will be full of many things that I can't even begin to predict, except for one thing. I will always love you.

Happy Birthday Maddie!

I am so very proud of you.

Love Dad

one crazy weekend...

2008-12-16T11:30:00.003-05:00

Well, we just had one crazy weekend. It started on Thursday night when the guys and I met for a meeting to work out the details of the band. We discussed our future, where we were going, what is our purpose and what do we need as a band to continue to do this thing...whatever this THING is. We grabbed some dinner, sat down for a lengthy discussion, prayer and then maybe the best practice session ever.

We worked up some new songs and then crashed at 2AM. On Friday, the girls went to my parents. Jen and Anna went shopping. Luke, Trent, Jordan, Carter and I sat down for the first ever song writing session. It was a grueling process. I felt many emotions through out the evening and into the morning. We ended up just crashing at 4AM. The result... our first decent worship song. I am sure this is not the finished product, but its got some legs.

Jen awakened to Luke, Trent and Jordan asleep on the couches and the house looked like a bomb blew up in Guitar Center. Guitar and drum gear everywhere. We rolled out of bed and then prepared our selves for the travel to Bainbridge for the Worship the King event. We were the headliner...ok that is a stretch but we were scheduled to play at 9PM. We left my house with gear loaded around 1PM...a mere 8 hours before our schedule appearance to lead the people of Bainbridge United Methodist Church to the throne of God in worship! Here is where it gets interesting... Luke pulled out of my drive way and on to the route suggested by the GPS to take to Bainbridge, OH and it happened...
our bands first breakdown. Luke car had a flat tire.. on a large hill... with a car crammed full of guitars, amps, pedalboards, cables, etc. As I jumped out of the Jeep to help, I dropped my iPhone onto the cold hard pavement. This seemed insignificant at the time, but as the situation progressed... having a phone is pretty important now a days in situations like this.

After we transfered the gear to another vehicle, I changed the tire, while Trent and Jordan directed traffic(we were not only on a steep hill, we were on a blind curve in the road) and we were back on the road..with plenty of time to spare! Until 500 feet later... FLAT TIRE number 2 this particular road trip. Jordan and I ran the first tire back to the house to inflate, then another tire change and we were now back on the road again.

We finally arrived at our destination about 1 hour and 45 minutes later. This sort of put a crunch on setup time and practice time. We had decided to run through our new song...you know..give it a good "road test". We were ready at 4:15 and then it was time to wait... and wait....and wait and wait some more. The thing is..I am sure we are like any other band. When you get ready to play..YOU WANT TO PLAY! So patience was a virtue we had to really work on for the rest of the evening. As each band played, we became more and more antsy. The line up was great! Megan's band from Shawnee played, the girl singing with her rocked "Trading my sorrows". It holds a special place in my heart, was the first worship song I ever learned to play :) Megan and Rusty sang a few of their favorites for us. Rusty had the coolest hat ever! lol! Matt Blouser played his 12 string and shared his obvious passion for Country Music and the Gospel..that boy has got some twang in his voice! I think there is a huge need for more talented people in that genre... (Christian) country music. I think there is a difference between that and pure gospel/southern gospel music. It is all gospel music.

Paul and Mike were great guys who played 2 sets.. they bookended the fellowship and food break with Christmas music and some few original works. Great spirit and worship. It is obvious that they love to play music and sing. They sang a song that our friend Caitlin wrote the lyrics for when they were in Delaware, OH. Awesome!

Our good friend Jesse Houser put together a band with his mom, Shirley, his brother, Jordan, his friend Derek and his college roommate. I will forever refer to them as the Jesse Houser Extravaganza! Who knows maybe it will stick? I have known Jesse for a while now and had the pleasure of watching him grow into his own as a worship leader. He use to play bass, drums, guitar or whatever else we needed him to play in the worship team at Salem Community Church. I was impressed by how much stronger he is vocally. They did a great job and really got everyone to a place of worship. It was a great set. Everyone was singing.

Now I want to interject here a little story. A few years ago, we were asked to play at a small music festival in a parking lot of a church. This was back in the old school MFE days. We were to play very early in the line up. The headlining band had brought their own sound gear. We were told that all of the bands on the main stage would be playing through their gear. When we got their..the headlining band had not been told this bit of news. Needless to say, they were not happy and it was not that much fun. They gave us a bunch of attitude. I tried to be very thankful and appreciative of their efforts. They were honestly just frustrated. They setup, they had to run sound for us, they had to play, then they had to tear down. Honestly, I could understand if they were not prepared for the situation. I did promise my band that if we were ever in that same position, that we would remember that moment, and be gracious. At BUMC, we setup, ran sound, we played and tore down. We were happy to serve the other bands. It honestly makes for a better experience for the audience. Faster change overs = less waiting and more music. Everyone is happy! I was blessed in hearing them play their music. We know what it is like to be the opener, with no one to listen to you play and we know (on a very small scale) what it is like to be the headliner. We as a band know we will find ourselves at any of those positions in between moving down the road. We pray that a band that we share an evening with walks away going...I love those guys, they are doing this for all the right reasons.

At this point, the crowd of people had been there for 4 hours! Most crowds would have been tired and ready to go home. NO, not at BUMC! They were ready to go to the throne! Really they needed a bathroom break but Scott spoke about how Christmas was all about consumerism and that we needed to get to the central idea of Christmas...Jesus. Which worked perfectly for our intro. Speaking of intros... i think everyone in the MFE..we love intro's! I think about ways of opening worship that really gets people prepared to sing, to let go, to worship. I have so many ideas in my head, and very few of them involve pyrotechnics, stunts or giant animitronic demons (although that thought of Luke battling a giant fire breathing demon with his Tele would be pretty cool). I enjoy watching other bands start their worship services and just learn what makes a good start and what doesn't. I will be the first to admit that Sunday morning worship is a little different than what we do on a Saturday night, i think people are more prepared for a concert like worship service in those Saturday night environments(that is a whole other blog post). We decided to kill the lights and show the Advent Conspiracy video..powerful..thought provoking and tied in great with what Scott had to say. So...video ...lights come up..into the first song! I know..maybe a little bit of a rock star moment. We were so keyed up form all of the events of the day, awaiting our turn patiently, writing a new song in which we were going to test out on the BUMC'ers and honestly, worship was just what our band desperately needed.

I felt like each song set up the next song. The evening kept growing, getting bigger, displacing more energy. God had prepared us for moments like this. The moment where you go from hoping you can bring people to God to BRINGING people to God through worship. A whole new level. Now nothing about this set was perfect. We still played the songs and made mistakes, but I am not sure we have ever brought energy to worship like that before. I was proud and humbled at the same time. It was surreal and a rush at the same time. I am a different person because of worship on Saturday night. We might be a different band because of worship at Worship the King!

Song #5 in the set list was labeled "New Song?". We were now at that point in the worship. Do we play it? Do we cut it? Will people like it? Will it be worshipful? Will God be pleased? About 50 other questions flew through my mind in the split second before I looked at Trent, Jordan, Luke and Carter for affirmation that we were going to test out the new tune. And so we went for it.

Take off your shoes is a song that came from a few conversations, a ton of study, and a special piece of agape for my friend Eli (he is the next lay director on Chrysalis and the weekend theme is Exodus 3). He asked me to be the music director for the weekend. I thought how cool would it be that the theme song for the weekend was actually an original song! I wanted to surprise him, but I honestly was too excited about what little bit of the song I had already written to keep it from him. The song is about a burning bush experience. Moses, you or me, it doesn't really matter. It is a song about doubt, doubting myself and God's plan. It is a song of understanding my past mistakes, our pain as a people of God. It is a song of obedience, God's call in your life. We try to justify, even attempt to tell God he has the wrong person. A song about no matter where you are in life, you still are invited to Holy Ground. God still wants to commune with you there. He is a God of confidence and strength. He is a God of love and He is big! He is I am!

I think God's call to Moses in the bush was more about the fact that Moses actually saw the bush then it was that it was about the bush burning. My friend Steve confirmed my thought the other night. We probably walk past burning bushes everyday and never seem them. The most important thing is that when God calls out, we answer with "here i am!" That is so hard to do.

The song went off with out a problem, except for Luke's mic being muted. We had only played it once in practice. We found great worship moments in the song. It actually messed the whole band up. We were really sloppy on the next song because we were still reeling from how well everyone worshiped to "Shoes".

In our minds the night was a success for everyone involved. The church collected lots coats and shoes. We worshiped, a lot! We shared in communion. We were attacked all day , but we could not be touched that night. God was present!

One last thing, we have a video clip from Saturday night, I hope you are blessed by it. Thank you for all of you who support what we do. We love you.

Worship the King video...

here is what is cool about this...

2008-12-04T08:30:00.002-05:00

Last night Maddie turned on the TV just in time to watch the Grammy Nomination Show, we caught the end. Taylor Swift was singing a medley of songs then it happened...

John Mayer and BB King appeared on the screen and for me (a total guitar freak) time stopped for a minute. A little dramatic? Maybe, but here is what is cool about this moment. John Mayer is to the point of being giddy while playing with BB King. Even though I think John is a better guitar player at this point, he is not a guitar icon..yet. John Mayer, known for his pop sounds and crazy facial expressions, has been redefining himself as a guitar player over the last 3 or 4 years. You can here it in his music. You can see it in his projects, he seems to be on a journey to share the stage with some of guitar legends and musicians that obviously influenced his music.

You know you have made it when someone can walk into a record shop(do those still exist?) and can hear a riff from the music playing and know who is playing. BB King's style and sound has that recognizability (i think i just made up that word). John Mayer is quickly gaining that notoriety for his guitar skills even though he has a song writing style of his own already. Enjoy the next few minutes of guitar bliss while I stay up way to late working on my own guitar skills that are being heavily influenced at this very moment by John, BB and Lucille.

those MFE guys are at it again...

2008-12-01T16:29:00.001-05:00

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

a break down of NYWC thorugh my eyes and ears...

2008-11-29T20:20:00.002-05:00

I had a great week last week. I few days in Nashville for the National Youth Workers Convention. My previous post highlighted a few of the first couple of days. Saturday was sort of a blur... I fell asleep by taking 4 Nyquil drops I purchased from the hotel store. I was fighting a cold, I had no voice, and I needed to be ready to sing for Big Wednesday (that is a whole other post). I woke up at 10:30AM! I rarely get to sleep like that, but the Nyquil knocked me out. The Buckeyes kicked off at 11AM so I skipped the General Session and stayed in to watch the blowout. It was great to have a win like that against the Wolverines. I headed over to the Convention Center about the 3rd Qtr when the game was well out of hand. I sat in on the Tech Session which was cool to see how they work their magic during the convention. It was a ProPresenter lovefest which was very frustrating. At this point Jordan and Carter were the only 2 people I had ran into from our RVCC contingent. I spent the entire day alone. It has been along time since i have had that sort of isolation. It was good for the soul.

I grabbed a bite to eat around 4PM, by myself. I went to another session then made my way to the general session. Lincoln Brewster led worship and he reminded me just how bad of guitar player I am. Francis Collins spoke on being a Christian who believes in Evolution. It was an interesting talk, but he was pissing people off left and right. I sort of enjoyed that :)

After the General Session, I headed over to the hotel to drop some of my things. I hung out with Alan for a few minutes then headed over to grab a bite to eat with Jenn and Eli. We had a great chance to catch up. After dinner, (12:45AM) I stood in line to see a friend of mine from our home town who moved to Nashville to take a chance on his music career. Lewis was playing at the Stage on Broadway. The rest of the Waverly contingent was already there...they went over around 10:30PM. I told the door man that I was Lewis's cousin and he let me in ahead of about 75 people in line. The place was packed and Lewis was rocking the place. I stood about 5 feet from the stage and watched. around 1:30AM a guy grabbed me by the shoulder and asked that I help him get to the stage. It was John Rich of duo Big and Rich. He had a friend with him (Dierks Bentley) and they got up on stage with Lewis and sang a few songs. It was alot of fun, but I was out way too late. I got to bed by 3AM and i woke up with no alarm at 7AM and was over to the convention by 8AM for a seminar and the General Session with Shane and Shane. It was great stuff. I took my Baby Taylor to have the guys sign it and they remembered my from a few weeks ago when we met them at Mt Vernon.

Sunday was a crazy day and we drove home after the last General Session that night. I am glad we stayed for to hear Danielle Strickland. Her talk was fantastic. I crashed int eh back of the van and made it home by 6AM.

There were lots of great moments at NYWC, but after I break it all down my favorite moments were:

6. Crowder autograph

5. Danielle Strickland talk

4. Shane and Shane encounter

3. Lewis Copeland in his element.

2. Francis Chan talk

1. Robbie Seay Band Worship on Thursday night. They really impressed me. A great band. Very tight. It was my favorite worship of the weekend. They played 2 new songs that I have to find the charts for. I have scoured the internet, but can't seem to track them down. Carter and I went up and met Robbie, he was a great guy. He was very down to earth. It is encouraging when you get a chance to meet people and they don't disappoint you.

It was a fun weekend.

at the National Youth Workers Convention...

2008-11-22T02:00:00.002-05:00

I have been at the the National Youth Workers for the last day and a half. My family should be here, but they bailed. I am totally messed up from Francis Chan this morning. He thoroughly brought the goods with his talk. "You are standing in my pile of crap and you are ruining it!" "You are unflavored salt!" This resounds in my soul... i guess you had to be there...

Crowder Band rocked the house as usual. I hung around afterward to get Dave's autograph on the Baby Taylor guitar. The signatures that make it on the Baby Taylor are people who have changed my life with their music. Third Day was the only people for the last 4 years...until today. Crowder got a kick out of Maddie's Halloween costume (she dressed up as Crowder).

Tonights General Session was interesting. Three speakers. Tony Campolo warned of the Fall of Babylon(USA), Andrew Marin talked about how we are to love gays and lesbians, not convict and judge them. Shane Claiborne reminded me how much more like Jesus he is than I. lol

The Crowder Band had a complete meltdown at the beginning of "Neverending" and was quite entertaining.

It was a day that both challenged and encouraged. By the late night session, I was in the mood to laugh so we went to watch JarodHall.com for some illusions. Great stuff.

I am going to go hang out at Gruhn Guitars in the morning then off to the General Session and catch the Buckeyes game. Go Bucks!

See you on the flip side.

Marty

Picture in need of a caption...

2008-10-28T11:16:00.001-04:00

WOW... need a caption for that one... thanks Alan for the photo.

loving God...

2008-10-09T19:03:00.001-04:00

My friend John said to me today, "People really struggle with a loving God." WOW. Profound. I never really thought about it that way. People actually struggling with the thought that our God loves everyone. I guess I have always taken that for granted. I have always believed that God loved me. It is what I was taught growing up. Jesus loves me this I know.... Why do we struggle with accepting the fact that He loves EVERYONE! EVERYONE? Yes, everyone!

We say that God is love, but struggle to believe it. How can God love a Muslim, a Buddhist, a Nazi, a homosexual, an adulterer, a sinner, or me? It is easier for us to look past our own sin and point at others and say they are unworthy of love. I see that as hate. I will admit that my opinion on this matter 10 years ago would have been drastically different. If I even had an opinion about the subject back in those days.

We are talking about God's love here, not about eternity or heaven. Two entirely different discussion points. We want so much for God to love who we want Him to love and condemn those who practice things we do not understand, disagree with, or outright disgust us. It is easier that way. I think people struggle with God loving everyone, because we, honestly, are a competitive world. We compete for friends, jobs, sport, material things, and even God's love. We have all done it... attempted to elevate ourselves over others to make us look more important, increase our social status, appear smarter to co-workers and even more loved by friends, family and God. A life of competition like this puts us in a life pattern of some form of hatred. Call it extreme if you will, but I think the root problem is hate.

