Wishing my wife a happy and blessed 40th birthday!

Happy birthday to my beautiful wife, Happi! I am so thankful that God brought you into this world forty years ago, and into my life a few years later! Here's to many, many more blessed years!

Oklahoma Relief Trip- Reflections on our time in Shawnee

Our team of 13 men, women & children went to Shawnee, Oklahoma, August 12-16th, to assist with tornado relief efforts. We found our way to our destination, a trailer park called Steelman Estates, which had been virtually wiped out on May 20th. Our church sent us with their blessings, prayers, and nearly five thousand dollars in donation funds to use to bless the people of this area.

Most of the clean-up was finished, so members of our team focused on building storage sheds during the week we were there.

We also had the opportunity to walk some of the many dogs that are being housed in a no-kill shelter on the property. We loved these sweet 'orphans of the storm'!

This is Gracie- I wanted to take her home so badly!

While we were there, we met a wonderful group of people, known as U.S. Defenders, COIR, mostly bikers, who had set-up camp (Camp Ironhorse, Steelman Estates) and had been helping with the recovery efforts since shortly after the storm. What a fun group of ladies and gentleman! 

 It was a great week- filled with laughter, sunshine, mud, rain, hard work, ministry opportunities, and joy as we served our Lord, Jesus Christ! There were even a few tears as we said our goodbyes. I now I will not soon forget the friends we made there in Shawnee.

Call me Warbucks... Oliver Warbucks

Yep- I've been cast as Daddy Warbucks in Annie.

Yep- It's this summer with Overshadowed Theatrical Productions. (July 12-August 3)

Yep- Tickets are available at www.overshadowedproductions.com

Yep- My lovely wife will be on stage with me as Ms. Grace Farell.

Yep- I'm shaving my head.

I'm planning to do the shaving as a virtual event for St. Baldrick's foundation- to raise money for childhood cancer research. We're going to do it at my school. I'll be sure to post before and after photos.

Something to ponder from Quitter

I was reading "Quitter", by John Acuff, and I came across a thought that made me stop and think. Don't you love it when a book can do that?
 In chapter 7- "Learn to Be Successful at Success"- Mr. Acuff  is talking about success, and how your dream can impact the world around you more than you know.  He states: "…as a mom or dad, your dream decisions will greatly impact the lives of your children."

I had to pause and think about how my decisions, especially my passion for performing, have affected my boys. There are positives and negatives. On the positive side, I get to share experiences with them, and they get to see their dad succeed at something he loves and enjoys. They may even find inspiration in what I do.
The negative? I miss out on spending time with them. I miss special days or trips because I'm involved in a show, or I'm away somewhere instead of at home. This bums me out, and I miss them. There has to be balance. I have to be 'home' when I'm home, and 'there' when I'm there.

He also writes about how success can make one arrogant. I know I'm pretty good, but I don't ever want my God-given talents and gifts to cause me to sin and forget that without His strength, I'm nothing. Thankfully, I have plenty of people in my life who keep me in line.

Little Stinker!

So- the little dog took off this morning while my wife and son had him outside. He was off leash, which is usually ok, but today he chose to bolt. Bad dog! The good news is that they were able to chase him down and catch him. The bad news? My wife was having chest pains because they had to chase him down and catch him! Bad. Dog. He now must be walked at all times on a leash, at least until we can trust him again.

I'm back... ShiTzu's are fun & other stuff.

It's been a long time since I have written on this particular blog site. Forgot the password, forgot the blog, dog ate my computer, etc., etc.
I've been reading the book "Quitter" by Jon Acuff, and have been inspired to blog again. He's a great author, and I'm really enjoying the book. Just ordered "Stuff Christians Like"as well.
Don't know if anyone will actually read this, but here goes!
Shi Tzu's are funny little dogs. We just adopted one from a breeder in Joliet. He's a good little boy- if we can call male dogs boys- and has really found a place in the hearts of my family. He does this funny little spin move when he's excited, or he wants a treat, or he just went poop outside. It's like he's chasing his tail, but never quite catches it. I can't say for certain, since I'm not a dog psychologist, but I think this is his version of a happy dance. He also drinks out of a bottle that's intended for a guinea pig. Apparently that's what show dogs do so they don't get their beards wet. A wet beard causes them to do the 'shake it off' move. My boys call this the 'slobber slinger', because if you're in the general vicinity, you will get wet.

We also had a visitor last week. You see, a while back our family became a 'Safe Family'. This means we can take in children who are in need of a safe place to live for a short time, while their parents work out their 'stuff' and are in a position to take them back. Our little girl was with us back in the fall, and she came last week just to visit. Isn't that great? This is the first time we have been able to keep in touch with a family, and have been able to help them on an ongoing basis. My wife posted a list of the things that this particular family needed, and friends stepped up and provided! Well, God did it, but He used friends to make it happen! It's so great to see how He meets needs in such a tangible way. All glory be to Him!

Have a great week! Thanks for reading.