Me And Habakkuk

Hello?? Is this thing on?? Mic check... mic check...

Now that you are listening, let me ask you a question. How are things in your life right now? How is your walk with God? How has He chosen to answer your deepest prayers or your strongest hopes and dreams?

It's always said that God works in mysterious ways. I know that isn't a new thought, but let me ask this: Why is it that we consider His ways "mysterious"? We often say that it is because "God's ways are not our own..." or because "He works all things for His good...". While these things are certainly true, I think the reality is that we label God's actions and directions as mysterious because they don't line up with how we would have handled any number of situations. The word "mysterious" is our politically correct replacement for "illogical", "undeserved" or "confusing". Insert any number of words in its place.

"Mysterious" is what we say when we are in public, while "wow, God... that really hacks me off" is what we say in private. Come on, you know it's true.

I've been thinking through some situations lately that have, for lack of a better term, really caused me some hurt. Things that I really didn't expect to go any other way, but yet they grind at the very core of my mindset.

At least one of the situations involves an individual that I believe would sell his own heart if it meant stepping up in the world in stature. The funny thing is... it appears that it is paying off for this individual. Wow, God... Your answers sure are mysterious!

A couple other situations relate to dear friends who are suffering or have suffered far more than one would ever think they deserve. Wow, God... Your ways certainly are not our own. Wow, God... You sure works all things for Your good.

Yet some others relate to how I expected God to answer some long held prayers, when in reality His answers came back so far from my expectations that I'm still recovering from whiplash. Wow, God... Your ways certainly are not our own.

For those who might think my comments are sarcastic toward God, I assure you they are nothing of the sort. Consider them public reminders to myself and please... continue reading.

I'll be honest, I'm a person who really would rather carry his own emotional burdens and stuff it all inside, but the more I do this, the more my compassion and contentment are replaced with bitterness and frustration. I've had to make a conscience effort to pray for my own attitude and for the very people and situations involved in the things that frustrate me so... though I struggle not to do so with gritted teeth.

Working through all of the thought processes associated with a personality such as mine, reminded me tonight of the book of Habakkuk. If you know the story at all, Habakkuk essentially called out to God with his frustrations about the injustice and inadequacies of the world around him. He expected the Lord to act differently. He expected the Lord to respond with the same action and in the same time frame as he, himself, would have.

God responded to Habakkuk with a reminder of who holds the power of all. He reminded Habakkuk who holds the ultimate authority. He reminded Habakkuk to not put too much merit in the way things appear, but to put faith in a God of response, who executes His plan with perfect precision.

Habakkuk closes with a prayer to God, rejoicing in who He is... rather than what He hasn't done (in accordance to what we believe His will should be). I'm not sure if Habakkuk's prayer is really one of a convinced man or is more one along the lines of "I know in my heart that this is true, so God please help me to act accordingly when my faith is weak".

Regardless of intent, there is one line that stuck out to me tonight. It reads as follows:

Habakkuk 3:18 (NIV)
yet I will rejoice in the LORD,
I will be joyful in God my Savior.

I love the fact that it begins with "yet". Though the verse prior uses poetic illustrations of "bad things", this is Habakkuk's way of saying "Lord... These things really stink... *yet* I will rejoice..."

I'm not sure what you are struggling with in your own life right now, but for me... this was a good reminder that I am not God... That complaining about the imperfections of others is no excuse for pretending I don't hold many of the same flaws. I could go on and on, but I think you get the picture.

I need to work toward my "yet" prayer.

Lord, I am broken in more ways than I can count.

I expect You to act in whatever ways I see fit, paying more attention to my own idea of a perfect plan than I do Your perfect will... and I ask Your forgiveness for this.

Lord, let me rejoice in Your works and your ways, even if they truly are mysterious to me.

Let me be a part of whatever it is that You desire and let me not hold bitterness towards others that are a part of what *I* desire.