I do believe this form of hate is not blatant, but exists in the sub-conscience. Years of programming has forced society to this place. I am watching a generation that is over coming this in powerful ways and that excites me. I know that I have grown a tremendous amount since my collision with Jesus. My thoughts and ideas of how our God loves is still being molded by books, friends, teachers, pastors, youth and adults alike. But no witness is more shaping than how God loves a Muslim, a Buddhist, a Nazi, a homosexual, an adulterer or a sinner through ME. We are all the same, loved by God...only the decision is the differentiator.

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I forgot to post this....

2008-10-08T14:55:00.001-04:00

Some might say the next Billy Graham... or at least it is Mr. Graham's pulpit. Happy belated Birthday Mr. Graham.

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this hit me pretty hard....

2008-09-25T16:54:00.002-04:00

I am following a worship leader from ATL via LA named Carlos. I really dig this guy. I have been thinking that he and I are similar guys, would probably be good friends if we worked together or went to the same church. He went and posted this on his blog. This hit me pretty hard. He was describing me. I am embarrassed to admit it. I know most of us can look at that list and say...yeah that is me, but man.. Los hit the nail on the head. It messed me up to the point that i struggled to sleep last night.

You are not alone my friend. Similar to the core, to the point that i think way to much about my appearance, hiding my visual flaws and my style as a worship leader. Just saying that turned my stomach. Just know you are not alone in this trap and you don't know me, but I am praying for you Los. Even though we have faults and failures, God still uses those of us who are obedient to His call.

Transparent.

David Crowder Band responds....

2008-09-23T14:09:00.003-04:00

Luke and I talked about doing this for the 5th QTR on Friday night.... but looks like Crowder Band beat us to the punch... thanks YS_Scoop.

again with the name thing....

2008-09-19T11:54:00.002-04:00

Thank you to YSMarko yet again with the name thing...

My pirate name is:

Captain Harry Cash

Even though there's no legal rank on a pirate ship, everyone recognizes you're the one in charge. You're musical, and you've got a certain style if not flair. You'll do just fine. Arr!

Get your own pirate name from piratequiz.com.
part of the fidius.org network

just call me Stick...

2008-09-17T10:22:00.001-04:00

Thanks to YSMarko for pointing this out. The Sarah Palin Baby name generator

So if Sarah Palin was my mom...

Martin Lewis, if you were born to Sarah Palin, your name would be:

Stick Freedom Palin

My friend Eli is related to me... his name is Plank Castle Palin...

Good to know she uses Long John Silvers names for Chicken Dinners...Chicken Planks and Chicken Sticks...

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a field trip....

2008-09-16T08:24:00.001-04:00

On Friday, we embarked on a little field trip. Our goal was to drive to Chicago, visit our friends Mason and Valerie at Wheaton College. Steve Good, Val Francis, Eli Ruggles, Carter Good and myself climbed into the Good mobile and set off for our destination. We enjoyed great conversation along the way. We had to stop for lunch at Panera Bread in Dayton. We stopped to replace the windshield wiper blade that was subsequently ripped off of the van just north of Indianapolis (thank you NAPA). We stopped 10 miles later for Starbucks coffee. We missed a toll booth (we all smiled at the camera, the bill soon to be mailed to the home of Steven M. Good). We finally arrived at Wheaton. We toured the dorm and met Andrew, Mason's roommate and few other guys from Fischer 5 West. We grabbed dinner with Mason and Valerie. It was great to catch up and here how excited they both were about life at Wheaton. Mason continued to explain all of the history of Wheaton and special events like the Kingdom Run. Sounds like they are having a great time.

After dinner we went back to the Chapel where we took in a Phil Keaggy Concert. This guy is unbelievable. I have seen Phil a few times and he continues to amaze me with his creativity and humbleness. He played 15 minutes shy of 3 hours. I don't think this is typical. It is obvious that he LOVES playing the guitar, but more important, he took a moment to share the gospel. That was very cool. After the show, we went back to the Stoop for some ice cream and more touring. We finally crashed about 1:30AM.

We grabbed a quick breakfast at the hotel where we ran into Larry Thomas. He played the Soup Nazi in a Sienfeld episode. He was wearing a t-shirt that said, "Master of my domain". Steve and I recognized him and a quick trip to the W confirmed our suspicions.

We met up with Mason and Valerie for a tour of the Billy Graham Museum. It was a cool exhibit until I violated copyright laws by taking a picture of some cool art on display (my apologies to the artist, I have no plans to sell them). It rained the entire time we were there. We decided to not take the train downtown, but to take the kids to Target to stock up on supplies. We grabbed lunch at Giordonos, a famous chain of Chicago style pizzerias and then back to the dorm to say our goodbyes.

We started back to Ohio and it was pretty quiet in the van. I think everyone was tired. After a while, Eli propped his laptop up on the dash of the car and we watched half the 4th season of the Office. Even though Steve assured us he was not watching, I believe the propping up of the laptop on the front dash is illegal in all 50 states including Puerto Rico, but that doesn't keep the Office from being hysterically funny.

We arrived at my house at midnight on the nose and I crashed. All of this is worth visiting kids from our youth group. It is great to see them enjoying life, and hoping that maybe your experiences that you shared over the last 3 years may help them make great choices. I love these guys like they were my own kids, and honestly...i sort of felt like they were the last few years. I have so many more to go visit in due time. I love them. I hope they feel it.

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Last night as we drove home...

2008-08-13T09:42:00.004-04:00

Last night, we went to hang out with our friends Chris and Tesa. They were having a hot dog roast and a camp-out in their yard for the kids. As we headed back to Chillicothe, it was just Jen and I. The car was quiet. We have made this drive thousands of times. As we approached Hoffman Lane, my thoughts went to my Grandma Pettit. She lived on Hoffman Lane my entire life. So many times we had turned on to Hoffman Lane to go visit my grandparents. I spent so much of my childhood at the end of that Lane. I had played many pickup football games, caught many lightening bugs, learned to drive a car, and ate some of the best food in my life at the end of that Lane. At that moment, the realization that I would never have a reason to drive down that lane ever again. It hit me pretty hard. Last July, my Grandma passed away.

As all of these memories filled my mind, I told Jen, "I don't have a reason to ever drive down the lane again." She replied, "I know." I had the responsibility of delivering my Grandmothers eulogy. I started replaying her service in my mind. Did I say the right things? Did I portray her life in a way that she deserved? Would she have been pleased with service? Did I do her life justice with those short 15 minutes? I was starting to get emotional. I began to have a rush of anxiety that I just did not do enough! It was way to quiet in the car! I grabbed the volume on the radio and broke the silence... As the radio over took the silence, I realized it was the song. I sang a song for my Grandmother at the service. I will lift my eyes by Bebo Norman. I looked at Jen with sort of an astonished look..."what are the chances that song would be playing?" There she was. My Grandma. Re-affirming that it was all good.

A year has passed. I miss her.

I believe in everything this band stands for...

2008-08-08T10:20:00.000-04:00

Lights.. Camera... Action...

2008-08-05T11:49:00.001-04:00

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Another cellspin test

2008-08-05T11:48:00.001-04:00

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Testing cell spin

2008-08-05T10:20:00.001-04:00

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last night was crazy...

2008-07-30T14:52:00.003-04:00

My friend Luke and I went to see the Dave Matthews Band last night at Crew Stadium. The evening was interesting to say the least. First, Luke and I had major conversation on the ride up and back. It is great to have diverse friends, both young and old. Luke is about 15 years my junior, but we have many things in common. We are different in the same respect. He is much smarter than I, so it makes for enjoyable conversation. I received a really cool text from Jen giving me a hard time for going to see DMB without her, it made my day. We grabbed a bite to eat and then enjoyed a few minutes of one of our shared favorite past times.... Guitar Center! We played a few guitars we could not afford and then it was off to the concert.

Next we arrived at Crew Stadium to find it to be lacking air conditioning, ok.. I am just admitting it was hot! We walked into the Stadium to immediately find our good friend Devon and his girlfriend. We took a moment to talk about how much better our seats were and then it was off to A2, 17, seat 23 and 24. The stage production looked amazing! I could not wait until the sun went down to check out the lighting. I giant video wall was the back drop. There were 2 tall thin side stage LED video screens and 3 large LED screens that could be raised and lowered to variable heights depending on what look they were going after. Dave walked out to introduce the opening act about an hour before he took the stage. The opener was good. Very talented vocalist.

I started my barrage of DMB tweets on Twitter just before the show started. I received an array of harassing tweets, emails and phone calls from friends who were all very jealous of me at that moment in time :) Some to say..."you are a jerk!" others to say, "dang you are lucky" and even a " I can't believe YOU are at a DMB concert!" The three large LED Video wall was lowered to create a screen for the band to come out and the crowd starting going crazy. The lights came on and with a bang, the screen started raising up over Crew Stadium and the Dave Matthews Band kicked the show off with "Don't drink the water"!

I was impressed with just how little Dave interacts with words with the crowd, but his songs are highly interactive. There were people dancing, jumping, raising hands, pumping fists and singing at the top of their lungs. Most everyone around me knew every word to every song. The band is pretty impressive. It is a great mix of flat out jamming and amazing musicianship. This band is tight.

The concert sort of went like this... Dave sang, band jammed, Dave danced, band jammed some more. Luke is a Dave Matthews Band historian. He spent most of the show shouting the words to ever song, trying to guess which song Dave was going to play next, and letting me know we were witnessing Dave Matthews Band history when Dave decided to play the outro to "so damn lucky" different or share a rare "Water and Wine" moment. DMB covered Peter Gabriel's "Sledgehammer". WOW! Great cover!

As I stood there singing "Everyday" with the thousands of people, I realized something. Dave is an amazing worship leader. He was leading this giant choir of souls. There were people who were messed up (in more ways than one), broken, beat-down, oppressed, depressed, rejected, confused, hurting and sad. Dave has this ability to help these people forget about the craziness of life for a few hours and just let go. It was a very spiritual event for me. I remember telling Luke, "I am not sure I can continue to lead worship the same way anymore." I think I need to take more risks in worship. I am finding myself in a comfort zone. Not pressing. Not moving forward. Not taking chances. Not writing. Not growing. Not changing. I hate change and at the same time I love it. I am called to change. "Take these chances, Place them in a box until a quieter time, Lights down, you up and die". That is not what I want to do with my chances. Thanks Dave.

Last, Luke and I grabbed a soda at Buckeye Donuts and then went home to crash. Luke knew I needed a little shove and realized Dave was just the guy to do it. God knows I am getting stagnant in worship and He realizes Luke is just the right guy to give me a shove. Thanks Luke.

Finally an update...

2008-07-30T14:19:00.002-04:00

It has been a long time since I updated my blog. I have had a great deal of things going on in my life and have had many things worthy of a blog entry. I just have not had anytime to sit down and write. So here is a run down of the last 2 months of my life. Maddie has had soccer practice. She went to a tryout for a U11 Girls team. We are preparing for the fall season. She loves it. Caroline is in gymnastics. Gymnastics takes place during soccer, so Jen and I usually have to split up to cover each. I had been preparing for a Chrysalis Flight. Team meetings and the actually weekend have taken up a great deal of time. The flight went off without a problem. It was a terrific weekend. I huge burden of weight pulled from my shoulders upon its completion. The Band has been playing a lot more lately. The Band looks much different than it use to for the simple reason that we attend River Valley Community Church. It is hard to maintain 2 bands, 2 practices, 2 gigs and keep everyone happy. We have played at a youth detention center, a small festival, a few churches, youth events, and a summer camp. It has been incredible. The core group has been pretty consistent, but we have had a few different bass players sit in with us (Mason, Eli, Brady, and Jesse). I feel a little bad that I am stealing away a few members of the worship team from RVCC and making them play in my band. I think they enjoy it though. :) We have had moments where we have all look at each other in the midst of worship and go... WOW! God you are awesome! Great stuff. We hope we are giving people a more clear path to worship God. We have started Remedy! A young adults gathering that basically is a small fellowship/discussion group with a little bit of music thrown into the mix. It has been terrific. I love the people who are coming, and it appears they are testing the waters to see if it is a safe place to start inviting friends to come check out. I can't wait for those moments, when we see real people living real lives and sharing those lives with others in a open and honest way. We bring a lot of junk to the table, remedy could just be the cure for some of those ailments. I am excited to see what is in store.

positive blogging

2008-05-30T09:23:00.004-04:00

I really like Mark Lee's post about positive blogging here. I have not been blogging a lot lately due to not enough time...and I am honestly tired of all the negativity. I really enjoy reading blogs about random thoughts, music, books, family, funny stories, etc. I really do not enjoy reading negative blogs. It is destructive. It seems that blogs have become a place where you air out your frustrations and I am good with that, but i think there is a fine line. I don't think it is a place to be judgmental. I read blogs everyday that basically judge others and hide it behind their ideas and religion.

So from this point forward, my blog will continue to be about the good. ALL OF IT. I will refrain from negativity and destructiveness. I had a great life lesson this week and it was awesome. I hurt someones feelings, I talked bad about someone and personally did not practice what I preach. I think Gods can use anything to help us grow, especially our own stupidity. He showed me something really cool and gave me some correction and insight I have never had before. I am not perfect, will never be perfect. I will make stupid mistakes. You think I could use my spiritual gift of discernment to figure that out before i make them, but it doesn't work that way. Discernment does not equal psychic. Thanks Sarah.

I am thankful for a friend that I became much closer to this week. Thanks Bob. I am thankful that even though I may have found myself frustrated and ready to quit something very important in my life, someone else was reminding me why I do what I do. Thanks Luke. I am happy that I know what I am getting Jen for her birthday... before it actually gets here. Thank you JESUS! ;) I wish I had a better worship set for Sunday, but hey ...God will work that out. Thank God!

Positive blogging...like Mark said... They will never put up a statue of a critic in your town square.

last night...

2008-05-01T17:17:00.001-04:00

Yesterday was sort of a good day turned bad. I spent most of the day in a good mood. The craziness of work spinning around me. I feel as if I have no where to turn or go. But I do. I know I do.

I really miss my grandparents. They are all gone now. There is no one to fill that void in my life. I have been thinking about them a lot lately. I know that most people have these same feelings, I am not alone. My Grandma's were wonderful ladies. They were great cooks. They loved me a lot. I think that is what I miss the most, just them loving me. My Grandpa's were terrific gentlemen. They understood me even when I might not have even understood myself. They always had the right things to say to me. The best advice a grandson could ask for. I forget how often I actually talked to them about my life. I remember my Grandpa Ford scolding me for the way I was treating my parents. He did it in such a loving way, he made it easy for me to see my parents point of view. Wow, I miss those relationships.

Last night, I had band practice in Waverly. My friend Eli and I have become accustomed to having these great short conversations while I take him home after practice. Last night I told him I really wanted to swing by the grave site before I head home. The cemetery is on the way to Eli's house. He said, "Stop by on the way home, I am not in a hurry to get home." So that is what we did.

I pulled up near were Papaw and Grandma Ford were laid to rest. The flowers looked nice. There was a Mockingbird sitting on the the headstone. It stayed in the same spot until we started to pull away. I told Eli stories about my Grandparents and the other family that are buried nearby. It was good to share. It was good to laugh about funny stories. it was good to remember the day we buried Papaw Ford. Eli looked over at the head stone and said, "Martin Lewis..". I am sure he knew that is who I am named after, but I think it connected when he saw the name on the stone. I am not proud of many things in my life, but I am proud to have his name.

As we pulled away, I said, " I wish they knew Maddie and Caroline."

The real irony was the Mockingbird. I have thought for a very long time, that my Grandpa was just like Atticus Finch. A pretty cool moment that turned my day good again. It was 5 minutes out of my day, but a lifetime for my soul. I drove home to the family.

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a few weeks ago...

2008-04-21T09:29:00.002-04:00

A few weeks ago a large group of us went to see Third Day over in Cederville. It was the last night of the tour and they sounded great! It was a great evening with great friends. I really enjoyed the new songs from Mac, Mark and the guys. I had the opportunity to open up a Sanctus Real concert a few years ago, so I knew the Sanctus guys would rock the place. "I'm not alright" and the very worshipful "We need each other" were my favorites.

