WE ARE...

There has been plenty of commentary and writing on the passing of Penn State's beloved JoePa. Legend-- Legacy-- Success-- and now, unfortunately, Tarnished-- Blemished-- and Scandal-- are words that are associated with the late great coach. The debate of Coach's legal obligation vs. his moral obligation in the midst of "The Scandal" is a whole other topic. And because of the Scandal the unfortunate ugly words will forever be associated with Joe Paterno and even, unfortunately, how many people will remember him.

You take away the scandal (and I know you can't) and JoePa was a good man. He was a great Coach with the awards and records to back that up and he was...Penn State. He will be remembered as much as a Coach as an Educator and a Humanitarian. He and his wife through the years have been extremely gracious in their giving back to the University and the State College community. He was a respected man, and a good man. Besides being a Catholic family, I do not know JoePa's personal relationship with Jesus, and if a commitment was made to ever make Him part of his life. But Coach sure was a good man.

The past 3 days of the Penn State community mourning the loss of JoePa and today the Bryce Jordan Center is packed for his memorial service and it reminds me, and us all, of the reality that all people will die -even legends - everyone dies. And the obituaries in the newspapers will continue to be daily printed until Jesus returns. I was reminded in the service on Sunday again, that the only reason He hasn't returned yet is because people still need to be rescued from sin, and put their faith in Jesus alone for their eternity.

The challenge to myself and hopefully you, if you too have claimed Jesus and made him part of your life, is that I want my life, actions, and words to share and point people to Jesus. Good people need to know about Jesus. Many people still need to know about Him.

WE ARE...

...going to one day die, until then - point people to Jesus!

There's a Wal-Mart & Ruby Tuesdays

Spon-ta-ne-ous: an adjective defined as "coming or resulting from a natural impulse or tendency; without effort or premeditation; naural and unconstrained; unplanned.

This past weekend, Ginger and I took a sponaneous trip...to Northern Michigan! A friend of mine this morning says "yeah, most couples go away for the weekend to the Poconos for a getaway - you - Michigan!" Our good friends, Scott & Laura were in for a quick few days down here last week and so we met up their first night in for dinner. It was so good to see them again and reconnect (in person) after about 10mos. When we're hugging and saying our goodbyes, they said you need to come up and see us like you say. To which I replied, sarcastically (hmmm), "Yeah, we were going to this weekend, but, hey, you're here." They then said to drive back with them, and spend the weekend. So on the way home from the restaurant, we scrambled quickly to make arrangements with our employers, Gpa & Gma to watch the kids and dogs, and shoot a quick text message to Scott that read, "We're in! Road trip ahead!"

So off we were to Gaylord, MI. The gals rode together, and us guys rode together, and it was one of the fastest 13 hours in a car. Great conversation with a great friend. We were anxiously waiting to see the new homestead of Scott and Laura. I've heard all about it from him from our regular phone calls and I've read all about it too, but is it really that?!? :-) I pictured Walnut Grove with Half-pint, Nellie Oleson, and Doc Baker walking around. That image was close, but it was more like Walton Mountain with a Wal-mart and a Ruby Tuesdays.

Scott tells me often how beautiful it is. ...and it is. Gaylord, MI is like a Winter Wonderland, that time has stood still at for a little bit. And that's not a bad thing! The small quaint town has a history that all the locals are definitely proud of and a real sense of community in the place. And oh yeah, my wife was fascinated with the snowmobiles crossing the intersections like cars! We got the 'tourist tour' and saw most all the area and it really is absolutely beautiful.

Sunday was what I was mostly looking forward to. In my journal last week, I wrote..."I can't wait to hear Scott preach again." Sunday was great! It was so nice to put faces with names of some of their new friends, and colleagues, and feeling the "buzz" around the place that God is up to something BIG! Gaylord E-Free church is a great church that God is doing a wonderful work in and so glad to see both Scott & Laura in their "sweet spot", which no doubt is smack in the middle of God's will...in Gaylord, MI.

What a great trip. I love that my wife is spontaneous with me, and we've done theses 'let's go' trips before, but this weekend was really special. So happy for Scott & Laura. And now I know....Gaylord is really a beautiful winter wonderland! Can't wait till our next visit north!

...and oh yeah, there's more than just a Wal-mart and Ruby Tuesdays. There's a Taco Bell too. What else do you need?!? :-)

A Night of Worship

This Saturday is a night of worship at Victory Church. 6pm at the Greenfield Campus. You do not want to miss it and here's three reasons why...

