happy easter

Just wanted to take the chance to wish everyone a Happy Easter! I hope you all have an amazing day and get the chance to spend time with family and friends. Also, I hope you are able to reflect on why we have this holiday in the first place - correct, without this holiday, there would be soo many hidden eggs it would be a problem.

As we think back to the story of Jesus and his life, it's hard to believe he came back just for me (and you). Who am I that he should come to earth, go through all he did, and die? It is very humbling and also very amazing to feel the love coming from our heavenly father.

Again, hope you all have an amazing Easter...

Easter Story

John 3:16, "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him."

referees

Who knew you could actually learn something playing basketball?

Ever notice how nothing is ever our fault? This was revealed to me while playing basketball. After every shot I missed (or made), I would look at the refs and ask why they didn't call a foul. It's their fault I missed the shot right? They should have called a foul and bailed me out - that's why I missed it. How can I live under these conditions? As I thought back over the game, I realized that I was using them as my excuse for every error I made - and in most cases, they had nothing to do with it...I just made a mistake. Don't get me wrong, they are human and miss some calls, but to put the blame on them for all of my mistakes, or hard times in the game, just isn't right.

Let me give another example from my day to day life...have you ever wondered why the person driving in front of you is allowed on the road? Why are they going so slow? Don't they realize I am in a hurry and need to get somewhere fast? I'm meeting some one and these other drivers around me are going to make me late! It was at that point when again I realized I wasn't placing the blame in the right spot...I never thought, "Gee, why didn't I leave just 10 minutes earlier, then I wouldn't be rushed and could have been on time."

I have noticed time and time again that it is easier to blame the things and people around me for decisions I make instead of placing the blame on myself. Not that I think we should be hard on ourselves, I just don't think it's right to take out my bad decisions on those that choose to be around me (I'm sure J would agree with that logic). As a society, we have trained ourselves to look elsewhere for blame when things don't go our way. In some cases, that is totally acceptable because there are outside influences and activities that affect us. For most of the day to day decisions, this isn't the case.

I'm trying to start looking at my decisions and actions before placing blame - and in most cases, blame isn't necessary at all. When I realize where I went wrong, I can work to correct it next time a decision comes my way - isn't that what it's all about? Steady progress? Taylor's basketball coach would tell the girls at each practice that the goal was to get at least a little better after each practice. When you add up all the little improvements, they turn into leaps and bounds of advancement - and by the end of the year, the girls were so much better it was amazing. That is how I'm going to try to walk this out...get a little better at something everyday...

about time...

Who knew Taylor would have to wait so long to be on a winning team?

Yes, it has taken 8 long years, but she finally made it. Taylor finally was on a winning team. I guess it's really the first real team she's ever been on, but I was starting to lose hope. She was on the school team that won the state title for chess (for pictures see previous post). Story in the Ann Arbor News...

Oh yeah, she is playing in the championship game with her basketball team on Saturday. They lost the first game and haven't lost since - currently in first place playing for the title this weekend. Man, we thought another chance at a title would never come...it's been a few months already...

Enough bragging about my kid - if you can't tell, I'm a little proud. God is amazing, we've been fortunate to have two incredible coaches (chess and b-ball) that have really worked with her to help her improve - while having a lot of fun in the process. She has had incredible teammates that have really been amazing. Doesn't get much better than this...

Jordan's jordans

Who knew Tay would ever have better basketball shoes than I do?

So after a rough first game for Taylor's team, they have now won a game (by 20 points) and tied a game. The game yesterday was a close one and with under a minute to go we were down 4 points. The girls hung in there though and tied the game with 8 seconds left. We were so proud of them. Tay had a steal and a rebound, along with multiple passes (as she is playing point guard or SMALL forward when in the game). It's fun to watch them out there trying to figure out this game called basketball.

I think the best part for me is watching Taylor enjoy something I love (most days). It seems like another connection I have with her that will allow her to understand a part of me - and me a part of her. We'll see how long this lasts - I'm hoping for a long time whether she keeps playing competitively or not. It's going to be fun this summer playing with her outside at our hoop - and teaching J a few things in the process...

chess tournament?