The Band I was most impressed with was Decemberadio. They are a throwback band to the 80's with a fresh twist. They broke into "Wayward Son" which was awesome! They played a song called, "Drifter" which has had some radio play locally for the past few weeks. Great tune! Check it out...I could totally see Bon Jovi doing this tune.

Friends....

2008-04-16T18:15:00.003-04:00

I had a quick conversation with a friend of mine today. I had not talked to him in a really long time. He has gone through alot of changes in his life over the past couple of years. A new place to live, a new life essentially and my guess he has new friends. One of his first comments to me was, "just thinking about you...I have been a bad friend." To me it was a funny statement. I questioned why he was concerned that he had been a bad friend to me. I honestly had to ask him what he was talking about? I think he was concerned that it had been so long since we last talked. My mind went into a flurry of thoughts that mostly centered around how I treat my own friends.

I have many friends. I like to imagine that I have many friends. All of these people I call a friend might have different opinions. A person I may call a good friend, might think I am a casual acquaintance. I believe there are many levels of friendships and that it is difficult to judge where you fall in that order with your friends. I find that depending on the situation, the level of friendship can change. "Hey Marty! Do you know John?"..."Yeah, John is a great friend!". A week later with another person...."John is a friend of yours...right? Did you hear that he got himself into some major trouble?" I might respond to that differently. It is human nature to disassociate yourself with friends when it might look bad on YOU. I hope I never do that to my friends, but I am afraid I may have in the past.

I have friends that are merely acquaintances. I may have met them a few times, know them through another friend, or just want to associate yourself with them. I sent out a twitter today that talked about my friend Mark Lee from Third Day. We are not really friends. We met a couple of times. He does not know me from Adam, would not recognize me from the Baby Taylor signing, but I like to think of us in that light.

I have friends who are very close. They know intimate details about my life. I talk to them when I have problems. We live life together. This is obviously a small group of people....maybe even not half a handful. These friends are precious to me. They are even closer than family at times. I laugh with these friends. I cry with these friends. I fight and argue with these friends. These best friend types of friendships are often volatile. I say that because they are so deep. They can't be superficial. If you find they turn into shallow relationships, then they dissolve. They go away. In these intimate friendships, all senses are involved. They are sensitive. I find that i can be angry with them at one moment, but forgive them in the very next breath because you know how important they are in your life. You need them, they need you. I have these relationships. At any given point in time, I am at every point in the spectrum with that friend. I love them just the same.

I have many friends that fall anywhere in between those to extremes. They are there because I choose to put them there or maybe they choose to be there. Sometimes these friends grow to become friends in that upper tier. Sometimes distance, time and life get in the way and you just can't be as close as you want to be or allow you to grow apart. I can go years without seeing some of these friends and the second we have an encounter, it is like we have never been apart. Others friends...it is like starting from scratch. It comes down to the amount of "life" i do with these friends. Lets be honest, how many BEST friends can you really have at one time?

All of this is why I thought it was funny that my friend felt like he needed to apologize for being a "bad friend". He did not choose to be my friend. Our life circumstances brought us together, through music, chrysalis, church, etc. I honestly wanted to be his friend more than he probably wanted to be mine. I really appreciate what friendship we do have at this point in our lives. We don't get to talk everyday. That is not my expectation. He doesn't make sure he sneaks a visit when he is in town. I am not offended. If he sees me on line and says "hey". I will reply and not worry about how many days since our last conversation. I do not worry about things like that. I am a forgiving friend. I hope my friends are as forgiving of me.

My fellow skier...it was great to catch up with you today We need to hit the slopes, then we can relax and play some tunes on our guitars. If we never get to catch up and do that....well...it will still be a great friendship.

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This is a test....

2008-04-16T11:18:00.002-04:00

I have really been frustrated with Safari as of of late. It slows my Mac down and crashes frequently. My friend Mark Lee (From Third Day (Ok, friend might be a stretch, I stalk him on twitter and read his blog, we met at Music in the Rockies a few years ago and he played my Baby Taylor and signed it for me)) posted a twitter about Flock this morning. I thought I might try it out. It has some cool features, but I am still unsure. The reason for the blog post? Well flock will allow you to post right from the browser. So I am testing. This is only a test....Sorry Laura Tiu, I know you are expecting a good post from me. I promise, one is coming very soon.

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this is no fun...

2008-03-25T13:50:00.002-04:00

A stomach bug is no fun! The girls and I are at home....feeling quite ill. I have been very lucky all winter. I have yet to have a cold or the fl. Jennifer has had a sinus infection all winter long, and had to have surgery. I have been fortunate most of my life have not lost a lot of time being ill. Yesterday, I spent the entire day on the verge of puking up my guts...TMI! I realized I could have worked, but infecting my entire office was probably not the best thing to do. We are swamped at the moment and can ill afford more people out due to sickness. I have always taken pride in my ability to work through sickness, but have come to realize that sometimes you need to think about the effect you might have on others. So, I sit at home and rest. This is no fun.

interesting...

2008-03-18T16:42:00.000-04:00

I found this quiz on YSMarko's blog.

You're The Hobbit!

by J.R.R. Tolkien

All you wanted was a nice cup of tea when some haggard crazy old man
came into your life and told you it was time to do something with yourself. Now you're
all conflicted about whether to stick with your stay-at-home lifestyle or follow this
crazy person into the wild. While you're very short and a little furry, you seem to be
surrounded by an even greater quantity of short folks lately. Try not to lose your ring,
but keep its value in perspective!

Take the Book Quiz
at the Blue Pyramid.

this is just too much fun...

2008-03-16T17:26:00.001-04:00

Don't send a lame eCard. Try JibJab Sendables!

in the spirit of Jaki's post....

2008-03-16T01:38:00.000-04:00

Don't send a lame eCard. Try JibJab Sendables!

When I was a kid I lived for this....

2008-03-10T14:11:00.002-04:00

We had the biggest snow fall total this weekend than we have seen in years. When I was a kid I lived for these days. I remember bundling up and not wanting to come in for anything. Maddie and Caroline were in and out all weekend long. I went out with them and took a few pictures. Due to the snow, we had a great weekend.... playing with the kids. We played Uno, Guitar Hero, Battleship and another game I can't recall what it was called... It was nice to not have to be anywhere... because everything was closed. I did take the Jeep out on Saturday to make a McDonalds run... helped lots of people unstick their cars. It was pretty cool to see others, just stopping to help push... out of the kindness of their own hearts. One particular car was stuck trying to get out of the alley near McDonalds. I jumped out of my Jeep to help give them a push. A guy pulled up in his Toyota Truck to help. He had a shaved head, pierced nose and lip, and numerous tattoos hidden under his leather jacket with chains. I did not think twice. I was happy for the help. I had been pushing this car for a few minutes and was not making progress. He jumped out, smiled real big and said, " I think you need some help." The lady driving by this time was quite upset and she tried to say, "Yes", but it did not come out very clear. Dr. Brown pulled up beside us and jumped in to help along with one of the guys who frequently walks around downtown Chillicothe mumbling to himself. We all four gave a big shove and off she went. We all smiled. Shook hands and went our separate ways. It did answer a question I have been asking myself for some time now.... would Jesus ever wear a nose ring and sport a tattoo? He did today! Thanks Bro! Whoever you are, thank you for being a servant to someone in need. Cool stuff.

Here are some pics...

not enjoying the politics....

2008-03-03T10:48:00.004-05:00

I think there was a time when I enjoyed politics. When I was younger. My friend John West and I would debate, but ultimately come to the conclusion that we held the same values. I turned 18 on election day in 1988. I voted! I was so excited to exercise my right to vote as an American. I have not missed many opportunities to vote in my lifetime. I will vote on Tuesday in the primaries. I no longer get excited about politics. I think I frustrate the kids in the Youth Group because I don't want to banter about the issues. They joke that I am agnostic. Webster's Dictionary defines agnostic as: a person unwilling to commit to an opinion about something . Maybe this is true. I am still forming my opinions about many things of this world. I can be persuaded. I don't think that is bad. I do not agree with entitlement. I don't believe that the Government owes us everything, only the freedoms that it promises. I do not like Big Government. I have never been much for rules, but I have always been one to follow the rules that are set before me.

I honestly have watched time and time again, so many politicians tell us what we wanted to hear and then not follow through on their promises. I understand that things change and sometimes keeping those promises are more damaging, but I feel as if I have been greatly disappointed by people who want to be politicians.

A great leader is someone who is thrust into that position because of necessity. Anyone who wants the job.. is probably not the best person for the job. I don't really like my choices for this November. Regardless of who wins, America will keep moving forward. I only know of one person who ever changed the world single handedly, and trust me...we are not going to be voting for Him on Tuesday.

something you don't see everyday...

2008-02-14T00:39:00.002-05:00

I was driving down Bridge Street in Chillicothe, OH today and saw something you don't see every day. The Statue of Liberty...pushing a car into the gas station. I had to do a double take... I thought for sure that the last time I saw her..she was lighting the way with her torch at Staten Island. But not this day, she was a good samaritan!

Thank you to the Liberty Tax Service guy who ran across the street to help some kid who ran out of gas.

this is funny...

2008-02-07T12:36:00.000-05:00

My friend ELi sent me this... hilarious...you can find it here. I am reposting here for your enjoyment.

January 31, 12:24 PM
Creed Thoughts

Being in a band is the greatest, especially if you’re into smoke machines. You’ve got to be careful about who you put in your band, though, because if you get the wrong combination of rockers, you could be in for a lifetime of pain. I made a little guide to help you out when you’re choosing band members.

Guitarists
These guys are the toughest to pick. If you’re a guitar player yourself, consider yourself lucky that you don’t need to find one because these dudes have the biggest egos. They’re the ones who want to be front and center all the time. They’re the first ones buying the leather pants and they’re the ones spitting whiskey fireballs at everyone after shows. When you’re finding a guitarist, look for one that says stuff like “Maybe the drummer should be the singer,” or “Sometimes I like to play with my back to the audience because I don’t really like attention.” Trust me, he’s going to work out a lot better than picking the guy that says he wants to dress up like a sexy astronaut at every gig.

Bass Players
You want your bass player to be the coolest guy on the stage and the quietest. If it were up to me, kids who were taught to play the bass wouldn’t be allowed to speak for the rest of their lives. There’s something calming a bass player who slaps out the notes without a word. You know why I’m so against bass players speaking? They’re the first guy to steal your lady and the first guy to rat you out to the cops to save their own hides. I know this from experience. They should also be expert head-nodders, as this is a major part of playing the bass.

Drummers
When you’re looking for a drummer, you want crazy but not too crazy. You want a beat-keeper that’s going to pull up foxy lady’s skirts with his drumsticks when he passes by, but you don’t want someone that’s going to hit you in the face with those sticks if you tell him he needs some gum. Once in a while you’ll find a drummer who embodies everything that is rock and rock, but most of the time those guys flame out real fast (I miss you, Moonie). Bottom line: make sure whomever you pick can count to four and hold his liquor.

Keyboardists
If you put a keyboardist in your band, I will personally kick your ass no matter how old I am. A dude that plays the organ is a different story, but I don’t even have time to tell you to find someone like that. It would take hours.

Horns Section
You don’t need them, but for some reason, these guys will always buy the beer. I think they’re just glad they’re not in marching band anymore.
If you follow my advice, you’re going to wind up with one hell of a band. Just make sure you have a killer name, too, or you can just give up before you start.

a Survey of Books....

2008-02-04T15:54:00.001-05:00

This came from my friend Eli. He tagged me on his blog of which you can find here.

It is fair to say that I do not command the reading prowess of my friend Eli or my wife Jennifer. They read amazingly fast. They read more books in a month than I do in a single year. Last year, I did make a new years resolution to read a certain number of books, so that I may find favor in my reading friends. I was well on my way to smashing my expectations, when I ran into a few books that really made me stumble. ( I did reach my goal, but barely). I would love to say that I savor my reading, but my guitar or even my adult ADD get in the way. I have been able to fight my way through some books over the years, that may allow me to answer some of these questions.

1. One book that changed your life.

I believe I may have already answered this question in a previous post... which you can read here. To Kill a Mocking Bird has been a favorite of mine since High School when my English Lit teacher made me read it. I still quote lines form the book. I still love the name Scout for a girl because of the character. I wrote papers about the book in college. It is my number one book. I wanted to go have Harper Lee sing my copy at a booking signing in Cleveland. Marty at a book signing? Just doesn't play well. I see Atticus as being a truly humble and virtuous man. A standard that i fail to achieve everyday, let alone living up to the standard Jesus set for us to follow.

2. One book you have read more than once.

To Kill a Mockingbird makes that list. I have read a few books more that a few times. The next on my list is The Lion, Witch and the Wardrobe by CS Lewis. I know this is a children's book, but I can't count the number of times i read this book. I received The Chronicles of Narnia by CS Lewis for Christmas when I was 10 years old. I have read all of the books a few times, but I always found myself going back to the main story. I was able to imagine myself in that world. It was so alive to me. I could watch all of the action unfold in my mind. A fantastic adventure.

3. One Book You would want on a deserted island.

This is very difficult. Of course I would say The Message which at the moment is my favorite paraphrase of the Bible. It would consume a lot of time and I totally need to be more focused in my study of the Word.

4. Two books that made me laugh.

I can think of only a few boks that have made me laugh out loud. Lamb, The gospel according to Biff by Chris Moore. This book is a satirical look at Jesus's life from about 10 years old up to the crucifixion. This book is hilarious. I find myself chuckling through out the entire text. I know it is probably a bad thing to be laughing about, but a great lighthearted attempt to fill in some blanks, so long as you keep an open mind.

David Crowder and Mike Hogan's Everybody wants to go to heaven, but nobody wants to die. This book was very witty and smart. I remember laughing a lot at the banter that Crowder and Hogan enjoyed. It reminded me a lot of how my friends and I banter at work. I

5. One book that made me cry.

Henri J. Nouwen's Return of the Prodigal Son: A Story of Homecoming was that book for me. It took me a while to get through it. Only because it made me revisit my life and all of the times I have been like both sons and even like the father in that parable. It is hard to admit sometimes that you just need to go running back the Father. That is when I cried. Great book and was a wonderful gift.

6. ONe Book you wish had been written.

This one was very easy for me. I wish a book that told all of the stories my Grandpa Pettit told me over the years. He was a fantastic story teller. I would laugh so hard. He just had a great wit about him. I would love to be able to hear those stories about his childhood, the military, and raising his kids. It is a book that would make me cry, make me laugh, but also allow me to remember my Pap.

7. ONe book you wish had never been written.

i don't have one, I would not read it if i did, so what is the point.

8. One book you are currently reading.

I am reading Lamb. I am almost finished. I am also reading a book called
Uprising: A Revolution of the Soul by Erwin McManus. I am reading it a small section at a time. Very thought provoking. I am not good at reading more than one book at a time.

9. One book you have been meaning to read.

I really want to read Dianetics by L. Ron Hubbard. Just can't seem to find the time....

Here are some pictures from Switzerland and Germany...

2008-01-11T12:06:00.001-05:00

I must explain something...

2008-01-09T21:27:00.001-05:00

The previous 6 posts are random thoughts that I typed into my iPhone through out the days of my trip. I can promise there are misspelled words, bad grammar and weird spell check errors from the iPhone. Please do not judge my writing skills by these post. They are not eloquent or perfect. They do describe in broken sentences my experience of the week. My hope is to put down a summary as I reflect on the on my trip to Switzerland. I did have a great time. I am happy to be at home. I am thankful that I met some great people who God has blessed with the heart of missions. God blessed me with their new friendships.

Day 6...the last day until the trek home

2008-01-09T21:25:00.000-05:00

I got up around 9 and found out that it was Karen who had fallen and had abig gash ok her forehead from missing the last step and falling into the doorjam.