Let me love others in spite of their flaws, just as You do with me.

Restore my content and compassionate spirit and allow me to live for You instead of for me.

And all God's people said... Amen.

In Him,
Jim

Cat Got Your Tongue?

OK... so I guess this past year has been one of the bigger absences from my little corner of the blogosphere that I've ever had. I was just reading some of my more recent posts and realized that just a few posts back I talk about the birth of my youngest son... who is now over a year old. So what gives?

There are all the typical excuses: Life got too busy, not enough time, blogging is going out of style (not that I've EVER been known as stylish), life has had some difficult changes over the past year, I've got nothing to say (I'm sure most who know me wish that this would be the case)... but the truth is, it just slipped my mind. It dropped on the massive scale of my priorities.

While I don't think it's a bad thing to re-evaluate priorities and while I certainly don't think that blogging about my life to a handful of those who are interested is necessarily a "high" priority as it relates to other things happening, there are a couple things that disturb me about my silence. First, it shows me how easily I tend to stray from something and second, it shows how easily I forget to reflect upon what God is doing in my family's lives.

It has been an amazing and difficult year. Countless things have occurred that have run the gamut of excruciating to amazing... some even could be classified as both. God has done things that I never thought possible. He's presented heroes in the most unlikely forms. He's pushed open doors that I never knew existed. He's shaken ground that I thought was hearty and strong. He's allowed challenges that have torn at the very core of who I am as a person... yet, He's also shown me that above all else, He is faithful to His children... even when I've set Him aside like the blog posts of yesteryear.

I don't want to be silent. I want my voice, heart and mind to remain focused on the God who has shown Himself to be anything by silent over the past year. I want to be willing to share the wonder of how He's been working in my family... not just so that others can be encouraged, but so that I too can continue to reflect upon the one who is not silent... rather than letting it slip away.

Why is it that we are most silent when God is working the most in our lives? Interesting...

All of this to say, that I hope to be more active in sharing again. I have no idea what that will look like, but will say that I hope it looks like Him.

In Him,
Jim

Wow...

What a month it has been. Life has been (as they say) crazy for a while at the Coates household.

Within the last month, we've had the regular festivities of Christmas and New Year's (and the various family visits associated with said holidays), as well as a few other things. Let me give you an idea...

In the beginning of December, I played my third year with "Tribute". "Tribute" is a group of three ladies that put on a fantastic show once a year around Christmas. The night is filled with humor, comedy and of course Christmas tunes. Three years ago, I was asked to fill in for their regular guitar player, Bruce. Even though Bruce has been back the last two years, they've still asked me to join the festivities.

The show sold out all 4 nights that it played this year... a great testament to the quality of the show they put on. Its also one of the few events during the year where you will actually see me in dress pants versus my normal jeans. *grin*

December also brought the celebratory return of Parkview Evangelical Free Church back to the building it occupied prior to the Summer floods in Iowa. From June through December, the church met at a local high school... setting up and tearing down the entire church on a weekly basis.

The building is now put back together and is better than ever!! I look forward to many more weekends of worship there at the building!

December also brought on a crisis situation with our house. To make a long story short, half-way through the month we learned that we needed to have our basement complete by the end of December or "suffer the consequences" as they say. We'd been working on the basement for 3 years, but still had a long way to go.

I'm happy to say that by God's grace, the help of several dear friends, the patience of my boss and an inspector that was willing to answer all kinds of questions, we made the deadline!!

The basement still has a few things to be completed before we can actually enjoy the space (carpet etc), but the city is satisfied with the work and the rest of it should hopefully be completed soon.

Last... but certainly not least... this past Friday morning, my wife and I welcomed our *5th* child into the world!! Brooks Joseph Coates was born around 9:25 AM on Friday morning.

We were able to bring him home today and are in the process of spending our first night back in the house.

I'll write more soon, but thought today was an appropriate day for an update.