1. For unity..Victory Church is one church. Two communities. On a Sunday we have 3 different services between the Greenfield and Theater Campuses. Next month a 4th service is being added when Saturday night services begin. Throughout the week there are small groups, service groups, Bible studies, Men's groups, Women's groups, and a very active children's ministry and a crazy youth group too! Saturday we can come together as ONE church. The Acts 2 churches were united in the presence of God. There is something powerful when we all come together in worship.



2. For the kids and youth...On Sundays we have a Children's ministry that teaches our kids how to love Jesus. But, I'm a firm believer and I know that, Pastor Vinnie, the most craziest, passionate Children's Pastor in the planet, will agree that this responsibility of teaching our kids begins at home. I don't want to put words in their mouths, but I know that both Pastor Vinnie, and Pastor Jeremy, our youth pastor, are excited about a venue where our kids and youth can see Mom & Dad love Jesus. Our students need to see us adults go hard after God. Saturday night worship we can model something powerful to the next generation.



3. For the spiritual refreshment we all need...There is something refreshing and powerful about just setting aside our iPhones, calenders, planners, agendas, and busyness of everyday life...and just worshipping Jesus. Everyone needs their spiritaul tank filled and this night will be perfect for that. It's the 'new year' and we as a church have been (and will be on Sunday) to fast as a church together for 21 days. What better way to start off...then by just worshipping Jesus. Victory Church is a church that exists to see people take their nexts steps in their relationship with Jesus. Saturday night may be your next step!



4. Because....I know I said (3) reasons but here's a bonus one...The Bronco's playoff game isn't on until 8pm. You may only miss a little of the game - no biggie - and that's coming from a long time, before Tebowmania, Bronco fan! Tebow Time isn't until the end anyway! Go Broncos!

Come on out!

6pm at the Greenfield Campus!

See you Saturday!

Jesus vs. Religion

This video has been all over Facebook & Twitter since yesterday, so maybe you've seen it already. It's a poem that eloquently contrasts Jesus vs. Religion.


So what do you think?

What if...

Heavy reading in Romans 12 today. A lot to work on here for me today...

Romans 12:9-21:

• Love without hypocrisy


• Be devoted to each other in love


• Honor others by giving them preference


• Be diligent


• Fervently serve God


• Persevere through problems


• Devote yourself to prayer


• Contribute to the needs of the church


• Be hospitable


• Bless those who persecute you


• Rejoice with those who rejoice


• Weep with those who weep


• Be unified


• Don't be proud


• Hang out with the less fortunate


• Don't be wise in your own eyes


• Never seek revenge


• Respect what is right in the sight of all men


• Do your part to live at peace with everyone

What if? What if...I did. What if....we all actually attempted to live this way today?

Not how I pictured it...