Who knew I'd ever be at a chess tournament...on purpose? Who knew it would be so intense, competitive, and entertaining also? There's a first time for everything...

Just a quick bit of business since I'm sure I'll be running on and on and on and on and on for this post. I have posted a few others lately - including some great new pictures of Tay...

Anyway, onto the chess tournament...

We went up to Lansing for the tournament (I know, I was at Michigan State - and I survived - barely), and had to be there by 8:30AM...which means we left a little after 7AM. Once we arrived and entered the building, there were kids everywhere! The helpful thing was that her team had very easy to distinguish t-shirts which made it easier to find them. We spent the day there and left around 7PM that night. There were 5 matches and Taylor played in 3 of the 5. She did very well (although lost 2 and had one draw) and each of her matches lasted a long time (she was always one of the last people in the room) which made them more exciting. This was also her first year on the team, so everything for us was new...and intimidating, but we managed our way through it.

You can see her team, the room we played in, and the room we hung out in below. There were so many kids there it was crazy...they were coming from all over the state and it was fun to see so many of them playing chess. One of the most fun things was watching the woman coordinating the event and seeing her lose control and yell into the microphone time and time again. She was a legend and all the parents that had been there before were ready for it. Let's just say we all stayed in line, didn't talk - and certainly didn't use our cell phones in the room.

All in all, it was really a fun time. We were able to spend quite a bit of time together as a family, eating snacks, lunch and dinner together so that was a positive upside. We also were able to spend a lot of time playing with Taylor's friends - playing cards, chess, gameboy - what a lively crew. At the end of the day, they were selling the chess sets the kids had played with all day for very rock bottom prices so we picked one up. It's always fun to have a 'travel' set to take with us when we go places.

Guess we'll just keep practicing until we get to do this again next year...

The whole team...

Tay, Jaz and Owen

Playing our first game...Taylor is sitting straight ahead next to the person in red (that's J)...

Our 'quiet' room - we hung here between matches...

More 'quiet' room shots...

Game #3...

Playing cards...

Just enjoying our time...notice my cool Erickson (her school) shirt...

Playing chess...

Tough to handle the stress...

my teenager

Who knew they grow up so fast?

I was waiting for Tay to post about this - so not to steal her thunder, but we're still in process of getting it done...so here is a sneak peak of what she will be posting. Her blog will have a few more pictures when done...

welcome to my life

Who knew we're not in this sinking ship alone?

So there's a song out there by Simple Plan called "Welcome to My Life". The lyrics are below. To give a summary of the song, it talks about the rough feelings a person is having and how no one else understands. No one else knows what it's like to be me, to go through the things I go through, to be in the place I am. Funny thing about this song is that if no one understood, it wouldn't have sold many copies – I guess we're all closer together than we think. As you go through this post, the green sections are pulled from the lyrics…just to clarify…

DISCLAIMER – I'm in no way saying I'm on an island and that no one is there for me – I've been EXTREMELY blessed to have an amazing wife and friends I go to on a regular basis to work on my life. But, since I'm human, there are still times when I feel like I'm in this alone and no one could understand me even if I told them – I know, not true…

As I'm listening to this song at work today (Yeah I know, music at work? Crazy.) I had a voice go off inside my head…it simply said, "Yes, I do." So I thought about breaking this down…

The song starts by asking if you ever felt like breaking down, out of place, that you didn't belong and no one understands you. I thought to myself, yup, I've had all those feelings and no one understands – except maybe Jesus – he went through all of that right? Who felt more out of place, or mis-understood than he did??? I'm assuming he doesn't fall into the next set of lines very well simply because he didn't have his own room, and certainly didn't have a radio…but I'm sure he felt like screaming at times…and I guess he actually did. If I'm remembering right, I think he tossed the temple at least once (and I'm sure there was screaming involved in that – Matthew 21:12 ), and I think he shouted at the end of his time on the cross (Matthew 27:45-46). So maybe he understands me there also.