I hope you all are well and I pray that God will continue to draw us to Him and shape us in this new year.

In Him,
Jim

Stop Or Go

Recently, God's been teaching me a lesson on perspective. His perspective versus ours. I'll admit it... I'm often one to focus on the rip in the silver lining (*grin*), so this is an interesting, painful and tedious lesson to unravel.

I would be curious to know your thoughts on this. How do we differentiate God teaching us through adversity (while working toward a goal) versus God presenting adversity to steer us away to another path?

Let me present a hypothetical example: You work at Wal-Mart. You enjoy working at Wal-Mart and have peace in feeling like you are meant to be there. You might even say that you feel called to work for Wal-Mart and believe that you are well suited for work at the customer service counter (though you currently work in the warehouse). Of the 5 or 6 people you began your employment with, 4 of them have since moved on to be customer service workers... seemingly with little effort... while you remain in the warehouse having been passed over 4 or 5 times.

Would you say that A) God is protecting you from being in customer service, even though you believe that's where you should be, B) God is refining something in you to better prepare you for your customer service roll, C) God has nothing to do with it... try harder or D) some other answer?

Obviously, this is NOT my situation, nor are the answers I presented the only way of looking at things... I just thought it would be interesting to hear how you all would reconcile the situation.

Let me know your thoughts!

In Him,
Jim

We Serve A God Of Wonder

Have you ever sat quietly and thought about how amazing God really is? Marveled at the wonder of His ways? Truly tried to be aware of His presence?

This past week has been filled with what we call around here "God winks". That's actually a term that my wife and a couple of dear friends have used for quite some time. I don't know if its original to them, but that's where I learned it from.

Let's start off with an update on a situation: My throat. As some of you may know (if you read a few posts back), I had an appointment to see an ENT physician about some stress and strain on my voice. I think my primary physician categorized it as "chronic laryngitis". I've had struggles with keeping my voice healthy for a while... it is usually fine when I really need it, but then I'd pay for it for a day or two after from the strain.

I had the chance to sing for a friend's wedding (Hey Katie and Eli!!) back a month and a half ago. I know God was protecting me, as I was sick but managed to make it through a day of rehearsals and the actual wedding. However, immediately after (the next week) I pretty much lost my voice completely, which is what prompted the ENT visit.

Well, in order to not drag this on - I was concerned that I had nodules on my vocal cords, which are actually like calluses and can cause all sorts of problems with your voice. After two visits to the ENT and having cameras pushed down my throat, I am pleased to say that they didn't find any.

The doctor said that I have acid reflux and allergies... both of which cause vocal fatigue and "crud in your throat". Both treatable by medication.

Sorry for that long update... that's not really the purpose of this post, but I wanted to let everyone know how it was progressing. I still have two more doctors appointments to test for allergies and check treatment options.

Now... what I wanted to talk about is how God stirs us. How He communicates in ways and through things we don't expect. How if we really pay attention to Him, He shows up in some unusual places.

A while back a friend from the church I lead worship at came across a familiar name on my blog. Turns out the person named was ALSO a friend of his!! Mr. Smith (I'll call him that since it really is his name) got in touch with Caesar (That's not his name, but it is easier to type than his real name!) and mentioned my blog. Caesar checked it out and decided to get in touch with me... after we hadn't really communicated for several years.

Anyhow Caesar (his last name is Czerwinski... get the connection?) has since been in contact with me several times. Its been great reconnecting with my friend... he was the director of the very first praise team I ever served on many, many moons ago. He was a great encourager then and an even better one now.

Rumor has it that he even had his worship team at his current church read my blog... maybe he was trying to get his 15 seconds of fame!! I'm joking of course... Caesar is one of the nicest, most servant-hearted people I know.

I won't go into details, but God seems to have brought him back into my life at this time to stir some possible answers to some very recent, but very real prayers. Answers that are so far outside the box from what I was expecting.