One of our favorite cities is New York City. We love going for day trips as a family and especially during the Christmas season. With Garrett & Brooke in for Thanksgiving break, we decided to do our trip to the city on Sunday. We had a blast, laughed alot, and made some memories.
Boy, did we make memories. Because we are a blended family and are not always together, we try to cram in and "do lots" and make memories when all six of us are together...as a family. Part of this "making" or in this case "forcing" a memory, I thought it would be a great idea to go ice skating as a family. Although it was 60-degrees yesterday, it was still "Christmas time" in NYC! And what is more picturesque than ice skating in NYC at Christmas time at either Rockefeller Center or Central Park. Probably from watching so many Christmas movies, I had this picture in my head what it would be like. You see, I pictured us gliding in and out of people on the ice, smiling ear to ear, and laughing like Santa at the jolly ole' time we'd be having. We'd break for some hot chocolate, and then hit the ice again for some more skating which looks more like dancing on skates as I twirl my wife up in the air kinda like Dancing with the Stars. And speaking of stars, this last skate happens as dusk settles in, the sun has set and the lights of NYC make a beautiful backdrop as Nat King Cole sings The Christmas Song over the loud speakers.
Nope. Didn't happen.
Pretty much none of that happened except for the laughing part. ...and the making a memory part. That we did do.
Here's how it really happened....the kids were sort of looking forward to it, but it'd be okay if we didn't. Whatever. Ginger wasn't sure she should even try because she has a bad back and it wasn't feeling up to any twirls that's for sure. Me - I attempted skating once my freshman year in college when I was 18 yrs old. But hey, we were having a fun old-fashioned family Christmas time! So I paid, we got our skates and we were going to do this thing! Let me first say, I'm pretty sure - no actually positive - that a 250lb man is not suppose to stand on two pieces of metal the width of a butter knife. I could hardly make it from the locker to the ice, but I did. Everyone else in the family seemed to walk around like they were just house slippers but I knew it'd be better once I was on the ice since that's the function they're designed for. Nope. No better. Who ever even thought that it was a good idea to balance yourself on butter knives around on ice?!? Ice - a frozen solid form of water - solid - being the key word there. Rock hard solid! Thankfully, Wollman Rink is man made and not an open pond. So there was a wall surrounding the rink. That's where I hung out. Holding onto the wall for dear life. Me and the 5 other 4 year old girls I was hanging with...and their dads. And once I started I had to go all the way around! As our kids did actually glide around close to like the pros do, Ginger followed me - at a safe distance away. She too though was hanging onto the wall, but only because she was laughing so hard I thought and she did too, that she would wet her pants! After making it about 25 feet into my trek around the rink, Splat! Yes, I fell forward and slid like Pete Rose across the ice and fortunately no toddlers close by were injured. No one injured except me. I see the Dr. later today to have my knee checked out. Seriously I do, so you can stop laughing now. And speaking of laughing....I know how old poor Rudolph felt in the scene when he couldn't play in any of the reindeer games. I'm just kidding. Although people all around were staring in hopes that I and they, if they were around me, would make it off the ice safely. And I did. I made it around the whole rink. Once. And then done. Dripping with sweat from the 60 degree sun, but mostly the stress of staying on my feet, and laughing so hard, I made it off. The kids skated for a while longer and then we left Wollman Rink at Central Park with just what I hoped we'd create...a memory. Just not how I pictured, but fun none the less. To quote Abbey as we were leaving "Well, that was about the biggest waste of $100." But oh no, I disagree. We'll be talking about our ice capade, or incident, or whatever we'll call it for years to come. That's worth the $100 that we blew!

The rest of the day and evening were great. (and the ice skating really was too) And we did our annual picture with Santa in Macy's Santaland. We love NYC. Another great NYC Christmas memory made in the Glass house...

We met the gang from Sesame Street too!

Leftovers

This past weekend...Friday night dinner = leftovers. The news station stated that the Friday after Thanksgiving is the day that most leftovers are eaten from any other day. I love Thanksgiving dinner, and one of the best parts is the leftovers. Hot Turkey sandwiches on Friday! I wasn't always a leftover eater. In fact, never used to eat leftovers except for spaghetti. I love spaghetti leftovers maybe better than the original! Now thought I do leftovers. Except for Chinese food. While I love Chinese food, just can't eat it again re-heated.

I was having conversation with my brother over the weekend, and he was sharing how sometimes God too often gets leftovers, if not even left out! Umm, yeah. Leftovers - no just in the fridge lately. I, regretfully, have had leftovers - or given leftovers - in my relationships lately. While, again I could argue the case for spaghetti, I think that besides John chapter 2, that leftovers are never as good as the first serving. In any relationships, be it with Jesus, my wife, or my kids, that statement is a fact. Leftovers - just as obvious as the word states...what is left over - is a real bummer for those receiving when coming to relationships.

I need to be, and want to be, giving my best - my firsts - to my wife, and my kids, and especially to God. In fact, I think. No actually sure of...if my best is given to God - then the other relationships will be much better.

As much as I love hot turkey sandwiches the day after Thanksgiving, or re-heated spaghetti , it is not what I want to be giving to the most important relationships in my life. Need to be giving more full course meals. Not leftovers.

Lots to Read

I enjoy reading and wish I had time and could read more than I do. My wife thinks I have an "addiction" to books and Amazon.com (That's not a bad thing. Right?) I usually have a couple books going at the same time.

Here's what I'm reading now....

1. Veneer- Living Deeply in a Surface Society


2. The Five Star Church - Serving God & His people with Excellence


3. How to WOW your Church Guests - 101 ways to make a Meaningful First Impression


4. The Litigators A Novel by John Grisham (my mindless read. I enjoy and have read all his)


5. Outspoken - Conversations on Church Communications

Here's a small pile on my "to-be-read" pile that I have planned for my 2012 reading....