To be hurt, lost, left out in the dark…kicked when your down, feel like you've been pushed around…to be on the edge of breaking down, and no one's there to save you...wow, I'm able to think of times when he must have felt all of this – except for the last one. Who was there to save him? He had the pressure of answering the question for me…he was there to save me. Guess we're still on the same page. Let's keep going.

As you run down the lyrics, I think our paths start to separate a little…I don't think he was stuck inside a world he hated, in fact I think it was the opposite. I believe he loved this world, and all of us that are in it, so much that he paid the ultimate price. More importantly (and I miss this point often) is that he didn't just come to die for our sins – if that was his only goal he could have done that quickly without having to do so many other things first. No, he was here to find out what it was like to walk in our shoes, to have relationships, to teach and help us understand – because he loved us and genuinely wanted to be with us. Is it just me or can you tell when you are hanging out with some one that truly wants to be there with you? Makes all the difference in the world. He was able to see through the fake smiles and stupid lies and see what each person was truly about – and then engage them where they were. How amazing is that?

Yeah, even though this will still remain one of my favorite songs, and one I listen too when I'm down, I won't be able to believe no one understands me anymore…there is at least one who does…and I guess it's up to me to simply tell him, "Welcome to my life."
_____________________________________________________
Welcome To My Life - by Simple Plan

Vs. 1
Do you ever feel like breaking down?
Do you ever feel out of place?
Like somehow you just don't belong
And no one understands you

Do you ever wanna run away?
Do you lock yourself in your room?
With the radio on turned up so loud
That no one hears you screaming

No you don't know what it's like
When nothing feels alright
You don't know what it's like to be like me

Refrain
To be hurt
To feel lost
To be left out in the dark
To be kicked
When you're down
To feel like you've been pushed around
To be on the edge of breaking down
When no one's there to save you
No you don't know what it's like

Welcome to my life

Vs. 2
Do you wanna be somebody else?
Are you sick of feeling so left out?
Are you desperate to find something more
Before your life is over

Are you stuck inside a world you hate?
Are you sick of everyone around?
With the big fake smiles and stupid lies
But deep inside you're bleeding

No you don't know what it's like
When nothing feels alright
You don't know what it's like to be like me

Refrain

No one ever lies straight to your face
And no one ever stabbed you in the back
You might think I'm happy
But I'm not gonna be ok

Everybody always gave you what you wanted
You never had to work it was always there
You don't know what it's like
What it's like

Refrain

b-ball

Who knew Taylor would like basketball? It must be from some outside influence...

So as it turns out, Taylor is starting to like basketball a little. She has been watching me play for a few years now and has started playing with me in the back yard. She recently went to a basketball camp and had a blast. A few days into the camp, the coach told us to sign her up for this season...which starts tonight...so it appears we are off. She has practice tonight, tomorrow, and then games starting this weekend. I know I'm pumped, and am hoping she is also. So far, she is having a lot of fun playing and really doing well (we've been impressed).

To that end, we were made aware of a basketball clinic held at Eastern by the women's basketball team before their game on 1/13/07 against Ball State. They wound up losing the game, but we had a blast. Taylor was able to be on the court before the game and went through different stations with the players and had a blast. She also got a free t-shirt and ticket to the game. After the game, the whole team was available to sign autographs. She was also able to get pictures with some of her favorites...it truly was a lot of fun.

After the game we got in line for autographs. They were handing out posters and the players were signing them. We were pretty pumped because the posters looked really awesome...but when we got up there, they just ran out. They gave us a program instead of the poster, but it wasn't as cool (in our humble opinion). The first player in line (Patrice Mckinney - see first picture) saw the reaction on J and Tay's face and asked where the posters were. When she found out they had run out, she called one of her friends over and sent her to get us a poster. We went through the line and got all the players to sign the program, and then sure enough, she was able to get us a poster as well...so, we went through the line again and all the players signed the poster. They were all so great, talking to Taylor, posing for pictures, and letting the kids have a lot of fun.