Maybe those answers will turn out to just be more questions, but none the less my friend reminded me of the wonder of the God we serve. How unpredictable His path is by human reasoning, but how sweetly and perfectly predictable His faithfulness to us and grace and love for us are.

Now... here's more fuel for the fire. 24 hours prior to Caesar calling me, I had sent a prayer list to another friend in Texas (Hey Emily!!) and had a conversation with my wife about a particular prayer request.

I tried very hard on the list I sent Emily to be honest about my family's prayer needs. I wanted to ask for prayer in areas that would only be answered by God's hand. It just so happens that one of the things Caesar felt like he needed to talk with me about was one of those prayer requests. He had no knowledge of me sending them to Emily.

Also on that SAME day, I got emails from two other long, lost friends... basically all checking in to say they were "thinking about me".

It has truly been a strange, strange week. I'm not sure how it will all resolve and that may not even be the point... I think the point for me today is just to be in awe of the God we serve and how amazing it is that He interacts with us the way that He does. This isn't a spectator sport and we aren't simply pawns in a game.

I told my friend Jim from PA about the prayer email and how it didn't even take 24 hours for some of it to be addressed... Jim's comment back to me was along the lines of "What?! You don't think God can read emails!?"

So... I'm not sure where you are all at with your personal walks. Not sure where your desires and convictions are... but I pray that you would look for God around every corner and behind every situation that exists in your life. I promise you He is there and that once we quiet our own voice to hear His, we might just be surprised by His presence, blessed by His love and kept in awe of His wonder.

In Him,
Jim

In Sickness And In Health...

Hey all. Sorry it has been such a long time since I last wrote something here. Life has just been... well... busy, like life tends to do from time to time.

How have you all been? Seriously... I'd love to know. I never know who reads my little rants and raves in my small corner of the internet. I don't claim to have any wonderful insights that people would line up to read and I certainly break the rule of "sharing too much" to the point that people probably shy away. Still, it always amazes me the little notes or comments I get from people... many of which I had no idea ever visit here.

So what's new with me? I've been sick... really sick. I'm on my third week of various "cruds". At first I had the flu. Followed immediately by a cold.

The amazing thing is that I had a wedding to sing at right in the middle of those two. I worried that I wouldn't have a voice, but God somehow saw it fit for me to be able to sing for literally about a 72 hour period.

Its usually the case that I push the limits of what my body wants to do when I am sick. I usually try to downplay being sick and stay active in events. Even this past weekend, I was to play a coffee shop gig with my friend Paul and I was certain that I'd pull through for that one as well. My body had different plans. I played the show, but I had no voice to sing with... so I simply played "guitar monkey" while Paul did all the singing.

What was my body's answer to me pushing it so hard these past several weeks? A throat and sinus infection. Barely any voice, fevers, chills, shakes, night sweats, headaches, joint pains... Its been a miserable last week. So much so that I finally caved in and asked my wife to schedule an appointment with the doctor (I dislike going to doctor's offices).

He put me on some horse pills to fight the infection. Coupled with that is a nice concoction of cold and sinus medicine, pain killers and sleep aids... this of course leaves me in a medicated state. I know what you're thinking and yes, the doctor DID tell me to take these things.

I feel better today than I did two days ago, but I'm certainly not back to 100%... not even 80% yet...

Since I rarely go to doctors, I took the opportunity to talk with my doctor (who by the way is the same age as me... its really kind of strange) about an ongoing complication I've had. For the past several years, my voice has tended to give out with little to no warning. It doesn't go away completely, it just loses some of its range and makes it difficult to sing. It will usually be the case that I can make it through a rehearsal for a service, but by the time the service starts my voice is so warn out that I can't sing what I was just able to 30 minutes before. I also often find my voice scratchy or cracking while I'm talking. I've worried about this for some time, but just haven't done anything about it.