I showered and headed out to explore. I walked for a couple hours just taking in the sights and taking pictures. The village is so quaint and cute. The houses are close and the streets are tight. There are orchards and vineyards all around. Vince picked me up as I walked back to the house and we headed out to meet the rest of the group for lunch. We ate at a Greek place called the Olympia. It was wonderful. We walked over to the Campus Crusade office and then we went to the BFA for a tour. We meet lots of great people, what a great educational facility.

We went back and crashed for a while after a little bit of sight seeing and a drive to Basel SBB to buy another train ticket for the trip to the airport.

We headed back and I watched pride and predjudice with Chloe and then met up with the rest of the group for dinner. Dinner was great, we spent a great deal of time sharing our testimonies! I love hearing everyones path to Christ.

We headed home to sleep and prepare for the long day of travel. All of the guys got up at 2 to watch the Buckeyes.

We headed to the train station and that started our journey home. I happen to be traveling with Andy, Christy and Liliana. I totally believe God put us on the same flight. I know what it is like to travel with an infant and all of the gear that comes along with the territory. They are a fantasic couple and I hope our paths cross again. I pray God blesses their lives and their ministry.

I can't wait to get home and see my family. It has been very hard to baway from them this time. It would have been great to share this experience with them. Jen wrote letters for day I was gone, I looked forward to reading them everyday. They kept me close to home. They were very special. I feel horrible that I was not there for Jen's surgery. I could not stop thinking about her and she had many people here in Europe praying for her.

Maddie and Caroline occupied many of my conversations over the last days. My prayer is that they grow up without the fear I have for being brave enough to face change and new environments.

The Purpero's were amazing people. They opened their home and their lives for us to share. They have an incredible ministry. They are building relationships with people all over Europe and now find themselves in an area that has agree need for evangelism, but with a support group to help encourage them and stay focused on their mission to share the love of God with all of Europe. I pray that God lifts them up and blesses them for their obedience and faithfulness. The Purpero's showed me how a family can share in a ministry and be an example of light in the world.

Day 5...the close of EASY and a crazy day of travel

2008-01-09T21:22:00.000-05:00

That was fast turn around. I went to the train station after breakfast to buy my train ticket to Basel. I am still a little confused about the trains. I feel good that I have the right ticket. We headed off to camp to close out the morning worship and then send everyone off to go home. It was awesome to pray for the needs of each nation as they each gathered in the middle of the room. There were a lot tears and hugging. It was good to know that hugging is international. These kids were awesome! There were 10 countries represented and 140 students. There plan was for 90 students so the event was a huge success and carries a great amount of momentum for Christ in these countries. We sent the kids on their way and then cleaned up Camp Rock. I spent much time with Pepe' from Finland. We became very good friends over the weekend because he was the sound guy. We had much in common because of our love for worship music and kids. We talked shop about every piece of sound gear imaginable. I think he was impressed that I actually knew what I was talking about. Here are some intersting facts about my new friend Pepe'...

He has worked for Campus Crusade for Christ since 1979.

He was the Finnish Teen Idol (think American idol) back in 1983.

He owns a successful production company and a killer recording studio at his house.

Pepe' has an awesome mullet. All business in the front and a party in the back!

He was great, I have no doubt I will see my brother Pepe' again.

So here is where things start to unravel. We loaded up all of Pepe' gear and time was short so we packed upour gear and headed to back to the hotel to grab the rest of our stuff. We needed to walk to the bus station to catch the 2:30, but at 2:15 we realized that Paul had left his laptop at the camp. We were able to get a hold of Vince to grab Paul's laptop. We has to split our group up, Vince, his family and Christy and 1 yr old Liliana rode in the van to the Purpero's house in Germany. The rest of hurry to the train station to meet them in Basel BAD in a few hours. We arrive Bescheschel Stadt train station a few minutes before the train arrived. We were Nine Americans standing watching incoming train... We all stood and watched door close and wonder if it was our train? YES! The station attendant ran out and stopped the train for us. We all loaded in while Paul helped an elderly women get on the train. Once on the train we could all relax, One change over before we hit Zurich and we were on our way.

The guys played chess and I took pictures and took in the scenery, it was great time. When we arrived in Basel SBB I realized I did not have the right ticket to go on to Basel BAD, I then purchased a ticket at the kiosk and rushedvto the platform... Train was gone. Most of the group had gone ahead. Paul, Andy and I had missed the train. I look at the ticket I just purchased and it was to Baden. I found the ticket counter and calmly exchanged my ticket. I walked back to the platform and ran into the other group! The train had not left us... Good news!

Bad news! This is when I realized I had forgotten my coat at Camp Rock! In the panic to leave in time to make the train I forgot to grab it.

We called Vince to see how close he was to meeting us. We found our that Vince had broken down and was still in Zurich. They were waiting for friends from Kandren to come pick them up. We found our the Vince's kids Chloe and Anthony were sick with a high fever.

We felt horrible for the Purpero's trouble. I felt helpless and on top of it they have 9 people coming to their house. We decided to bail on the train and grab a meal at an Italian place that was delicious. We hung out there for a few hours waiting. We headed over to catch the train and ran in to Rick and some one from Black Hills Academy. Rick is Karen's Brother and they had room for one person to go with them so we sent Andy so he could meet up with his wife. We headed off the Basel BAD which was just one stop away and waited about an hour for one of Vince' a friends to come pick us up. What a life saver. We finally arrive at the Purpero's around 10:30. We all basically crashed. With all of the adversity the Purpero' were still so gracious to have us. I felt very guilty. Paul, Ryan and I all crashed in the living room and finally fell asleep around 1am.

I awoke to the sounds of Chloe throwing up in the hallway. I felt helpless, everyone was exhausted and there was Karen cleaning up the mess, caring for her family, completly overwhelmed and still has to deal with people sleeping on the floor in her house. Paul said a quick prayer and we were back to sleep oNly to hear Chloe get sick again. We heard a loud crash and though someone had fallen. An hour later we hear Anthony get sick as well. Was a very rough night for the family. Vince had to get up at 4 to take paul and ryan to the airport so they could fly to Rome for 2 days. They tried very hard to find a way to just stay in Bosel and go from there to not trouble Vince any more. What a craZy day. I really think that awesome things were happening at EASY and the attack of today was affirmation of that fact. I am happy that it is over.

Day 4... an afternoon in Zurich

2008-01-09T19:37:00.000-05:00

We got up grabbed some breakfast and off to the camp. When we got there the kids were preparing sack lunches for the trip to Zurich. We packed our lunch then jumped on to our session. It was the Americans turn for entertainment and we thought about the Peanutbutter Sandwich Machine Skit but they don't have peanut butter so we went with the roller coaster skit. It went over well. But alas we wee still the stupid Americans.

We shared in worship once again. The Spanish put on a skit about the El Camino. They painted a beautiful picture of how difficult the camino can be, but spiritually can be amazing. They are trying to get at least 100 kids to come and walk. They are in need of adults to help cook, set up camp each day, and many other things other than walking. The Spainish are so passionate about the Camino. It is so exciting to see there love for people.

We loaded up in buses and drove to Zurich for an afternoon of touring and evangelism. We were able to visit a famous chocolate factory and a watchmaker. We went through a cathedral that was once a monastery has the most beautiful modern stained glass I have ever witnessed. You were not allowed to take pictures. This was my highlight of the day for me.

It began to rain as we left the church and went to the main shopping streets of Zurich. This was very cool. It reminded me of shopping along Union Square in San Francisco. The second street was a little different. It was a cobblestone walking street that winds its way above the river side. There many shops that sold everything you could imagine, but mostly clothing and shoes. Everywhere I look....addidas. I walked around with my new friend Ryan. He is the creative pastor at Four Corners Church in Mason, oh. I want that job :)

We have a ton of things in common but we seemed to settle our conversation on music and shared our influences in worship. We were a little concerened that they allowed the kids to try to find the bus station on there own so Ryan and I took a little different route trying to keep an eye on the kids. The city is crowded, it seemed that everyone in SwitZerland was out and about shopping and filling the streets. Our fears were confirmed when we lost 2 teenagers. One of the leaders said... "they are Swiss, they can find there way back to the camp." The American "leave no man behind" mentality won out and we were over an hour late leaving Zurich. We did find them. I felt relieved.

The worship band is from Holland. There website is www.insalvation.com I got to spend some time talking to the keyboard player about my ideas on worship and our philosophies were very similar. He had sat in on my seminar and had great comments. I really enjoyed sharing with him. We traded info so we can stay in touch. They did a fantastic job all weekend and now are officially the worship bands for campus crusade for Christ in Europe.

We spent the evening in worship and prayer for all of the countries represented at EASY. We closed the evening with a variety of alternative worship opportunities. Communion, foot washing, prayer stations, etc were available to the kids. I helped Deb from Orlando to pray with any of the Americans who wanted prayer for specific things. We were able to pray for Anthony and Vince Purpero. That was very special. We prayed for my new friends Adam and Chandler, they are expecting a child. Chandler specificly requested we pray for he so she can relax and enjoy being pregnant. She is so worried about the health if the child that it is wearing her out. After our conversation, I am positive she will be a wonderful mother!

It was a very long day but a great day. I am finishing this around 2 am. ... More to come..

Day 3...Life at Camp Rock

2008-01-09T19:32:00.000-05:00

I got up this morning and showered
in the sink... Looking forward to a shower later today. I went down to the tavern for breakfast and grabbed some orange juice and a granola bar. We headed to the camp and the drive is awesome. I am taking pictures. The camp house is very busy, kids everywhere. We opened with worship and then went into small groups.

I prepared for my seminar this morning during small group session. I hope it goes well.

I sat in on Vince's boys session. It was great. A tough talk with boys, but reminded me of singles talk question session on a chrysalis flight. Vince was very real and did not pull any punches.
Talking about sexual purity with boys is always a tough subject.
My seminar was tough. There were mostly Swiss kids who did not speak English so I had a translator. Annette did a great job helping me bring across that worship is way more than just the music. I had decided to not take a guitar to Switzerland, but in that moment I really wish I had my acoustic guitar. The Kidd really wanted to talk about worship music and I could have saved it from disaster. I prayed for a little help and the door opened and a guy walked in with an acoustic guitar. Wow! So we worshipped. Was crazy...

After lunch we ventured outside and completed a bunch of team building exercises. There was a rope bridge, faith fall, blindman course, balance log, climbing wall and other things. The kids not only had to work together but they had to work through the language barrier. I had kids from Spain and Portugal in my group. They were amazing.

We came back to the hotel for dinner and a meeting with Vince. We discussed more ways we could possibly partner with the other Student Venture groups scattered out across Weatern Europe. There is a tremendous need of support and Vince and his staff are really heading a revival in the youth across Europe.

We went back to the camp for the evening worship service. Each country had to demonstrate Gods love in their native language. We Americans gave out Hershy's chocolates and sang God Bless America. I have met some great people through this trip. They have such great love for kids and God, it makes the trip much easier.

It was Spain's night for entertainment and we played a great group game similar to thumb wrestling. The worship band closed the night with a fantastic version of "David Danced ". The kids went crazy it was very Spanish in style. Julie P needs to learn the keyboard part, it is rocking! It was like a great big party! Everyone was singing and dancing! So much fun! So much love for God in one room.

I returned to the hotel and was able to shower! I feel pretty good, but I have another long day Saturday, we are going to Zurich for some evangelism.

More to come...

Day 2... in Zurich and traveling to Bischofszel

2008-01-09T19:21:00.000-05:00

Well... I am not sure of the start of my trip. I did not sleep on the plane so I crashed on a bench in the airport arrival area where I was to meet up with Daniel who was picking us up. I slept for 3 hours! I think I have missed them so now I find the train I am suppose to be on. I honestly have never felt so ignorant in my life as I do in this moment... More to come...
Jen just called... Yes someone to talk to! She was able to keep me calm and get me to think straight. I was having some serious culture shock.

I just hung up the phone and I found someone holding an "easy on the road" sign! Amen! Now it looks like a 12:15 train to Bischofszel stadt with Tom and Yohanna who is working for Campus Crusade.
I am now happy and feeling much better with a little bit of sleep and not feeling lost.

Tom and I rode the train to Winterthur, changed trains in Weinfelden and final destination of Sitterdorf where we were meet by Daniel. Daniel drove us to the hotel and explained that there are basically 2 churches in Switzerland. The catholic church and the reform church.

Upon arrival at the hotel, I dropped my bags and hit the streets with camera in hand. I probably would have taken a nap, but I will find sleep later. I think I got some great pictures of Bischofszel. I will find out once I get back.

Vince met with team at the restaurant in our hotel and we had dinner. I sat with Ava from Spain, Annette from Germany and Deb from Orlando. We had great conversation about what types of ministries are going on in each others countries and about our families.

We set off for the 10 minute drive for Camp Rock. When we arrived the kids were in the midst of worship. The band is great. Everything was in English. It was a good night. I am worn out. I crashed hard at around 11:30. I missed a phone call from Jen... Slept right through it. Sorry. Love you all, thank you for your prayers. There have already been a few hand of God moments so I know your prayers are important. Nathan from Florida that came up to me and had ties to Waverly Ohio! Wow! It was at a moment where I was not fitting in, and the connection brought great comfort.

In Christ hands,

Marty

Here is the picture...

2008-01-02T15:13:00.001-05:00

Here is the picture for the post below...

a great start to the trip...

2008-01-02T13:56:00.000-05:00

I came across a fellow Jeep owner in need this morning. Yes, that is a Jeep Wrangler on its side. This little mishap costs me a bit of time on my way to the airport. What a way to start my trip. It could be worse, it could have been my wrangler. So the adventure begins.

posting from new device...

2007-12-29T00:15:00.000-05:00

I am testing the ability to type quickly on my new device. This could take a while to get use to but I think this will work out ok. It will probably be easier to type an email so I don't waste bandwidth. Cool. Oh why test? I have a mission trip on the horizon and want to blog about it with out taking my laptop. I am stoked! I just wish Jen was going with me.

the funny things that come out of kids mouths...

2007-12-24T14:28:00.000-05:00

Caroline made a comment the other day that was hilarious and I wanted to blog about so I don't forget it when she is 30.

Sitting around the table at Los Marichis...

Caroline: "... she can't eat meat."

Dad: "Why can't she eat meat, Caroline?"

Caroline: "Photographers can't eat meat."

Laughter erupts...

Dad: "Caroline, do you mean Vegetarians?"

Caroline: "giggle...giggle...giggle..."

Priceless...

i took a minute out of my day...

2007-12-19T14:16:00.000-05:00

There are songs that just hit you. They find you where you are, maybe even tell you where you are at in your life even when you weren't quite aware you where there? I know..that sentence doesn't make sense. It is not suppose to make any sense.

Today, the song in my head is Broken by Lifehouse. I can't stop singing it in my head. My life has a soundtrack. It has a great soundtrack. Everything is put to music in my mind. I dream and it has a soundtrack. Consumed with music maybe? I don't know, but today this song keeps playing. it is today's soundtrack and the more i sing it in my head, the closer it comes to finding a home on Sunday morning at RVCC.

I really dig the acoustic version from MTV Unplugged... it is out on Youtube i think.

Don't worry..it is just a bad day and i am sure that the song doesn't describe exactly what is going on in my life. It is just how I am feeling at the moment. (That little disclaimer is for the people who read my blog and call me immediately like I am on suicide watch or something) dang that was funny :)

Anyway.

here are the lyrics...