1. Sacred Marriage


2. The Circle Maker - Praying Circles around your biggest dreams and biggest fears (I love Mark Batterson's writings and already pre-ordered for the release in 2 weeks!)


3. Soulprint-Discovering your Divine Destiny (another Batterson book that got pushed back because of required school reading)


4. What is God really Like? - Groeschel is another favorite


5. Weird - Because Normal isn't working


6. Through My Eyes


7. The Grace of God - by one of my favorite communicators


8. Emotionally Healthy Spirituality


9. Courageous Leadership


10. The Jesus of Suburbia-Have we Tamed the Son of God to fit our Lifestyle?


11. Real Marriage - to be released after first of year...


12. Empty Promises - already pre-ordered because his first book was great!

This is just "one pile" - there's more! So what's missing from the list? What is a must read that you've read or are reading?

Generation after generation...

We had a full house today for Thanksgiving, and we were even missing some. I love having all my family over. Our house is full of laughter when we all get together. Besides all the laughing, kidding with each other, and the eb and flow of sarcasm throughout the day, we can, believe it or not be serious every now and again. :-) In years past, as a lot of families do for Thanksgiving, we go around the table and share something we're thankful for. This year we did not. Not that we don't have a lot to be thankful for, but we did something different this year....
While our bellies we're over-full, we made our way to the basement where I started out saying a few words about the rich Christian heritage that our family and even extended family is so blessed with. I read Deuteronomy 6 about remembering the Lord, his faithfulness for your generations and generations after. And how the Israelites were challenged to talk about it often lest they forget. So today, we talked about it. As a family. We listened to my parents' generation and heard how their salvation testimonies and how they met Jesus and how He has affected their journey since. I read my Mama's written out testimony because she's away this holiday and winter, and then my Uncle Joe shared; we heard from my sister-in-law, Wanda; my brother's mother-in-law, Barb, and then Nana & Pap-pa - my Mom and Dad. We did this so that we as a family heard of God's work and goodness for many generations. I loved that my kids heard their Pap-pa's and Nana's story and understand today why we try to make Jesus as the focus of our home today.

The turkey. And all the fixins. The pumpkin pie. The never ending desert banquet. The coffee. What a day...

We are blessed. God is good. More than we deserve. We heard it today, we live it everyday. It was a great Thanksgiving in the Glass house today.

Turkey

Thanksgiving dinner with all the fixins is probably my favorite meal. Especially my wife's potatoe stuffing. I help with the turkey. How do you prepare your turkey? Brine, roast, crockpot, grilled, deep-fried...or like this? So how do you do your turkey?

Thankful for Relationships

We are a busy household. We're involved in lots of different activities besides our jobs and school and run around endlessly it seems like all week long. And then again the next week. We love all that we get to be apart of, and thrive at going 100mph but sometimes a break is needed, and wanted. Grateful for a break on Thanksgiving. Thankful for the time on Thanksgiving. Now, we've (and I use the word we but mean mostly my Super-wife) have been tiredly running all week in preparation for Thanksgiving and our home will be full and hectic. But that's what we love most. A full house.

I wonder if sometimes God didn't allow and start holidays so that busy people, like us, can really understand what life is like to slow down. To have a day set aside where we can truly spend time with family and friends and not to say thanks for the stuff but for relationships.

After all, if it weren't for the relationships in our lives the stuff we have wouldn't seem or feel so special. I believe that's why God desires a relationship with us. The truth is, He could give us so much stuff that we wouldn't know what to do with it all. But what good is a gift if we can't share a memory with the giver.

I love Thanksgiving. It's a time to break for the normal fast-paced routine, and spend time with family and friends. Thursday - every year - we'll play some football in the morning (and hope not to get hurt.) Then gather and feast on a feast as God's blessings of stuff is evident on our dining room table. Watch a little football. Take a nap. Little more football. Maybe a table game after ham and turkey sandwiches and then Thanksgiving comes to an end.

Then to the hustle and bustle of Black Friday. As we, and maybe you, and the rest of the good old USA, spend a ton of money on Black Friday, remember family. Remember relationships. Remember that the reason we get up early and fight the crowds in all the department stores is not because we love toys and gifts but because we love each other.

Thank you God for relationships. With friends and family and most of all with You.