The doctor told me that it could be one of three things: acid reflux, allergies or nodules on my vocal cords. Acid reflux and allergies can be treated with medication. Nodules often require vocal rest at the least and surgery (with weeks to months of vocal rest) at the worst. If surgery is needed, there is the possibility of not being able to sing or having a completely different sound to your voice.

He referred me to an ENT specialist. The scheduler called them right then and there to set up an appointment (which I was expecting to be weeks out, knowing how medical schedules are)... my appointment is TOMORROW.

I don't want to be a hypochondriac, but I'm certainly nervous about what they will tell me.

I'd appreciate prayers over this matter.

Something else I should mention... I'll be participating in this year's Worship Summit here in Cedar Rapids. I'll be playing guitar for a couple of the groups through the weekend and teaching break out sessions during the day on Saturday. The biggest news for me in regards to the Summit, is that I will be the keynote speaker for Friday night!! I was involved in working with a few national artists for the keynote spot on Friday, but it seems that God had other plans. I kept having this thought of a particular topic going through my head. I asked my friend Paul what he thought and before I knew what I had done, I was the speaker. *grin* Seriously though, I'm looking forward to it!!

I strongly recommend you looking into the conference if you are in the Cedar Rapids area. Its going to be a good one this year!!

Thanks for letting me bend your ear... I'll try to be more "up to date" here as I learn more about my throat and my head climbs out from beneath the fog of medication.

In Him,
Jim

This Is Dedicated To The One I Love

Ok... so I'm borrowing a line from the Shirelles song... you got a problem with that!? *grin*

I've been sitting up in my office tonight replaying some events of the last couple of days. I've had several "inspirational" moments that have been enjoyable and caused me deep thought... but I decided that those things are not what I want to write about tonight.

Instead I would like to tell you about a person whom I have the honor of calling my best friend... my wife, Ashley.

Tonight we attended a banquet for The House of Hope in Cedar Rapids. The House of Hope is a ministry that strives to help women learn about themselves as children of God. They deal with many issues that I know are near and dear to the hearts of many women (physical and mental health, relationships, mentoring, prayer life etc.).

Ashley got involved with The House of Hope a few years back. She was at a point in her life (we actually both were) where she was trying to break free from some things that she felt hindered her walk with God.

Let me just stop for a minute and tell you how proud of Ashley I was (and am) when she told me that she wanted to try to get free from some of these issues. She wanted to be a better mom, a better wife and most of all a better follower of Christ.

You see, Ashley and I have been on a kick for the past couple of years of trying to be real in our walk. Sometimes we do better than other days, but the point is that it is our sincere hope to actually be what we claim to be as a believer.

During Ashley's two years of taking classes and being involved in the lives of other women in the community, I can tell you without a doubt that I have seen a HUGE change. Its amazing thing when you get to watch a person who already had a beautiful heart change, grow and cling closer to God as their heart grows even more beautiful.

She'd be the first to tell you that she thinks she has a long way yet to go... but I'll be the first to tell you that we ALL do and I've seen incredible change already.

Let's fast forward to tonight. A few weeks back, the staff at the house asked Ashley if she'd be willing to share some of her testimony for a video that they wanted to show at the banquet. She agreed (if you know Ashley, this in itself was a big step in her breaking out from underneath some fears).

Needless to say, I saw the video tonight at the banquet and she did an awesome job. I leaned over and whispered in her ear after the video "wow!! I'm married to a movie star!!"

If you could see the ground that she has crossed in the last two years... witnessed the tears that fell... talked through the changes of heart and the increased desire to be a light into people's lives... I know that you would be as proud of her as I am.

I married an amazing woman. I couldn't be more proud of her... not because of the video, but because of all the things that she is laying before God's feet and allowing Him to truly speak into her life.

Yep, I married a star... one of God's own.

Jim

Ya, Hey Der!!

Well, I just returned from a quick trip up to Duluth, Minnesota to see my family and you know what? I really have nothing bad to say about the weekend.