The broken clock is a comfort, it helps me sleep tonight
Maybe it can stop tomorrow from stealing all my time
I am here still waiting though I still have my doubts
I am damaged at best, like you've already figured out

I'm falling apart, I'm barely breathing
With a broken heart that's still beating
In the pain there is healing
In your name I find meaning
So I'm holdin' on, I'm holdin' on, I'm holdin' on
I'm barely holdin' on to you

The broken locks were a warning you got inside my head
I tried my best to be guarded, I'm an open book instead
I still see your reflection inside of my eyes
That are looking for purpose, they're still looking for life

I'm falling apart, I'm barely breathing
With a broken heart that's still beating
In the pain is there healing
In your name I find meaning
So I'm holdin' on, I'm holdin' on, I'm holdin' on
I'm barely holdin' on to you

I'm hanging on another day just to see what you will throw my way
And I'm hanging on to the words you say
You said that I will be ok

The broken lights on the freeway left me here alone
I may have lost my way now, haven't forgotten my way home

I'm falling apart, I'm barely breathing
With a broken heart that's still beating
In the pain there is healing
In your name I find meaning
So I'm holdin' on, I'm holdin' on, I'm holdin' on
I'm barely holdin' on to you

I'm holdin' on
I'm holdin' on
I'm barely holdin' on to you

progressive dinner....

2007-12-18T09:09:00.000-05:00

This past Saturday, we had our Annual Progressive Dinner. We had tons of great food, fellowship and fun. There was an impromptu snowball fight and rock band on the xbox 360 at the Purpero's. Here are some pictures of the evening. A great time was had by all. Thank you to the Pekkala's, Moores, Tiu's, and Purpero's for hosting the event! We even had a visit from the Grinch.

four guys on a road trip....

2007-12-13T02:14:00.000-05:00

Well, we are in the midst of our road trip. Four guys, 4 days, a military graduation of our friend John. It has been very good so far. I think God had way more in store for us than a visit to support John. We felt to commemorate our trip, we needed something spectacular! So Ed and Eli spent the entire night on the choreography and Alan picked the music! All we needed was a few hours of practice and it was perfect. Enjoy!

http://www.elfyourself.com/?id=1364707875

Congrats John! We are very proud of you!

and the Heisman goes to...

2007-12-10T16:54:00.001-05:00

It is well documented that I am a sports fanatic. So no further explanation.

Saturday night I watched the Heisman Trophy Award Show. I really did not feel that there was a legitimate contender in the group. My pick is Chris Wells. I am biased. I surely was not rooting for Tim Tebow from Florida. After watching his Florida Gators dismantle the Buckeyes in the National Championship game, I could not honestly support a Gator for the Heisman.

As I watched the great stories about how these kids had to battle against the odds to make it to this point in their life, I was almost disappointed. Why does everyone have to have this "story"? Why can't just one of them be a normal person? I know the media like to elaborate... it makes for better television. Normal people can be inspiring to others? Right? I hope! I am normal, at least I like to think I am :) and my hope is that I might inspire someone... then I wonder... what do I really want people to see about me that might inspire them? Good question.

I listened to Tim Tebow's story. He birth was nearly aborted. His parents had to make a decision about his life! How difficult is that to do? Sacrifice their son so that mother might live? His father talked about prayer in the story. His mother was open to God's will for their lives. Tim just continued to smile. He had every opportunity to talk about his story. He could have went on about the odds that he faced... even before his birth. Tim just smiled at the camera and said,"My faith in Jesus Christ is why I am here today." We hear a lot of celebrities make those same statements in front of the camera, but don't really live them out in their day to day life. Tim went on to say, "My faith in God is first, my relationship with my family is second, my academics is third and football is fourth." I believed him. He said, "My father lived out his faith in front of me everyday." That was the statement that sold me on Tim Tebow. It told me that he really knew about having a relationship with God.

I began to root for Tim Tebow as the Heisman Trophy winner. He is a great example and wants to be that example. He is proof that it comes down to the process of life to make you who you are and who you can be. He is a good grape :) (listen to Steve's message from this weekend). We are given opportunities in our life to influence people, Tim Tebow took full advantage of his opportunity on Saturday night. He proved to the world that your passion for God can overflow into all aspects of your life. He lived out his faith in front of millions of people on campus, at practice, and on game day. He found himself blessed with the Heisman Trophy, but more important he got a chance to share what God can do with a person who is obedient.

Congratulations Tim Tebow!

I am now a fan.

Rob Bell...

2007-12-02T23:50:00.000-05:00

I have been looking forward to this for a very long time. I heard Rob Bell speak 3 years ago in Atlanta, GA at the National Youth Workers Convention. I still listen to the recording of his message once a month. It had a great impact on me. It still does every time I listen. There are people you just connect with, connect with their style, connect with their teaching. You appreciate their thoughts and how they can translate those thoughts into words that can move people. I long for that type of gift, but it is not in me. I have met three teachers in my life that I can say have reached out to me with their words and have made God real to me. Don't mistake the last comment, I have been touched by many people along my path that have changed my life in one way or another. These three people are extraordinary teachers to me and share their gifts with me. The first is Steve North, he opened a new world to me, a world with Jesus being more than a picture on the wall. The second is Steve Good, he continues to stretch me and change me and I can't wait to hear what is next from him. The third is Rob Bell.

Last night, we sat at the feet of our rabbi. We drove to Cleveland to hear Rob Bell. He is on the "the gods aren't angry" tour. The proceeds of the tour go to an overseas mission. Rob is a little dramatic, surprisingly funny, and amazingly deep. He walked out on stage and began to speak. "There was this cavewoman...".

Rob (if I may call him Rob for the sake of the blog) went on to tell a story about how we as humans from the beginning have felt as if we had to work to gain favor from the gods. The vicious cycle of sacrifice, favor, more sacrifice to increase favor, gods offended, more sacrifice required, and so on and so forth left the human race not knowing where they stood. He told stories of different gods and why they were worshiped and how this type of sacrificial worship is doomed to fail for us. Rob went on to talk about how the one true God changed this with His Son, the only true sacrifice. He talked about father Abraham had many sons...and many sons had father Abraham :), and as Abraham did as God asked and went up on the mountain to sacrifice his first son, Rob taught us about how our God is a god who provides.... He provided Abraham with a ram to sacrifice instead of his son. A god who provides. A god with which you know where you stand.

Rob continued this theme though out the talk. Weaving personal stories about people in his life with truth from scripture. He landed on rituals and how over the ages we have become accustomed to rituals. We use rituals to help us understand, cope, comfort and redeem ourselves. I don't feel as if Rob was against rituals, but that we have sort of lost the understanding of why we continue to practice them over the centuries. Rob connected the ritual of sacrifice in the old testament, to the sacrifice of Jesus in the new testament, all the way to the cutting (self mutilation) of todays generation to cope with the craziness in their lives. Rob felt as if the need to cut stems from the need to sacrifice. God chose to sacrifice Jesus at the altar of the cross (Rob made altar references all evening) because we as humans could make the connection. We could find comfort in the sacrifice in some strange way. He wrapped the talk up in an amazing way, tying in that all of this is done out of love. Love wins.

There is no way I can describe the entire talk in two paragraphs. I would not want to attempt that task. Rob talked for an hour and 45 minutes without notes. Impressive! One item worth mentioning... Rob sneezed and in his words, "Twenty one cities in twenty six days and I sneeze in Cleveland. I have been fighting that since Cave woman!". He was shook for a few seconds, but his sense of humor took over and made a great recovery. I am still trying to process everything he talked about to come up with my own conclusions. I can say that it was amazing. I can say that some how I am changed. I have ideas I have never even entertained in my mind. That notion excites me tremendously. I am sure there will be another blog to put down my thoughts, but not tonight. I am still soaking in one of the best talks I have ever heard in my life. I sit here, still covered in the dust of my rabbi. I am sure Rob Bell does not appreciate the rabbi reference, but I have been following his teaching for almost 4 years. Anxiously awaiting his next sermon, book or video. Awaiting his dust...

when the game slows down...

2007-11-28T09:47:00.000-05:00

Have you ever played a new sport and the speed of the action takes you by surprise? I remember the first time I ever played Hockey. I could barely keep up with the puck. I felt as if I were no my heals the entire time. I could never get a good shot on the puck. I was tired from the moment I started. After a few games, the game starts to slow down and come to you. It is like you are more in tune with the pace. You find that you are not on your heals any longer, but you are on top of the game. You think faster. You anticipate better. You come into a zone where everything just clicks.

My daughter Maddie took a 3 year hiatus from soccer. I retired from coaching High School soccer so that I could coach her team when she was a 5 year old. She played for 2 seasons and then told me that she hated soccer and wanted to concentrate on tennis. I was crushed. I love soccer. I love Maddie even more. So we stepped away from the sport... completely. Last spring, Caroline decided to play soccer. She had a great time. Maddie sat on the sidelines on Saturday mornings, watching her little sister have fun. This fall, Maddie told us she wanted to start playing soccer again. A little nudge from a younger sibling was enough to stir her interest in soccer again. She had a great fall season. She played defense all season long, and became a pretty good right back by the end of the season.

She was invited to play on an indoor soccer team for the first time with a group of kids from her original team back when she played U6. It was the first time most of these kids have ever played indoor soccer. The first game was not very pretty. We were crushed 7-2. The pace of the game really overwhelmed the kids. They found themselves chasing the ball alot. They were confused by the wall and playing the carom of the ball. You could tell they still had fun. I knew once they game came to them, it would get interesting.

Last week, I watched the game and noticed that our kids were playing pretty good. The big difference was they were keeping up with the game. It was happening, the game was slowing down. We won the game fairly easily and racked up a number of goals. It was obvious that the game had come to Maddie. She scored two goals and had a few assists. She was striking the ball with force, squaring her shoulders and being very aggressive. It was exciting to watch her have so much fun and some success.

Last night, I had to go bowling for VM Wireless and missed Maddie's game. She was apprehensive about the game, because of a conflict she has with one of the kids on the opposing team. It is a boy from school that bullies her and a few of her friends around. I told her, "Go out and have fun, play hard, be aggressive and don't worry about him. Show him you can play hard and maybe he will leave you alone." A few hours later she called me and said, "Dad, I scored 3 goals and we won 6-4." I was so excited for her! Her first "Hat trick"! She told me last night that she loved soccer and that indoor was getting easier! I am very proud of her. She works hard to improve her game. More important, she is developing a passion for the game that you will find within all great soccer players.

I love that she is playing soccer again and having lots of fun!

Big Wednesday...

2007-11-22T20:29:00.000-05:00

I am not sure where to start. My prayer for the evening was that there would be healing, a sense of unity and that God would speak to someone that so needed to hear His voice. I am not sure if all or any of those prayers were answered, but I like to think God is good and makes all things well. I am one to buck tradition. I don't like getting trapped in things we do just because we have always done them that way. At least that is what i tell myself. Big Wednesday had become a River Valley Tradition. Big Wednesday was a tradition that almost wasn't because others (great people mind you) wanted to buck tradition as well. I was onboard with that decision. Why do something just because... is God's heart in that sentiment? Does God want us to keep doing the same thing, just because it sounds like a good thing? I ask that question a lot. Thank goodness God knows better. He orchestrated an evening last night that was absolutely all the things HE wanted it to be and God used people who's hearts were in the right place. I am so blessed that God decided our church needed to continue Big Wednesday at RVCC, it is a wonderful night of worship and fellowship. Not for the sake of the tradition, but for the sake of our spiritual revival.

I have to say that God took care of everything. The words that came out of my mouth, the worship we sang, the unfamiliarity with the worship team and the concern for the success of the event. We measure success in many ways. The room was not full, but it was close. People were singing, very loud. Steve measured the evenings success in baseball terms. God hit a home run. I appreciated that feedback. I don't always measure the success of an event the same way most people might. Tonight, I had to agree with Steve.

I sat in my Jeep for a few minutes after all of the hype had settled and realized what had happened. In those few short moments of clarity, I found myself completely overwhelmed. I heard God. "If you let me, I can fix everything". I think we (RVCC) took a big step towards repair last night. I cried.

One of my favorite John Mayer songs is called "In repair". Although the song has no relationship to this situation, it's title does. We are a church in repair. Through struggle we find character. Through God we find repair. We met with God last night, what a great step to take. He is the remedy. I think... just maybe.. prayer was answered! Amen.

Too many shadows in my room
Too many hours in this midnight
Too many corners in my mind
So much to do to set my heart right
Oh it's taking so long i could be wrong, i could be ready
Oh but if i take my heart's advice
I should assume it's still unsteady
I am in repair, i am in repair

Stood on the corner for a while
To wait for the wind to blow down on me
Hoping it takes with it my old ways
And brings some brand new luck upon me
Oh it's taking so long i could be wrong, i could be ready
Oh but if i take my heart's advice
I should assume it's still unsteady
I am in repair, i am in repair

And now i'm walking in the park
All of the birds they dance below me
Maybe when things turn green again
It will be good to say you know me

Oh it's taking so long i could be wrong, i could be ready
Oh but if i take my heart's advice
I should assume it's still unsteady
Oh i'm never really ready, yeah, oh, i'm never really ready
I'm in repair, i'm not together but i'm getting there

from the crowder concert

2007-11-10T19:23:00.001-05:00

Here is a glimpse from the Crowder Show at Bogarts in Cincy. My ears are still ringing, but so worth it. We were right up front, next to the Subs and Mains. Was loud...

our very own photo shoot...

2007-11-04T23:50:00.000-05:00

Today was a busy day. We had so many things going on, but found a few minutes to play with the camera out in the yard. I am still learning how to use it, i still cant seem to get the shutter speed and aperture correct. I really like the color tones i am getting, but i am losing so much detail. Eye color, skin washed out, and way more mistakes than i really would like to admit. So i guess this is still the trial and error portion of my learning curve. A friend of mine allowed me to take her lens home this weekend to play around with it. It is a 55-200 VR lens. It is pretty nice. It does not do great in low light, but outside mid-day does great! I would be happy with it for the price. Here are a few pictures of our shoot.

it has been a long time..

2007-11-02T09:20:00.000-04:00

WOW! It has been a long time! I have not blogged in almost a month. I had to give it up quite honestly. I really had nothing worth writing about. I was afraid that my posts would be negative or taken the wrong way. I have been running into roadblocks for everything so it seems and I did not want my frustration to come across in my writing. So with that being said, here is a easy post to get back in the game...

We had a great time at our last youth event. We had an Amazing Faith Race! Yes, just like the TV show! It was comprised of traveling(in Pike County), challenges, and riddles. We had a great time. I think we covered about 100 miles! It was awesome! I hope everyone had a great time. Big Ups to everyone that helped organize and participate! Here are some pictures!

Crowders new cd...

2007-10-04T23:53:00.000-04:00

If you are a regular reader of my blog, then you are well aware of my David Crowder Band tendencies. I read his blog, i followed the recording of "Remedy" via webcam, i have tickets to Cincy show in November, i run to his music, i cover his music in worship and i am generally intrigued by him as a person. I could easily go into my usual rant about my inability to write songs. About how my songs are typically simple and stupid to be quite honest. But I won't go there, but i do appreciate how Crowder can mix great riffs and wonderfully pleasing lyrical rhymes.

Of course i was patiently awaiting Crowders new cd "remedy" since April of this year. Well it was finally released on September 25th, 2007. I downloaded and listened to all of the songs. If i can be honest, I was not that impressed. I know it was just a quick listen then off to bed, but very few of the songs really grabbed me. I wanted to be so excited about it. I even told my friends that it was great! I really struggled to find a connection to it. So I put my Shane and Shane cd back in the cd player. I felt the fact that the cd had only had 10 tracks on it and 3 of the songs had already previously been released was a short coming and evidence that Six Steps and Crowders Management group had taken quite a bit of control. I can almost hear the conversation in my head...

Crowder: "So the guys and I have put our brains together metophorically and are pretty stoked about the 15 songs we have commenced preparation of for the new cd."

Management: " David that sounds great, but we see a problem with the number of tracks."

Crowder: "I think 15 tracks is a perfect number, I mean, we put 21 tracks on "A Collision"

Management: " Yeah, about that. iTunes killed us on that one, 21 tracks for $9.99" " We are still trying to recover from that one, we know that your cd was in the top ten of albums on the front page, but we would have taken a loss if it weren't for DCB beating out INXS for Artist of the Year on MSN" " Who would have thought the robots would have purchased so many cd's?"