Filled up

I've mentioned before that Sundays are my favorite day of the week. I love Sundays. This past Sunday was all the reason why I love Sundays. Another great day at VCTC, and then Sunday evening I had my first "Thanksgiving meal" of this week. Our leadership team met for a meal and a great evening of hanging out and getting to know each other better. The meal was amazing....thank you thank you to Adam & Jess for hosting and for Adam braving his own life to deep fry our turkey - which, by the way, was amazing. And thank you thank you to my amazing wife who prepped and cooked endlessly for an incredible night that is just the prelude of things to come this Thursday!

As much as I love a Thanksgiving feast - and this was! - After the meal we had "forced participation" where we all took a turn to share the answer to a specific question different for each person. It was during this time that we got to know each other a little better and hear and see with each person God's goodness in our lives. One shared how God's blessings and faithfulness were unending when literally the bottom fell out of their lives and had close to nothing; one shared how they are grateful for the people in their life and specifically the people they had opportunity to serve with around this table, and just the opportunity to serve. He shared how grace overflows from our ministry as a church and no matter...you're loved, accepted, and important at our church because you are to Jesus. I loved the answer to - "Talk about something that has taken time to develop that you are now grateful to enjoy." He shared "this may sound absurd, and simple, but I'm grateful for my faith." He shared how growing up in a Catholic church that faith was ritual, and religious but since coming to Christ his faith has and continues to develop and his so grateful for his personal relationship and growing and stretching relationship with Jesus now. I didn't think it was absurd at all. I loved it. Praises. Celebrations. Getting through tough stuff. Answered prayer for a recent salvation in our church...their daughter-in-law! Story after story. God's faithfulness.

Pastor Eric then closed with reading Paul's thanksgiving and prayer to the church of Ephesus to us and shared how grateful he was for his calling and opportunity to pastor us, grateful for our tribe, and grateful for the leaders he gets to lead with.

We do seriously have the best servant leader in the country! There's not another church like ours. Well, I'm sure there are, I guess, but I love the people more and more that we get to serve alongside with. In a short 8months now, God has done some amazing things through our start-up satellite church. Lots to be thankful for. And so excited for 2012 to see how He continues to work and and use our church to forward His kingdom as we make a difference in and around our community. I LOVE MY CHURCH!!! I am filled up...and not with turkey.

The Real Deal

It's not even Monday morning, but between the sports talk radio, Twitter, and Facebook...Tim Tebow was the talk of Friday a.m. He's been talked about and mentioned with hash tags all morning because the Broncos played Thursday night this week and well, it was "Tebow-Time" again last night. He ran a 20yrd TD with a few minutes left to win AGAIN! The critics and "experts" keep saying he's not a NFL QB...but he keeps winning...with a mediocre team at best. ....and I LOVE IT!

Being a Broncos fan I was excited that the Broncos drafted Tebow in the first round a few years ago. (Maybe that was the good during the Josh McDaniels short-lived era) Watching him in college you couldn't help but like the guy, as a person, plus he was a winner!

Growing up my hero, my idol (I know you're not suppose to but kids do!) as an athlete was Pete Rose. Um, yeah, he really was, and the shrine in my home office proves it. Man, could he play ball. That's why I loved Rose. No, he wasn't a great role model, in fact could be a jerk, and he still makes the news and talk radio topics today around the baseball Hall of Fame ceremony time each year...but he was the best baseball player...(okay, rambling and this is another post...)

My pastor tweeted yesterday... "@curtseaburg: When I grow up, I want to be like Tim Tebow! Resilient, determined, unphased by public opinion, winner, fighter till the final whistle blows, gracious in defeat. FINALLY, A ROLE MODEL FOR ATHLETES"

I agree! Like my childhood idol, Pete Rose, Tebow is a winner. Tebow could also be nicknamed "Charlie Hustle" because that's how he plays the game. But unlike Pete Rose, everything else about Tebow is what you want your daughter to bring home one day to meet dad and mom! He really is a role model for not only athletes, but anyone, especially kids who idolize pop-culture figures. With the influence of today's in the spot-light celebrities like Lady Gaga, American Idol winners, Terrell Owens & Chad Ochocinco, A-Rod, and the Kardashian sisters...Tim Tebow is a real role model. He's the real deal.