Sure, there were a few bumps and the weather was a little on the cold/rainy side... but it was a chance to see some people and get away from the rest of life for a little while.

Everything started on a high note when I decided to email a friend (if he is ok with me calling him that) to see if there was any chance he could meet me for coffee on my way through the Twin Cities. This individual has been someone that I've respected greatly in the music industry and have been trying to get to know better over the past several years.

Much to my surprise, we were actually able to get together (he even drove an hour round-trip to make the meeting).

I'll be honest and say that it was very refreshing to sit and talk with this individual. Not only did he have a lot of positive things to share about how he and I relate to the music industry, but more importantly we were able to discuss quite a few spiritual things.

I think one of the most impressive thing was that as we ended the meeting (his daughters were having a High School Musical 2 party, so he had to get home), he asked what he could do to help me out. I have no reason to doubt his sincerity, so I have to tell you that it says a great deal about this individual's character.

Not to mention that it was my first visit to a Caribou Coffee shop... and they have awesome white chocolate hot chocolate!

Great way to start the weekend!

We got to Duluth after dinner that night and spent some time hanging out with family. Any concerns we had about things being "tense" (we hadn't been together as a family for over 3 years) quickly dissipated.

It was just a matter of minutes before we entered into the same routines as last time we visited. Jokes were made, card games were played, food was consumed.

My oldest brother-in-law Todd even challenged the majority of us to fußball. After several attempts at taking him down, I must humbly admit that he is indeed the champion.

I have to give a big hand to my wife... she was a huge example of servanthood throughout the weekend. She watched kids (9 cousins total!) while me, my brother and my two sisters goofed off, she put up with sharing a cramped single bed with my daughter for the three nights we were there and most importantly, she took some time to sit down and discuss some pretty deep and significant spiritual issues with one of my siblings.

This of course all came after taking the kids and walking around a scary mall while me and my friend met for coffee on the first day.

What can I say, I married an awesome lady.

So... now I'm back at my desk, facing what could be a busy and stressful week... but I am very thankful for this past weekend and the various parts of life that were touched by it.

So there you have it... I could go on and on... but I'll maybe save some of it for future posts!

In Him,
Jim

Does This Mean I've Lost Control?

This past weekend, my family was blessed with a chance to spend some time with a couple of friends from Minnesota. They came down to be a part of the "Connect!" service that I help organize at Cedar Valley Bible Church here in Cedar Rapids.

You see, Jason is a very talented musician and a gifted speaker... so we put him to work!

We ended the evening by going out to a local restaurant... Jason and his wife... and my whole family (all 4 kids included!). Do you feel sorry for the Minnesotans yet?

Jason and I ordered meatloaf. The ladies ordered soup and salad. I'm pretty sure there is some sort of stereotypical joke in there.

The point of this really isn't what we ate... the point is that they were gracious enough to endure hanging out with my kids.

Don't get me wrong, I love my kids dearly... but let me show you what I walked into this afternoon when I went downstairs from my office.



First, observe my second oldest, Reid:

In case you can't tell... that is a pillow on his head that is in the shape of a baseball glove. He removed the ball and decided his head should go in its place.




Let's move on to my daughter, Grace:

My wife, Ashley, has been teaching a couple classes on being a "princess" in God's eyes. Do you think Grace has latched on to that concept?





My oldest, Andersen, apparently doesn't rank high enough in the princess/baseball glove royalty line... so he was demoted to the role of the horse. Notice Grace's proper side-saddle position.




Ok... now for the creme de la creme. My youngest son, Griffin, has been spending the afternoon listening to a CD that Jason was kind enough to give us last night. I think he has spent a little too much time watching me play on stage because... well... this was his heart-felt response to Jason's CD. And yes... in case you couldn't tell, that is our living room coffee table!!







Yep... I've definitely lost control.