Crowder: " well...ummmm... we do have some great names for the Cd and some sweet cover art..

Management: "Since we are on the subject...we feel that staying with a letter of the alphabet and a one word theme might not work this time and well... printing costs are starting to rise due to the cost of oil in the middle east, so staying with a 2 color CD cover, one word title will keep costs down."

Crowder: "but we still need to do a continuation of the war on squirrels video, PETA is still all worked up about that one and we were able to spin that into some great marketing!"

Let me state that, In my life I have yet to finish ten songs of my own, so who am i to really complain... maybe he just did not have anymore songs for the cd. Who am I to really say to much, after all.. it is what it is. Christian Music is still an industry. It will always operate that way, and selfishly if I were approached about recording a cd (and I had songs worth recording) I would be tempted.

So the cd has been out just short of two weeks and hitting around 15 play count on the iPod for "Remedy". My opinion is changing. I knew it would. I just had to give Crowders intriguing lyrics, technical loops and heart for God to find its way into my soul. At this point, I don't think there is a song that i skip past while running on the treadmill or driving down the street. I can hear some of these worship songs being sung at the top of our lungs at the National Youth Workers in November. I am already practicing a few of them to lead at RVCC. I appreciate the simplicity and focus in Crowders lyrics on a few of the tracks. The passion from which he finds these songs are amazing. You can feel it. At this point, my favorite track is "remedy". It is simple, passionate, and healing. I can't wait to lead this song next Sunday. I will never be able to do it justice, but the cool thing is RVCC has taken many of the songs we have introduced and made them anthems for our church. I step back from the mic and let them cry out to God. WOW, it is amazing to witness. True worship. They sing them like I remember my old church singing their favorite hymns. We are transforming worship, we are moving in new directions, we are pushing the comfort zone, we are responding to God in ways that make Him the focus. Bands like the David Crowder Band are changing worship, changing rhythm and rhymes, and creating songs for a new generation to cling to and lift to Him.

Thanks for a new line drawn in the sand.... I have more room to work with tomorrow.

He is the one
Who has saved us
He is the one
Who embraced us
He is the one who has come
And is coming again
He’s the remedy...

He's the remedy...

He's the remedy...

He's the remedy...

i read this on a blog I frequent...

2007-09-26T14:27:00.000-04:00

I thought this was great stuff from Tom Brokaw... taken from YSmarko.com..thanks.

addressing the graduating class of emory university, tom brokaw said:

"You have been hearing all of your life that this occasion is a big step into what is called the real world. What, you may ask, is that real world all about? What is this new life? Ladies and gentlemen of the class of 2005 at Emory, real life is not college; real life is not high school. Here is a secret that no one has told you: Real life is junior high."

"The world that you’re about to enter is filled with junior high adolescent pettiness, pubescent rivalries, the insecurities of 13-year-olds, and the false bravado of 14-year-olds. 40 years from now, I guarantee it: You will still make a silly mistake every day. You will have temper tantrums and you’re feelings will be hurt for some trivial sleight. You’ll say something dumb at the wrong time. And you will wonder at least once a week, “Will I ever grow up?” You can change that. In your pursuit of your passions, always be young. In your relationship with others, always be grown-up. Set a standard, and stay faithful to it."

As I reflected on this statement. I realized just how much truth was in all of that. I can look back on the last 20 years and realize that my life has been full of Junior High moments. Most of those moments have been my fault. If you ask my wife, she can tell you I am far from being grown up. I know one day that I will be so old that I can't pull it off any more. My hope is that I can act young, enjoy life like I am young, but find that I am grown up in my relationships. I don't have time for any more of those "Junior High" moments. Junior High was the worst 2 years of my life...lol

my great friend John.....

2007-09-21T01:02:00.000-04:00

Today, was a great day. I got a lot of work accomplished. In the same breath, it was a tough day for me as well. My friend John...well...he is leaving. Today was his last day at work. He is joining the Army. I really did not know what to say to him. I usually have words for every occasion. It is this gift I have, I guess. I can usually say the right thing at the right time. Help people feel comfortable. But today, I did not really know what to say to John. He doesn't leave for another week or so, but it was his last day at work. We have worked together, worshipped together, shot each in Call of Duty and played softball together. He is a great friend. He is probably a much better friend to me than I am to him. He has taught me a lot about creating a piece of software, about becoming a student of the Word, about making decisions about life, giving me advice about missions, and most of all.... John has shown me a person that lives life like Jesus. John has given me a great example to follow.. I thank God for putting John in my life, my fear is that I may never see him again. Until we get to go Home..... I will miss him very much.

first day of Kindergarten for Caroline...

2007-09-06T10:29:00.000-04:00

Today was Caroline's first day of school. Here are a few pictures... I am feeling old, both of my children are in school now and in 13 years Caroline will graduate! Ok..getting ahead of myself...lol.

Shane and Shane...

2007-09-06T09:00:00.000-04:00

Last night a group of 14 of us went to see the Pages tour at the Grove City Church of the Nazarene. We had to rush around to get everyone collected in one place and then to the venue in a timely manner. Once there, I was able to relax. We had about 20 minutes to spare and had a moment to socialize with everyone who came. We saw a few of our Scioto Hills friends who had made the trek from Southern Ohio to enjoy an evening of worship.

I have to preface this by saying...Shane and Shane rock my face off. My good friend JD Hortel told me about them a few years ago and I have been hooked ever since. Shane is an amazing guitar player. I am humbled after hearing him play. I love the vocals, the sound and the lyrics blow me away. I just do not know how to write songs like he does. He is gifted from God.

The openers were Monk and Neagle. They played about 40 minutes. They are a great duo. Just the two of them with their voices and their guitars. I highly recommend them. They released an acoustic cd and this is were they shine. I am not as big a fan when they are with a full band. I think this is where they really showcase their talents. Jen and I saw them open up for MercyMe a few years ago and have been fans ever sense.

Bebo Norman was great. I honestly had not heard his new cd. I have only purchased, "I will lift my eyes" from the iTunes Music Store. I love that song! It is quite amazing to sing with our church community, they have really taken ahold of that song and sing it like it is an anthem! Love it! I sang that song at my Grandmother's funeral a few weeks ago, it will always have a special place with me. Bebo shared a powerful moment about how we are called to help the poor. He was talking about a great ministry called Compassion International. It was obvious that he was speaking from his heart.

Last, Shane and Shane took the stage. They opened up with "Vision of You" and "Yearn". Worship was on at that point.... I am going to admit something, it is been really hard for me to worship lately. I am failing at it miserably. Not tonight! I had a raise the hands, deep in my soul kind of worship experience. Shane's lyrics infect me. They weigh on me in a way that I can't describe or explain. Add the harmonies and I am moved. I don't want to even start on the guitar strumming... humbled.

They continued the worship and played some great Shane and Shane songs...Miss you, Psalm 118, and others. One of the last songs was a new one. It was called "Embracing Accusations". Shane explained the fact that he wrote a song thanking Satan.... so I know the feeling...There are songs i always feel like i need to explain, so everyone will be on the same page..know where I am coming from, so not to offend or confuse.

It is an amazing song that describes the battle that we are in with Satan and how he reminds us continually of our failures and faults and that we are cursed (Galations 3). But in that accusation, Satan forgets the next sentence..."Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us," Simply put like the last line of the song..."Jesus saves". At that point of the worship, I may have been crying. How easy it is for us to forget. I was reminded by the words, by the worship to God, by the singing, by the hearts that Jesus's blood was enough. I fight the battle daily and in the struggle I forget about what is most important. I loose sight of the prize. I find in my despair, it is easy for Satan to remind me of my being cursed. I loose focus. Then I hear Shane sing...."Jesus SAVVVVVVVEEEEEEESSSSSSSSSSSSSS" and it pierces the silence in my heart with joy and redemption!

Fantastic worship! I am sure God was pleased Tuesday night to hear His people singing of His victory!

If you have never heard Shane and Shane...check out a few video's on YouTube. This is one of my Favorite new songs from S&S called "Beg". YOu get to see a little bit of their humor in this one. Great song!

this was a great day....

2007-08-26T22:13:00.000-04:00

Today, Maddie and Jennifer were baptized at RVCC's Annual Baptism. It was awesome. I am so proud of them both! I could go on and on about how this makes me feel, but I will reserve that for another post. Thank you to our Church family at River Valley, they are responsible for helping both Maddie and Jennifer come to the place in their lives they want to publicly show their love for Jesus! Here are a few pictures.... this baptism sponsored by Hall's Automotive, LiveWorship and Nike.... Just Kidding..

Tyler Cornish was baptized too! AWESOME!

this test is full of crap...

2007-08-20T16:54:00.000-04:00

74%

Mingle² - Dating Site

Thanks to Marko...

... and I thought at the last moment... this probably was not a good idea...

2007-08-20T12:44:00.000-04:00

Last night as a group of girls decided to slide down the giant slip and slide at our Youth event, I thought...It is awesome to see all of these kids having fun together. Immediately after that thought, a large number of High school boys slide took off sliding in pursuit of the above mentioned girls... and at the last moment I thought... this probably was not a good idea. A crash at the bottom of the hill ensued and there was a bloody nose, apologies and a rush to go get ice to keep the swelling down. It was the only accident of the night, but enough of one to make me question if there should have been more rules in place to prevent such casualties. But then again, the scratches all over my back and stomach from sliding off the end a few times are proof that I don't always follow rules anyway.

... finally posting the Charlie Hall picture...

2007-08-17T22:45:00.000-04:00

Back in June...I talked about getting to meet Charlie Hall, who has a huge influence on my music. I told you I would post a picture...so here it is...

in honor of the Simpsons....

2007-08-15T10:51:00.001-04:00

I was a big Simpson's fan back in the day....which was 20 years ago. What a run that show has been on. I believe it is just as popular now as it was back then...it has been in reruns for 15 years! Here are a few of my early Simpson's favorite moments...

1. Great halloween episodes! My favorite was the Simpson's version of Edgar Alan Poe's "The Raven". Classic!

2. Christmas episode where Marge takes the kids to the mall to Christmas Shop and finds out that Bart is getting a tattoo. Caught in the midst of his really "Bozz" tattoo, Bart's tattoo reads "Moth" instead of "Mother" and Marge had to spend the Christmas money on having it surgically removed. When Homer gets home from work, he finds Maggie sucking on her Binky and poking the bandage on Bart's arm over and over again... while Bart repeats..."OUCH... quit it!"..."Ouch... quit it!". When Homer asks why Bart has a bandage on his arm, he replies, "It use to be a real bozz tattoo until Mom had it surgically removed."... one of my favorite lines. Funny stuff.

This is me... Simpsonized..

we had a great family day at Kings Island...

2007-08-13T23:19:00.001-04:00

We went to Kings Island today. We had a great time. It was so much fun riding rides. The girls had a blast. Maddie got sick on the Monster and then got shook up pretty good on the Racers. Caroline is a dare devil...she was not tall enough to ride most of the bigger rides and she had a melt down when she could not ride the White Water Canyon. She was able to ride it last year, but the new owners of Kings Island (Cedar Fair, Inc.) bumped up the height requirements on all of the rides. They have reopened the Son of Beast...they took out the loop. That is one mean ride...WOW! Awesome. I had a chance to ride the Beast again...28 years after the first time I rode that coaster and is is still the best!

Here are a few pictures from our day!

our Youth group went bowling tonight....

2007-08-11T01:51:00.000-04:00

We went to Shawnee Lanes bowling with the youth group from RVCC tonight! We had a great time. It was great to see so many participate again. Our attendance has been pretty low all summer long, but tonight we had 16 people and a ton of fun. Here are some pictures from the event...

i sat on the edge of my seat....

2007-08-07T23:49:00.000-04:00

I sat on the edge of my seat. Patiently awaiting his turn to bat again. The crowd was full of energy, on their feet. You can feel the tension in the air. First pitch...ball 1. Second Pitch was low and away. The third pitch was a slider taken for strike 1. He fouled off the next pitch to bring the count to 2-2. The next pitch was low and away again and the count was full. The flash bulbs were going crazy. Everyone on their feet, including me. The next pitch was about thigh high and it was gone. Mike Bacsik gave Barry Bonds a pitch he could drive out of the deepest part of the ballpark. History! Barry Bonds just hit homerun number 756 to break the record held by great Hank Aaron for the last 33 years.

I have been blessed to see many milestone in Major League Baseball. Pete Rose break the all time hits record. Cal Ripkin Jr. break the Consecutive Starts record. Mark McGuire and Sammy Sosa chase after Roger Maris's single season homerun record and countless other great moments in baseball history. I love baseball for the nostalgia and the history. It is still the Great American Past time. I witnessed history tonight and it may never happen again in my lifetime, but then again, records are made to be broken.

i finished Harry Potter the other day...

2007-08-06T09:24:00.001-04:00

So, I finished Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. I must say it was a great story. i will not tell you anything about the story, in case you have not read it yet. I would hate to spoil the ending ;).

I spent a week ignoring anything and everything Harry Potter until I could get the book and start reading... I did not want to know the ending before reading it for myself. I accomplished that task! Here are a few things that I liked....

1. Our little Harry Potter discussion group at work was dead on...we had the booked nailed! Our theories were good, even though Eli did not like it. Sorry Eli!

2. I loved how Rowling portrayed Neville Longbottom! His story of redemption is classic!

3. The life in the the tent....was boring, but took us through some things we needed to know.

4. I enjoyed watching Harry mature in this book. He had always skidded by on a little luck, great friends and being brave enough to take risks. In this book, he had to be brave because he understood the prophesy, but he really had to piece the history together in his head to outsmart the enemy. It was obvious that He had become the man Dumbledore had hoped he would be while living out in the tent.

5. Snape...You love to hate him. What a great character. Rowling kept me so back and forth on my opinion of Severus Snape that I just did not know where he would land. Fantastic!

What a great series of books. Regardless of whether you like them or not, they are well written stories that have inspired a video gaming generation to pick up great literature and jump into using their imaginations.

I bought a camera...

2007-08-02T15:38:00.000-04:00

OK, I finally broke down and spent my money on a new camera! A Nikon D40! It is an entry level Digital SLR and I love it. Of course I still have a lot to learn about al that it can do, but I can already see the advantage of taking pictures with the Nikon. The kit lens is fantastic. It is an 18-55 Wide Angle lens that is great for closeups and snapshots. I am excited to get a nice telephoto lens so that I can pull in some of those great shots. Actually, I really want the ability to get close to Maddie and Caroline during school programs, church musicals, soccer games, tennis matches, etc. Our previous camera is great for snapshots, but just did not cut it for anything more than 20 feet away.

It has been a long time since I was excited about photography. I took some classes in college, but the professor hated every picture I ever turned in to him. At that point in time, I gave up taken pictures of random things. I became a very pointed photographer. I only took pictures of important things like family events, vacations, etc. My Dad was an amateur photographer when I was a kid. I received a Nikon 4004S 35mm Camera when i graduated from High School from my parents. it is still one of my prized positions. It has taken 1000's of pictures with that camera and it still works perfectly.

i am again excited about taking pictures of random things...

BUT...I am no Jaki Good ;)

one of the hardest things I have ever done...

2007-07-30T21:07:00.000-04:00

Today, we buried my grandmother. It was a tough week to be quite honest. I am so a first born child. I have gone all week making sure that I was strong for everyone. It hit me this morning in the shower. I sobbed. It has been a long time since I have done that sort of thing. I had been up late making sure that what I was planning to say about my grandmother was perfect. Well, it did not come out perfect, but I think people who attended her celebration were on the same page. But this morning in the shower, this last week caught up with me. I had all of those stories fresh in my mind. I become overwhelmed with love for my Grandmother. As my family slept, I wept. It was uncontrollable. I had all of this emotion bottled up inside of me and it just burst. When i recovered, I knew I was ready to read my Grandmothers eulogy. It felt good to get that off my chest. It felt good to finally mourn. In that grieving I found acceptance.

