i was running . . .

like so many of you out there I have download the new “43things” app from the app store on my iphone.  and have made an extensive list of the things that i want to accomplish this year.  i have ran for the past two days & am reminded of my freshman year of high school.  my cross country coach would give all the new freshmen a pep talk and it went something like this.

“freshman you are in cross country now.  there are over 2000 students this year who will go to gym class.  they will over the course of a 45min gym class run one mile around the track.  boys we eat those people for breakfast.”

I loved my coach.  His name was Coach Serrano.  He was one of those coaches that would run with you, not just order you to do stuff he couldn’t do.  He was the greatest running coach I ran for in my career.

well here is to eating those people for breakfast.  i was barely able to run for 15 mins.  hopefully that will change this month.

Filed under: Health/Fitness, Personal/Life Goals

You’re so vain you probably think this blog is about you

I just was browsing the itunes app store for new cool apps and came across this.

I wonder if we ever stop and think how vain we can become as a society.  just a random thought that popped into my head.  make me think of that song.  You’re so vain.

Filed under: Fashion

31 day focus

I was in the shower today where a lot of my inspiration seems to come from lately.  The thought came to me what if I could focus my attention for the next three months on different areas of my life.  So this is what I came up with.

First 31 days  - Spiritual

I’m planning to read thru the entire bible in 31 days.  I think it is somewhere around 27 chapters a day.  Don’t know if you are someone who reads the bible every day, or if you are a hit and miss reader.  the focus is to not check something off of a to do list, but to be awed, challenged, and inspired by God’s redemptive story.

Second 31 days  -  Mental

In school I took what was equevalent of 5 years of Spanish, matching that with my 2 semsters of 2nd year college Spanish + my mexican background most people think I am fluent in Spanish.  However this is not the case.  So for 31 days I will surrond myself in Spanish again.  I don’t plan to be fluent on the other end, but just start the process of learning the language again.  Hopefully along the way my kids will begin to learn with me.

Third 31 days –  Physical

I have established a life goal that in 5 years a good friend and myself will be swimming the English Channel.  I refuse to be sitting here 5 years from now and not any closer to the goal.  So my last 31 days of focus I will be waking up at 6 am heading to a local pool and begin the process of training for the English Channel.  I think training in the water will make the life goal more of a reality then my land training has thus far.

Here is to many more inspirations in the shower, and I will let you know my progress along the way.  Hopefully I will grow by continuing in old disciplines, and by starting some new ones.

Filed under: Personal/Life Goals

A “Lent” Fast

                              FAT TUESDAY

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The feast before the Fast.

I just read again on Wikipedia [which we know is the most reliable soure of information] some of the orgins of Lent.  There was one paragraph that stuck out to me.

“There are traditionally forty days in Lent which are marked by fasting, both from foods and festivities, and by other acts of penance. The three traditional practices to be taken up with renewed vigour during Lent are prayer (justice towards God), fasting (justice towards self), and almsgiving(justice towards neighbour). ”  

My heart is challenged and the voice of God is speaking for me to devote myself to prayer, to practice fasting, and live out justice over the next forty days.  So my beautiful wife and I are entering a Daniel’s fast with periodic fasts dispersed in-between along with some forms of media we are restraining from.  I am excited to see what God does during the next forty days.  Easter is Coming!  Resurrection is on its Way.  What is it that are you devoting yourself to the days leading up to Easter?

Filed under: Food

the memories

just wanted to share these . . .

months before we left texas

little josiah

little micah

little angela

my son matt, and good friend matt shireman

not to long before we left pittsfield

this thanksgiving

pics of when we left texas,  there were 3 of us.  and in pittsfield, then family pic before we left pittsfield.  and then the last pic is our whole esca fam [minus matt c.  he was not with us] at thanksgiving right before we are going to move to texas.  God has blessed us with so many friends.  as i packed the memories came flooding back in.  I love my family and friends.

Filed under: Family

a big move . . . an exciting adventure

God has been challenging me over the past few months to ‘live the adventure’. To take every moment in and to not just go thru the routines of life, but live every moment on purpose. I have been asking Him exactly what this looks like in our life at this point. We were invited to join the staff at Riverside 2 and 1/2 years ago. It has been such a growing experience and a major learning experience for our family. A month ago we were invited to visit The Oaks to see what God was doing in their church and if that might be a place God was leading us to. This past week we have accepted a position to be Pastors for the Gathering which is the young adult ministry at the Oaks. We are so excited, a little nervous, but confident this is the next step God has for us. We are going to miss being in Illinois. We have so many friends spread across the state in ministry that we have made the past 10 years.

I know for us this is living the adventure. This is following the voice of God into the unknown. We already have made so many friends in Texas because that is where I met Sara and attended Bible College. Please pray with our family as we walk thru these next few months of transition. We are stepping out to follow God’s voice. I know that these next days will be the best of our lives.

Filed under: Church, Family, Leadership

a show we are “lost” without

thanks to my good friend jeff kossack i now have joined the group of “lost” fanatics.  we feel in love with the characters, the good, the bad, and the hurly [he is one of my favorites].  we watched the first season on a dvd set in two days.  now it has become part of our thursday traditions [i know it comes on wednesday night, but we have church so we download it].  it was disappointing to hear that this year the producers decided to not run the seaon until january.  there was a leap in my heart last week when I saw a preview for season 5.  thought i share a sneak peak for those that have not seen the new previews yet.

LOST SEASON 5 BEGINS IN JANUARY 21

more about “LOST SEASON 5 BEGINS IN JANUARY 21, 9…“, posted with vodpod

Filed under: tv/movies

a bag full of hair

Filed under: Uncategorized

the heart of the father . . . and mayo

many of you are familiar with my food laws.  [future post to come on complete list of food laws.  stay posted]  we were sitting at the lunch table today as a family and micah made a  comment about his disgust with any sandwich containing mayo.  which led to a conversation between my wife and me about how he is too much like me.  but in that moment i was so happy.  i love the fact that my sons are like me.  [which led to a teaching moment from Horton Hears a Who, but that is a different post].  Sara began to comment that he should not dislike mayo just because i do.  Then because I turn everything into a sermon I broke into my “heart of the father” sermon.

I said it is the heart of every father that their sons would be like them.  That is what God wants from us, for Him to be reflected in us.  He wants us to become more like Him.  so bottom line.   my kids dislike mayo and it brings joy to my heart.  when we start to dislike sin and injustice it brings joy to God’s heart.

are you bringing joy to God’s heart today?

Filed under: 13514073, Family

just another twitter post

i am addicted to twitter.  not all addictions are bad.  right?  so just hit the 1500 mark.  and wondering if i can hit the 2000 mark before the end of the year?  some of my peeps said by saturday.  but that might get annoying

and like most of you I check my twitter grade weekly.  i keyed in my location and found that I am number 7 in the whole peoria area.  I was number 2 last week.  not good for one week I dropped 5 spots.  my goal is by the end of the year to be back up to number 2 again.  we’ll see if i can make my goal by the end of the year.

Filed under: Technology, twitter