leaving on a jet plane

Some of you have never heard that song, but it is a classic made popular by The Mamas and the Papas. John Denver wrote it in 1969 while sitting in an airport.

Why would I mention that? Because I am leaving on a jet plane! I am so excited about my trip! I'm going to LA!

I will be attending a conference out there that really has me excited. I am really expecting big things from this experience and look forward to coming back to Rock Creek and putting what I learn into practice. I really believe that I will be able to look back on this as a significant turning point in my ministry.

I am also excited because my family is going to join me out there after the conference and we are going to Disneyland! This is a huge answer to prayer. We have been praying for more than a year that we would be able to take our family to Disney. God has worked it out so that we can all go and so that it won't cost us very much at all. I wish I could go into all the detail of it but suffice it to say that God uses people. We give God the credit for making this happen and thank Him for making our dream come true.

I am looking forward to talking more about my trip when I return. Please pray that I take full advantage of this opportunity that God has given me.

"All my bags are packed, I'm ready to go..."

have some fun

My favorite picture of my family was taken this past summer. My wife, the photographer, only makes me and the kids pose for pictures twice a year: in the Winter for our Christmas card and in the Summer at the beach.

For those of you with kids, and we have three, you know how hard it can be to get a good photograph. Those of you who are kids know how much you hate having to pose for a family photo. So now you have a good idea of how those two times of the year are for us.

But this past summer was different. There we were on the beautiful,

sugar white sand taking our pictures and everything was going great.

My wife is great at doing this sort of thing. She will take a few of our youngest by himself first so then he can run around and burn off some energy. Our oldest son goes next so he can then help keep the youngest from drowning. Next is our little girl (this usually takes longer). Then comes the big finale: the Group Shot (dramatic music plays here). We all get in position; my wife sets the timer and runs to her spot. We watch the red light blink and all smile (at least that's the plan.). Then we do it all over again. We do several just to make sure we get at least one decent picture as the group grows more impatient.

Then it happened. We were pretty sure we had a good one and the "one more" announcement was made. Suddenly, our youngest blurts out, "Can we do a goofy one?" "Great idea," i said. So the timer was set, my wife runs to her spot and jumps in the middle of us and we all make goofy faces and laugh and laugh!

That picture is proudly displayed on the counter in our kitchen in a matted frame that reads, "Laugh." Every time I see it, it reminds me that life should be fun. Every time I think about that, I remember that serving is fun. I am reminded that one of the essentials in any serving project is the element of fun. I have never been on a serving project or personally served that I didn't leave thinking that it was fun.

If you are finding that life has lost its fun, maybe you should try serving others. The responses you get from those you serve and the fulfillment you find from doing what you were created to do will bring you great joy and excitement. In other words, you'll have fun.