This was my Grandmother's funeral, but I struggled with the fact that I never really had any closure with the death of my Grandfather. His funeral was not well planned, to no fault of anyone. I think we were all still in shock. Today, I opened with a few words about my Grandparents as a couple. I talked about how they were different, yet complimented each other so well. I was blessed by their example of marriage. I loved them both very much. Upon saying that last statement, I had to pause to take a deep breath. Closure. Finally, I felt like I could finally move on.

I shared all about how Grandma Perky ( which is what Maddie and Caroline have always called her) was all about serving her family, her friends, and anyone else she came in contact with over the years. I shared about how she was a beautiful example of love. I talked about Francis Chan's quote, "Love is when service doesn't feel like service." I described how Grnadmother lived that exact statement. She loved us so much that when she cared for us, it wasn't like work. She lived to do such things for everyone.

I finally tied in the fact that her being a seamstress was no mistake. She spent her entire life always sewing, patching, and mending our lives together as a family. A beautiful example of love.

I felt guilty as family members thanked me for doing the eulogy. I just wanted Grandma to have her time today. To share something about her, that would make her proud. I could not afford to wait eight years for closure, and neither could the rest of my family. I love them too much to allow that to happen again. There was no need to thank me, congratulate me, or even tell me how proud they were of how I shared Grandma's life. She deserved it. I do not deserve the praise. I shared from my heart. I hope I shared from everyone else's hearts as well.

My Aunts and Uncles will never comprehend how much I love them. I try to tell them, but words just don't seem like enough to do justice. My cousins...well, I can't not put into words how much I look up to them, how much I respect what they have done with their lives, and how proud I am of who they have become as people. They all have had a huge impact on my life and the person I have grown to become throughout my lifetime. I can't thank them enough. I just hope they know that when I hugged them today and told them I loved them, it is love beyond measure...

I wanted to share this scripture today, but felt I was going long so I did not...so I will share it now...

1 Corinthians 13

1 I may speak in different languages of people or even angels. But if I do not have love, I am only a noisy bell or a crashing cymbal. 2 I may have the gift of prophecy. I may understand all the secret things of God and have all knowledge, and I may have faith so great I can move mountains. But even with all these things, if I do not have love, then I am nothing. 3 I may give away everything I have, and I may even give my body as an offering to be burned. But I gain nothing if I do not have love.
4 Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous, it does not brag, and it is not proud.5 Love is not rude, is not selfish, and does not get upset with others. Love does not count up wrongs that have been done. 6 Love takes no pleasure in evil but rejoices over the truth. 7 Love patiently accepts all things. It always trusts, always hopes, and always endures.

8 Love never ends. There are gifts of prophecy, but they will be ended. There are gifts of speaking in different languages, but those gifts will stop. There is the gift of knowledge, but it will come to an end.9 The reason is that our knowledge and our ability to prophesy are not perfect.10 But when perfection comes, the things that are not perfect will end.11 When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I stopped those childish ways.12 It is the same with us. Now we see a dim reflection, as if we were looking into a mirror, but then we shall see clearly. Now I know only a part, but then I will know fully, as God has known me.13 So these three things continue forever: faith, hope, and love. And the greatest of these is love.

Virginia Pettit....

2007-07-27T06:21:00.000-04:00

This morning around 4:15 EST my Grandmother, Virginia Pettit succumbed to her struggle with cancer. It is a sad day for my family. My hope is that they can see that her life was one to celebrate! We must mourn, it is our nature. My experience with death, though limited, has been that the end of a life is filled with sadness. Since I accepted Christ, my outlook on death has been so different. I don't really have that fear of dying anymore. The cool thing is..my Grandma did not have that fear this week either. She accepted that she was at the end of her time on earth, she seemed prepared to go and I believe she was prepared because she knew she got to meet Jesus today. I have never been more Homesick then now....

I love you, Grandma.

Sunday was fun...

2007-07-26T09:03:00.000-04:00

We were invited to play at Fire Fest 2007. The brainchild of a few local people who have a heart for the church's in Waverly to work together! There was some anxiety about worshipping in front of people that have watched us grow up. It is so much easier to worship with people you don't know very well. Worshipping in front of people who know so much about you, your life, your family makes you question yourself. It is an attack. Plain and simple. Here are a few pictures from the event from my great friend and the official pilot of the MFE, Jon Mark Hall.

Since I brought it up, I have to apologize. I play with 2 bands. One is an amazing group of guys God has put in my life to help me grow as a musician. Jim, Dale, Roy, Jesse, and Dan are fantastic people, who use their musical gifts to Praise God in amazing ways. Awesome hearts. I love these guys. I do not get to play with them often enough. We have been trapped in a band name since the beginning...I run, i hide, but it is still there. The Marty Ford Experience. My friend Jesse played a practical joke on me and it has stuck. We just can't escape it. I am embarrassed to give the band name to people for events we are playing. I have had Pastors offer prayer for my "big ego", people laugh because they know I am not much of an experience, and people who love it because they know that I far from the egotist the name suggests.

The second band I play with is the group of kids you see in the pictures. They help me lead worship at church once a month. These kids are incredible. They have developed into great musicians, but even better worshippers. I have seen in them a desire to draw close to God in worship. They understand it is a response and it is not for us. I can't express how proud I am of them and the young leaders they have grown to be. I love being around them, their energy and passion is infectious. I love them like they were my own kids.

Here is the reason for the apology.... These kids have no identity when they are with me. What I mean by that is for the one day of Fire Fest, they were official members of the MFE, whether they like it or not. That was painful for me. I purposefully did not give the organizers of the event a band name so the kids would not be stuck in that band name, self promotion sort of activity. My plan sort of backfired. Instead of calling us the MFE...they called us "the River Valley Worship team". I felt awful about that. Don't get me wrong, I proudly stand up and represent RVCC! But there are so many others not involved with Fire Fest that day that are just as much a part of the River Valley Worship Team. I felt so bad that I sent a text message that night to Steve to apologize. I felt I was offending people either way. Call us "MFE" and the kids fall into the same trap I am in and call us "RVCC Worship Team" and the others who did not participate but belong in that name are possibly hurt.

Sunday was fun. I so need a great band name.

ok..i will play along

2007-07-24T22:06:00.001-04:00

My personalDNA Report

hey Mr. ... would he want my lunch?

2007-07-22T00:36:00.000-04:00

There was boy about 10 years old out playing in the street one day. He was having a great time doing what 10 year old boys do at that age. He had not a care in the world. His world was pretty simple. He would awaken every morning to the chores his parents had planed for him to complete. Once through the list it was off to play with the other neighborhood children until it was time to eat lunch.

As the boy played in the street, he heard the sound of people talking. At first the sound of the crowd was faint, but the noise level grew with ever step closer the rambunctious crowd drew. The excitement filled the air, but what was it all about? The boy wanted to find out! His parents were not interested in all of the hype, but the boy had to follow along, he just had to see for himself. He begged his parents to allow him to follow the growing crowd. At this point there were two, maybe three thousand people walking through the town. The young boy needed to be with all of these people. He just knew it. The ever growing mob was full of energy, curiosity, and laughter. The boy thought it was like a parade!

In the house next door, the the family could not sit and watch the crowd walk by with out finding out more about the commotion. So they packed up and joined the caravan. As they were leaving the house, the young boy begged to join them in their expedition. The neighbors agreed and they were off. As they hit the trail, the boys mother, called him back. She had packed him a lunch. She kissed him on the forehead and said, " Be home by dinner", then sent him on his way. The young boy was so excited. The excited mob was like a new world for him to explore.

As they hiked toward their destination, the boy skipped from conversation to conversation, listening in to the stories that these travelers were telling. The stories were amazing! So many tales, could they all be true? He wanted to believe what people were saying, but even a young boy has his doubts. As they all started to gather at the shore line, the crowd had grown to close to five thousand. They were all waiting with anticipation. As they took their seats, the boy realized that he was no longer with his neighbor. He was lost. He had wondered off and as the mass of people started to grow, it became impossible to see anyone.

The boy worked his way to the front of the crowd. He sat intently listening, watching and learning. After hours of study, the boy started to meander around the crowd looking for his chaperones. It was apparent to others that the boy was searching for someone. A young man approached the boy and offered to help him find his neighbors and while they searched they talked about the day. As they continued their perusing, they boy remembered his lunch his mother had packed him. He was so hungry. There had been so much excitement, that he had forgotten to eat and now his stomach was growling. The boy did not want to eat in front of his new friend, but he was so hungry. He scanned the crowd and realized that everyone was without food. The young man asked him what was so troubling? As the boy answered Andrew, he realized that not only the crowd of five thousand were hungry, but that Jesus might be hungry, too. " Hey Mr, do you think that he would want my lunch?" said the boy pointing towards Jesus. " My mother packed me a lunch, it is not much, just some bread and a few pieces of fish."

Did the boy understand the part he played in Jesus' miracle that day? Do you think that the boy was inspired to give up his lunch?

I know I took a lot of license with the story. I was wanting to know more about the story, so I had to make some of it up. I am reading a book called "The Fisherman". It sheds a little light on what may have happened that day of this miracle. I think that the generosity of the boy to give up his lunch was rewarded by Jesus. He feed five thousand people....

what was he thinking...

2007-07-18T16:19:00.000-04:00

How can he approach someone and force his opinion on them like he did? Doesn't he know that most people are offended by others who are so opinionated that they feel as if they must tell you how to live your life? Why do some people feel as if they must point out your faults? It was like he was trying to save him from the obvious embarrassment that was soon to come His way. How could he have been so bold? How could he have been so brash? I am confused about how someone gains such confidence to tell him He was wrong? I know he thought it would be damaging to His campaign. I know he thought his actions were what was best for Him.

Can you imagine how the conversation took place?

Can you believe that he felt as if he knew better of the plans?

Can you believe the arrogance?

What was Peter thinking when he approached Jesus? When he told Jesus that he was wrong to piss off the religious leaders. I think this entire time, Peter felt as if Jesus was damaging his campaign by making the Pharisee look bad. Peter felt that Jesus needed to have a great relationship with them to further His chances of becoming the great political leader Peter thought Jesus was destined to be. Jesus first told the paralytic, "Son, your sins are forgiven". The Pharisee were all over that...only God can forgive sins! Then Jesus, said He owned the Sabbath. If you are hungry, you must eat. Strike two! Finally, Jesus choose to do good over evil and healed the mans hand on the Sabbath. That was the beginning of the end. Peter felt that Jesus was being to over the top. Peter knew that this bold example that Jesus was God was a major setback to His ministry. Peter decided he needed to set Jesus straight.

How bold is that?

How did Jesus respond?

I think Jesus probably chuckled as he corrected Peter. He probably had a smile on his face. He loved Peter so much at that moment for being brave, but probably was humored by his inability to see the whole picture. Jesus knew that Peter was in this thing for the long haul and was probably happy that Peter stood up and spoke, because it allowed a perfect opportunity to teach. When I read the scripture, it feels as if Jesus was angry with Peter. I don't believe that for a second. I sort of feel like Jesus could have been sarcastic in that moment, but not angry with Peter. It says Jesus rebuked Peter. Jesus knew that Peter only did it because he loved Jesus so much. Peter was still worried about the flesh. How could Jesus say, "Get behind me Satan!" and not sort of be a little sarcastic and with a hint of a smile. Jesus did not intend to crush Peter, for He knew that Peter's future denial would be almost insurmountable for Peter to recover from. He needed Peter to understand that He became flesh, but was still God.

Now, I know I am probably wrong about this, but here is what I love...that I am growing to a place where I can have my own thoughts and ideas about who Jesus is. I seem to look so much deeper in to the gospels. I hate being a superficial christian, where my knowledge is only skin deep. I no longer want to just share the gospel by telling the obvious stories that everyone knows from Sunday School. I want to know the gospel intimately. As I understand Jesus in a deeper and more intimate way, then I can give up more and more to Him.

What was he thinking when he told Jesus, "I think you are doing this whole Messiah thing wrong!" I know Jesus had to laugh and that is why I love Him so much!

I am a Jeep owner so I had to include this....

2007-07-12T10:55:00.001-04:00

Check this out...

http://view.break.com/316051 - Watch more free videos

so I felt it was time to show everyone my tattoo!

2007-07-12T08:46:00.000-04:00

I felt it was time I share my little secret! LOL..thanks to ysmarko

so I can't sleep...

2007-07-10T01:21:00.000-04:00

I have a million things going on in my head. I am so far behind on my blog. I am disappointed that I have not been blogging regualarly. So i am going to upload a few things just to get them out of my head....

A few weeks ago, I lead Chapel at Scioto Hills camp just outside of South Webster. We worshiped, we prayed, and we learned about 1 Peter. It was awesome! Amazing kids, amazing staff and the entire experience was centered around the love of God. I hope they ask me back at some point. A wonderful experience. Thanks Kayla!

I am on a Chrysalis Team for the upcoming weekend. These are amazing weekends where God becomes so real for high School kids. My prayer is that God will take over and keep our humaness from getting in the way. Fly with Christ!

There is a great new show on my favorite network (USA). It is called "Burn Notice". It complements my two other favorite shows on TV, "MOnk" and "Psych". I am watching "Monk" as I type this along with watching/listening to Brad Paisley/John Mayer Crossroads episode. WOW, I wish I could play guitar like those guys!

I lead worship 3 times on Sunday. Two services at church and one service for the girls Chrysalis flight. I felt like all 3 services went very well. "By His WOunds" may have been my favorite...the response was awesome, everyone really entered in on that one. It was the first time we have done that song...they caught on quickly.

I have great friends in my life. You often take them for granted, but I have been thinking alot about how important their roles in my life are in keeping me walking with Christ. thanks. You know who you are....:)

I want 4 things. I feel guilty. Materialism is something we all struggle with in our lives. I fight it too. Sometimes I cave. Sometime having no extra money wins. Sometimes I just research these things, so that I won't buy. In no particular order... a digital SLR camera, a Navagation System (Nuvi 350)for the Wrangler, an iPhone, and one thing that never leaves the list...a new acoustic guitar.

So I can't sleep. I have decided. I am going to do it. It the thing that is keeping me up. I just can't deny it. It may not mean anything. Nothing may ever come of it. But, I have to jump. I promised Jen.

so I picked up some reading material...

2007-07-03T23:44:00.001-04:00

The family and I went shopping and I sort of went book crazy. At one point in time, i was holding 9 books. I was able to ween that down to 6 book before we checked out. What is crazy about this is that I am not a motivated readier. I might be lucky to read 5 books a year. In the past 5 years that has been about half spiritual/self help and the other half fiction. Honestly, for years i could not get into anything other than fiction. But this year, I have already surpassed my 5 books and I am working on book number 10. I do have to count Rob Bell's Sex God in that list a few times. I have listened to that audio book around 4 or 5 times. Great stuff. TOnight I picked up some books from people who I have been wanting to read, but have yet to drop the money. So I picked up some reading material and here is the list:

The Story of Christ by Scot McKnight

The Martyr's Song by Ted Dekker

Uprising by Erwin McManus

The Secret Message of Jesus by Brian McLaren

The Fisherman by Larry Huntsperger

The Bible by God
the New Century Version...I was curious and it was 4 bucks

I have been living out of 1 Peter for a while and so I have chosen to read the Fisherman first. I have so heavy reading to get finished, because I will not want to put of reading the new Harry Potter book when it comes out in a few weeks.

I will post my opinions on the reading as I progress.

this has been a tough week...

2007-06-29T14:58:00.000-04:00

I have to admit. Mentally and physically this has been one of the toughest weeks I have had in a long time. I have been away from my family all week. They have been at VBS and I have been teaching/worship at a Church Camp all week. I have loved meeting these awesome new kids, but it has been much harder than ever to be away from Jen, Maddie and Caroline. I have also found out that I doubled booked 2 gigs on Saturday and don't really have a band to play with for either gig. Honestly, I am tired. I want to quit.