Jim

A Puppet Show, A Rap Group And Me

Well... it finally happened. This past Saturday I officially stepped into my mid-thirties by turning 35.

Normally I wouldn't blog about such an event, but this particular birthday was... well... different.

You see, my friend Paul is a worship pastor at another church in town. Paul, by the way, is like uber tall... but that's another story. Paul's wife, Julia, is a DJ on the local Christian radio station. Still following me? Ok... the radio station teamed up with a group from the Cedar Rapids area called "Raising Praise Ministries" to put on a day of Christian entertainment in the city park in Marion... where I live (no, I don't live in the park... I live in Marion). Still with me? While putting together the schedule, they realized they needed some additional acts to fill some of the time slots... so Paul decided he'd throw together a band to play the event.

The band consisted of 6 guys from various churches around Cedar Rapids and Iowa City. All kinds of denominations were represented, which in itself was really cool. You see Paul and I share the desire to see churches break down false or man made barriers and come along side each other in serving God as a community of believers... so it was really cool to just worship with a bunch of brothers in Christ.

All different age groups were represented too... I think from the youngest to the oldest band member we crossed almost 30 years!! Very cool.

It was a short set... something like 5 or 6 songs... but it was a lot of fun.

The weather was overcast, but it made for a cooler than average day which was great!

Ok... so now for the funny part:

I'm going to mention some "accomplishments" from my musical career in order to help set the stage. Forgive me if it seems like I'm bragging... I'm really just wanting to drive the point home and show the humor in this all.

I've toured 3 continents performing music.
I've sang on stage at Carnegie Hall (yes.. for an actual concert).
I've opened for several "well known" acts.
I've played concerts in excess of 20,000 people in attendance.
I've had a record deal.
I've held endorsement deals with musical equipment manufacturers.
I've had a song in the top 10 in national radio.

But there are a couple things that I've never been able to say I've been a part of... until now!!!

This past weekend was a TRUE Spinal Tap moment:

(If you've never seen the movie... you probably won't understand and I can't claim that it would be an edifying movie for you to watch.)

You see, we had a very special opening act for the show.... A PUPPET SHOW!!

And so began the Spinal Tap quotes: "If I've told them once... I've told them a thousand times... Spinal Tap and THEN the puppet show!" "Well, we have the bigger dressing room!"

It was one of those moments that just sort of makes you smile.

To add to the unusual happenings, we were immediately followed up by a two person rap group!

I'll be totally honest with you all... the puppet show was actually very good. Very well done by a group of young puppeteers.

I can't comment on the rap group, as I was packing equipment back up.

All of that to say that it truly was a lot of fun. It was great, but busy, way to spend my birthday... celebrating that it takes all kinds to do the work for which God called us. Celebrating diversity. Celebrating fellowship. Celebrating Him over all else.

What a blast.

Although it wasn't Carnegie Hall or the Sydney Convention Center, it was truly a blessing to hang out with good and Godly men and just come along side each other in worship. I can also honestly say that sharing a stage with men who desire to glorify God even in the littlest things means so much more than the size of the audience or the name on the outside of the building.

You can't ask for anything more or better than that.

Well... maybe one thing better... hanging out with friends while wearing a Cocoa Puffs t-shirt.

In Him,
Jim

The Blahs

Ever have those days where you just want to go back to bed?

Sometime over this past weekend, I managed to catch whatever sickness my kids have been passing around and I have to tell you that it has pretty much taken me down.

I'm tired of coughing (I have a very loud cough) every 5 minutes and having every time I sneeze look like some long lost footage from one of the Ghostbusters movies (ok... gross, I know).

I'm in this constant state of going from a "night time so you can sleep medicine" to pain relievers and nose spray during the day... ewwwww.

Being sick is bad enough, but it just so happens that this week involves me playing at a worship conference and singing in a wedding for my boss's daughter!! Not to mention the various family activities such as soccer games and practices for the kids.

Ok... that's enough for now.

Jim