It was a good night to say the least...

red is good

Who knew people are actually doing good things in this world and care about others? I think this is a new concept...

Recently, I've been made quite aware of the situation going on in Africa in regards to the AIDS epidemic. I know this is nothing new, and I knew it was going on, but it never hit home as much as it has recently. We just did a two week series in our small group (check out the White Castle link in my blog roll for more information) called 'Hope and Action' that detailed what was going on over there and what we could do to help. It was amazing to see what could be done for so little and help so many. Some of the information is listed below for reference for anyone interested in learning more, or in helping out.

U2, led by Bono, has been a major leader for this campaign and some amazing sites to jump on the bandwagon are One and Red. Both of these sites allow you to have a voice and even let you get the 'cool gear' to go with it. On the One site, there are things that can be ordered (t-shirts, wristbands, etc), but you can also have a voice and - most importantly - get the facts about what is going on and become educated. On the Red site, it lists items that we can purchase and companies will contribute to the cause. These items range from clothing, to cell phones, to i-pods. Not all of them are things I would buy everyday - and not all are available in the U.S. yet - but I think I'm going to check here first when needing to get gifts, etc. Anything I can do to help is worth the money.

Either way, whether contributing financially or not, the important thing to me is learning more about it. The more I know, the more of an asset I become - and the more focused my prayer can be. One of the main things they talked about in the 2 week series we did was that above everything else, prayer is helpful, important - and FREE. So...the worst thing we can do is pretend it isn't happening, and go about our daily lives. I'm the first one to run in the opposite direction as fast as I can when I hear these commercials, or pitches for money...but I couldn't get away from this one. It gives too many facts, and also too many practical ways we can help...

I know too often I'm comfortable worrying only about me (see previous post about worry), but it seems every time I do, I am reminded that I really don't have it so bad. No matter who you are, or where you are in life's journey, things could always be better - and they could always be worse. I guess it's up to us to appreciate where we are and let God tell us who needs our help. I'm starting to believe that the more I help others, the more it comes back to me. So for those of us that are selfish (I may only be speaking to myself), we could be selfish and help others knowing that our reward will be coming...and having God owe you one is huge...wink...

"I was hungry and you fed me, I was thirsty and you gave me a drink, I was
homeless and you gave me a room. I was shivering and you gave me clothes, I was
sick and you stopped to visit, I was in prison and you came to me...Whenever you
did one of these things to some one overlooked or ignored, that was me - you did
it to me." Matthew 25:35-36 Message Translation

A Few Facts (Believe me, this is only the tip of the iceberg):
- Nearly 40 million people are living with HIV worldwide.
- HIV/AIDS is the leading cause of death worldwide for people ages fifteen to fifty-nine.
- AIDS has orphaned more than 14 million children; that's the equivalent of every child under age five in North America.
- Over 2.3 million children under age fifteen are living with HIV. Ninety percent of them live in sub-Saharan Africa. Without treatment, most will die before their fifth birthday.
- Worldwide, nearly 60 percent of people infected by HIV are women.

Information:
www.unaids.org
www.one.org
www.pbs.org/frontline/aids
www.avert.org/aidsinafrica.htm
www.usaids.org

Organizations:
Compassion, www.compassion.com/aids
International Justice Mission, www.ijm.org
Opportunity International, www.opportunity.org/lendinghope
World Relief, www.worldrelief.org
World Vision, www.worldvision.org/hope

christmas - i think it really lasts for 30 seconds...

Who knew something so anticipated can fly by so fast? I always try to pay close attention as it does...

Christmas came and went...and I have posted a few pictures of the process...it's always fun to wake up and open presents as a family. I always enjoy watching each one open the gifts we have picked out for them. Taylor always wants everyone to open the gifts she got for them first - she is the opposite of me when I was a kid - she always prefers to open her gifts last. As always, Santa seemed to know what we all wanted and everything worked out well, including the cinnamon rolls we had for breakfast.

Before...

During...

After...