My life is changing. I am not sure how good or bad this is at this point in time. I pray that God knows the why and maybe He will let me in on a little bit of it.

Here is the bright spot in all of this... My daughter got saved, my brother and his wife were baptized and the kids at the camp really responded to worship last night for the first time all week. It was amazing. God gave me a glimpse. I am teaching out of 1 Peter....and last night from 1Peter 4:12-13.. " Dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed." Is this a coincidence? I think not. My best friend Eli said that my message was fantastic last night, i have my doubts, but if it were really a good message...it is because I am living that verse right now. I am personally struggling with trials. I am not sure I can be anymore real to these kids than that! But as I told them last night.... James 1:2, baby...James 1:2

did any one watch...

2007-06-22T02:00:00.000-04:00

It is funny that I posted the AFI video the other day, because there was an AFI special on last night. It was the 10 year Anniversary of the very first !00 Years, !00 Movies. The had a vote to see what the top 100 Greatest Movies of all time were as compared to what they ranked 10 years ago. it was a night of great movie clips from great classic movies... My favorite movie was #25...To Kill a Mockingbird. Laurence Fishbourne added comments about one of my favorite scene in the the movie. He said, "The only thing they could do in the courtroom was stand. To show their appreciation for Atticus, it gets me every time." That is close to his quote. I love the scene for the very same reason.

Citizen Cane was ranked number one yet again.

Here is a link to the list of movies in the order from the show.

http://afi.aol.com/cgi-bin/afi-top10/top100.cgi

What are your 10 favorite movies from the list? i have always had a Marty's top 20 list...but it woudl be interesting to see how people rank only the movies from the top 100 list.

Did any one watch this show? I hope you catch on the replay or Tivo. Totally worth sitting down and watching. I enjoy the actors comments as much as I do seeing the clips.

Here are my Top 10 movies from the AFI 100 Years, 100 Movies...

1. To Kill a Mockingbird
2. Raiders of the Lost Ark
3. It's a Wonderful Life
4. Lord of the Rings:The Fellowship fo the Ring
5. Vertigo
6. Star Wars
7. American Graffiti
8. Rocky
9. The Shawshank Redemption
10.The Sound of Music

Wow, that was hard to narrow down and put into some sort of order...

in keeping with the theme of the last post...

2007-06-19T09:22:00.000-04:00

AFI 100 Greatest Movie Quotes.... Great stuff!

this is very cool....

2007-06-19T09:14:00.000-04:00

This is very cool. I really dig the AFI 100 greatest movies, 100 greatest comedies, and 100 greatest movie moments, etc. These are great shows if you enjoy classic movies or are just a movie junkie in general. Marko had this posted on his blog and I had to put it here... lots of work to make this happen!

How did she become so much smarter than I...

2007-06-18T10:55:00.000-04:00

Last week was just a crazy week in my life. It was the week after a vacation week, so it started off behind. I was behind in the yardwork, behind at work and in life in general. It was my wedding anniversary, it was vacation bible school, and it was very busy at work. It took me the entire week to catch up. I am not sure I have fully brought myself back to where I was before vacation.

I can be honest and tell you that it was not the greatest week of my life for the most part. On Thursday, things started looking up when we went to Vacation Bible School to pick up Maddie and Caroline. When we got there, there was a football game going on between some of the adults, so I jumped in to help. After the younger kids rolled out of the church as we were headed to the car, my daughter Maddie says, "Dad, I asked Jesus into my heart tonight!". I was shocked. All I could do was giver her a hug and tell her I loved her. I must admit that I was skeptical. I hate admitting that fact. But, I took a deep breath and allowed the truth of this news sink in deep before I started questioning. I looked at Maddie and she looked so grown up to me at that moment. But, I still had lots of questions. Did she understand what she was saying? Does she understand the decision she claims to have made? She is 9 years old. How can a 9 year old understand the magnitude of this decision?

Later that night, I tucked Maddie into bed. We talked about how it happened. What was said? Who was there? Why she felt like she needed to make this decision now? Maddie had an answer fo reverything. I am not sure I have ever been more proud of her in my life. How did she become so much smarter than I? I was almost 30 years old before I understood enough to make a decision. Maddie is nine! It was obvious that she understood the magnitude of her decision. She was exctied. She knew the responsibility. She is awesome.

I was upset that I was not there. I was dissapointed that I did not get to be the one to reap the harvest. How selfish am I? As soon as the thought crossed my mind, I remembered that sometimes we plant seeds, sometimes we just get to water the seed, but we don't always get to harvest the crop. My prayer is that some of my water is what put Maddie on this path to make the most important decision in her entire life. I am blessed by realizing that fact.

My prayer for Maddie is that she continues to grow in Christ. That she realizes that there will be things along the road that get in our way. We will make mistakes, make bad decisions, and completly mess up. Through all of that, God still loves us so much that He accepts the truth about our sinful nature. He loves us so much that He just loves us in spite of our faults. I pray that Maddie takes her decision and never fails to shine for Christ. Never be ashamed of your decision, always be prepared to share your hope with others. Always show Christ's love with your actions, with your life. Always share with compassion, because Jesus has compassion for us.

"But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect," 1Peter 3:15 NIV

One of my previous posts, I said I was lost. It is amazing how God answered that prayer. Maddie found Christ. I am no longer lost.

Happy Anniversary!

2007-06-11T19:28:00.000-04:00

Happy Anniversary! 13 years! I hope you have a great day!

Love,

Marty

it has been a while...

2007-06-11T01:09:00.000-04:00

WOW! I can't believe it has been this loong between posts. We have spent the last week in Florida on vacation. I got sunburnt. Then I peeled. This is typical when i dont have a good tan before I go to St. Pete. We had a great time. All we did was lay on the beach, lay around the pool and swim. It was simple, but relaxing. My sister got married in Naples, on the beach. We went to the beach on Fort Desoto. It was beautiful there. I washed the car. We ate at a great restaurant called Snappers. I got to eat at my favorite place, the Alvarez. I ordered the No.7. I swam with Maddie and Caroline...alot. We built sand castles. I showered with a lizard, as the rest of the family screamed and pointed...at the lizard. We played tennis. We walked on the beach, every morning. We did not buy Jennifer anything for her birthday. I played my Baby Taylor daily. We played Minature golf and Smugglers Cove, Caroline and Maddie both had hole in ones. Jen won. Smuggler's Cove was the big winner, we payed 10 bucks a piece to play. We met Uncle Phil's daughter Tonya and her two kids. We were spoiled at the Naples Grande Resort. We were spoiled by Judy and Phil all week long. Phil took us on the boat tour around Teirra Verde. There are millon dollars homes wiht million dollar boats on the docks in front of them. They are all on the water. We drive by them and wonder how poeple pay for all of these things. We went past one house that burnt to the ground later that day. Here is the story...

http://www.tampabays10.com/video/news/?aid=42909&sid=56541

We drove, and drove, and drove some more. We drove through rain and lovebugs. I had to wash the car. Phil taught me the proper way to wash the car. We caught Pin fish off the dock at Phil and Judy's to feed the Blue Herron that camps out in their yard. We saw cows in the fields, each with their very own Eggret. We had a great time. It was just nice to have quality time with the family. Maddie and Caroline faught like cats and dogs. Jen wore her cowboy hat I bought her in Dallas. HOT!

My highlight of the week was hearing about a Charlie Hall concert at Calvary Chapel. This church was awesome! It was in an old Walmart building. The concert was great. Jen and I had a great time. I got to chat with Charlie for a few minutes after the show. Was very cool. Jen took our picture. Charlie and his band were fantastic. I learned so much worshipping with them. This was my week in little snippits. It is 1:48 AM and I can't sleep.

my friends Ed made my day....

2007-05-23T15:41:00.000-04:00

My friend Ed sent me a link while I was focused in a meeting today that MADE MY DAY!

http://ps2.ign.com/articles/791/791042p1.html

Watch out now, I can see Caroline and Maddie jamming on Guitar Hero III!

Maybe for Christmas?

I am lost...

2007-05-22T14:07:00.000-04:00

Ok, Jesus you are messing with me again. I have been studying 1 Peter. I am writing 5 talks that I will be presenting at the end of June at a Christian Camp in Southern Ohio. I am lost. I have been reading and I have so much material. How do I keep from overwhelming the students? How do I make sense of this for myself? Shouldn't I have a good grasp of all this Jesus stuff before I am expected to teach? I am lost. I am struggling in the process of wading through all of the great information that is going on in 1 Peter and choosing what is most important to touch on.
Here are the themes:

The Hope of Christ

Called to Set our Hope on Christ

Called to be Set-apart

Called to Suffer

Called to Submit

Each of those are the topic I need to teach on for the evening...

Oh, Jesus...give me something...kids lives could be impacted...help me. I am lost.

the saga continues.....

2007-05-16T12:06:00.000-04:00

Again, David Crowders takes on the squirrels again...

Hilairious!

This is why I am a fan.

3 dollar per gallon gas has killed the Sunday Drive....

2007-05-13T22:39:00.000-04:00

When I was a kid, my Grandfather loved to take us on a Sunday drive. Pap would pile all of us Grandsons in the car and we would drive. Just drive. He would drive us past old childhood milestones and memories. He would always tell stories about all of these places and things we woudl be driving past, he loved to tell the stories. We would learn about his childhood, his way of life as a young man growing up in Pike County. My grandfather was a twin. He and his brother, Donald were always getting into trouble. They were best friends and did everything together.

Our drives through the country would shed light on all of the mischief that my grandpa and twin brother found themselves. They had many adventures. We heard stories about riding double on a bicycle, on the way to a girlfriends house, and the brakes going out while flying down the big hill on 220. We heard about car wrecks, fishing, war stories and many others i don't even remember anymore. I loved to listen to my Grandfatehr tell stories.

These Sunday drives turned into our own adventures. We woudl drive past Lake White and talk about the big fish we caught. We would jump in the Sunfish Creek when the summer sun was almost unbearable. We would drive up to the Doc's Farm to see if we could see any deer. We watched my cousin Ronnie try to puke into a Pepsi can because he was . We witnessed many things, heard many stories, created a bunch of our own stories over the years, but we could always count on one thing. Every Sunday drive ended with ice cream!

As I drove home from Waverly tonight, I wanted to just drive. I wanted to see the places my grandfather showed me when I was a young boy, but I realized that I could not do that anymore. We are transforming into a society that has to go from point A to point B without straying too far off course. It is just too expensive. We have to maximize our gasoline. The days of Sunday drives and joy rides are almost gone. The 3 dollar per gallon has killed the Sunday drive...

my favorite book has come under attack...

2007-05-07T23:41:00.000-04:00

My friend Eli sent me an IM tonight with sad news...

Eli Ruggles
11:07 dude
11:07 AAAAUUUUUGGGHHHHHHH!

Marty
11:07 what up?

Eli Ruggles
11:07 news is on ( NBC )
11:07 segment just ended about how parents have challenged the 8th grade reading list at some columbus middle school
11:07 they want To Kill a Mocking Bird removed from the reading list

Marty
11:08 what?
11:08 that is crazy...

I can't believe it. How can someone attack one of the greatest books of all time. How can they realistically want to eliminate this classic from the approved reading list? I am in shock and horrified that this could possibly happen. This world has become over the top about being politically correct. I understand that there is language used in the book that, by today standards, is no longer politically correct. Here is the problem, To Kill a Mockingbird was published in 1960. The story takes place in the 1930's. It uses language of the times. So, this has led me on a quest. I found out that To Kill a Mockingbird has been attacked many times before now. It was one of the most controversial books of the 1990-2000's. So maybe this should not be "new" news to me. Read more at the W.

Why am I so passionate about this book? Why do I take this so personal?

When I was a young kid, I read everything I could get my hands on. I loved books. As I got older, I grew tired of reading. Television, video games and sports took over my life and I only read when it was required in school. When I was in High School I had to take an English class that spent half of the school year studying American Literature. Mrs. Wiggins required lots of reading. I just could not get into anything. We were reading classic literature. I was dying. After reading Cliffs Notes to prepare for the tests and sleeping through most of these so called great books, she decided to assign To Kill a Mockingbird as our next book. She looked at me and said, "I really think this book is exactly what will get you interested in reading again". I scoffed at the title of the book and sort of mocked her by reciting the old cliche' "Don't read a book buy its cover?" Mrs Wiggins said, "Just trust me on this one and give it a chance."

I was playing baseball and we had an away game. I knew I had to read the first couple of chapters, but just could not force myself to read on the bus. I threw the book in my bag and focused on the game. After I got home that night, I realized that I had to at least make an attempt to read the first chapter. Mrs Wiggins was famous for pop quizzes and I at least had to know who the characters were in the story. I started reading. I finally put the book down around 4AM. I had read it cover to cover. The story came alive. I felt like I was in elementary school again, when books use to come alive to me. When I was excited about reading stories!

The next day at school, Mrs Wiggins asked me if I was able to get through the first chapter. I said, " I read it." She laughed, "Good, at least you will be able to tell me who the characters are and a little bit about them." POP Quiz. I wrote a book. As she graded the quizzes, we read for our next assignment. I watched as she got to my quiz. She peeked up at me and I quickly glanced back at my book. She laughed and said, "So...you went to the library and found the movie!" MOVIE? There was a movie?

I told her that I had stayed up half the night and read the book completely. She thought for sure I knew that there was a movie, and that was sort of the reason she picked the book. She thought I could watch the movie, since I struggled staying focused on any of the books she had assigned up to this point.

I fell in love with the story. It was my favorite read. It still is my favorite book. To Kill a Mockingbird effected my life in ways I can't explain. It gave me such a great example of why racism is wrong. It showed me that there are still good people in the world. It taught me to stand up against hatred and racism. I looked up to Atticus Finch, he was a man I hoped that I could emulate. I hoped that I could be as brave as Jem. I loved Scout. Dill reminded me of a friend I grew up with in Kingston. I knew men who were ignorant like Bob Ewell and we had our own mysterious character like Boo Radley in the town I grew up in as a child. My heart broke for Tom Robinson and his family. Harper Lee hit a home run with this story. She never wrote another novel. It was converted to a screenplay in 1962 and Gregory Peck won an Oscar for his portrayal of Atticus Finch the following year. You just don't sit down and write stories like this, I think you have to live them.

I have read the book too many times to count. I wrote a college paper for a Philosophy class titled, "Why Atticus Finch is a virtuous man". It has occupied the top spot in my "Best books of all time" list (the Bible is obviously the greatest book;) ) since the day I closed it at 4AM. The movie tops my favorite list too. I secretly wanted to name my daughter Maddie after "Scout", but I knew that would not fly with Jennifer. So I gave the name to our Chocolate Lab. I am a big Third Day and Mac Powell fan and after perusing through Mac Powell's bio on their website, I found out that To Kill a Mockingbird is his favorite book and movie as well. Mac named his daughter Scout, and that is so cool.

It is obvious that Harper Lee wrote a book that has had an impact on lots of people. She wrote a book that was real, true and controversial. She wrote this book in 1960 that used a particular word that today is considered, not politically correct. I do not use the word, I have never used the word. To Kill a Mockingbird taught me that the word is offensive. Please do not allow a few words to destroy the opportunity for a great piece of American Literature to change young students views of racism and hatred. This book won a Pulitzer Prize. The movie won an Oscar. There are so many other books that could be removed from the reading list. To remove To Kill a Mockingbird from the approved list would be like the story itself, to quote Atticus Finch..."it's a sin to kill a mockingbird".

the Dr. Pepper House story has been confirmed...

2007-05-01T12:53:00.000-04:00

I have been telling a story about David Crowder and his house for sometime. This confirms the truth and maybe will score me points with my wife who thinks I make up all of the story I tell...