Young people today "wanna be like" and "aspire to be" like someone. Kids have idols today - (reality is they have, and do - and yeah, another post on this). So for young people and old people, and especially for my four teenagers...watch Tim Tebow....he's the real deal. (...and he's a Denver Bronco!) He's using his platform and influence to share Christ and people are noticing. Even in mocking, people are "Tebowing" but it's something that he is very serious about and not afraid to share...publicly. Interesting comment to my friend yesterday - with conversation around Thursday night's football game, a man says to Kyle "Hey, your a man of faith. I'm not, but I gotta think that Tebow's faith has something to do with his continued winning and success." Interesting. Huh? People are noticing Tebow. Not just his football play (which still does need some work) but they're noticing Tim Tebow, and the person he is.

So, hoping Tim Tebow continues to play hard, and share Jesus through his celebrity platform and football influence.

Here's a great piece from ESPN on Tebow from a few months back....

People will still be watching...

Being a Central PA kid growing up...I'm a Penn State fan. And Penn State is synonymous with Joe Paterno, or JoePa, and football. I've gone to several games at Beaver Stadium in Happy Valley. There is something about sitting there amongst 106,572 of your closest friends and chanting back and forth with the "white out" student section - WE ARE....PENN STATE! The Blue Band marches out as Nittany Lion runs back and forth waiting for the claps, chants and cheers to get louder and louder. The ROAR of a lion comes across the loud speakers and then the roar of the crowd is almost deafening as Coach Paterno jogs out of the tunnel leading his players in the home blue jerseys onto the field. Plain navy jerseys with white lettering and white pants. No names on the back, nothing fancy, some say boring, but that's JoePa's way, Paterno style football. Joe stands on the sidelines in his dark rimmed glasses, white shirt, tie, and khaki pants - rolled up, "flood style" - showing his white socks against his black cleats. His look is one more of a professor than a coach because his look is not exactly a fashion statement catching on in the magazines or malls today. He's stayed in college football for 46 years at Penn State for the reason of coaching and touching the lives of "kids", college students, and he's been in some ways more of a teacher touching the lives of not only thousands of student athletes but many other thousands of students that have walked that campus and even watched on t.v. each Saturday afternoon. Students watch JoePa, people idolize JoePa, he's a legend, and in the midst of one of the most horrific scandals that there has ever been, people are still watching Coach Paterno....

As the sickening, and sad news came out this weekend of the sex scandal at Penn State, it's been a media frenzy and all-consuming topic for not only sports talk radio and t.v. but major news affiliates also. And I think it's just the beginning of a long haul as this story and investigation is still so fluid....

The court of public opinion will be airing itself through the social media world, the news and sports media, and even around the proverbial water cooler at the office. Shoot, if you Google "Penn State" it's not the university education or even it's famed football program that pops up first. It's "the scandal." And as we all "monday morning quarterback" (pun intended) this event there are an array of emotions from sad, hurt, embarrassed, angry, and even sickening nauseous feelings.

It is sad what has happened to the university, the football program, to the now-tarnished legacy of a great one, but most of all it's horrific what happened to the numerous amounts of kids over the years, and I'm guessing it's many more that Victims 1-2-3-4-5-6-7-and 8. It's appalling, detestable and heinous.

As Achan found out in Joshua chapter 7, and we now see from the grotesque sin of Jerry Sandusky, a lot of people are affected. It has rippled not only to numerous boys, their families, but also those boys' future families, a university, the NCAA, and now other staff and employees of PSU including the legendary coach of their famed football team. It is impossible to sin and it only effect you. A good reminder for all of us.

Rambling I know, and wrapping up...From what we know, or think we know, Joe Paterno, "legally" reported all he had to to who he needed to. But, if you're like me, why didn't he, with all his influence handle this?!? Come on Coach, you are a parent and grandparent!?!? Why didn't anyone?!? Okay, so he didn't, along with others, and it's now "out." Sin has a way of doing that. Think I read that somewhere before! Although it appears that Coach Paterno will no longer be the coach of PSU, he will always be apart of PSU, not only football but the university. He's leaving not the way one should leave after 46 years, but as he leaves and this story still continues to unfold, people will still closely be watching JoePa, and how he handles now, no matter how he "didn't handle" then. If I could catch Coach for a quick conversation over coffee I'd say something like this..."Coach, I'm hoping you "man up" and as you've been the leader and face of a storied football program for years, lead now, be the face, use your influence and handle this mess from here and forward with honesty, and integrity, and just do the right thing. My pastor recently stated in a message..."To do the right thing is always the right thing to do." So Coach, do the right thing now. Please.

"Right actions in the future are the best apologies for bad actions in the past" Although, Coach, you're not the offender, you're being blamed too to some degree. Right actions from here forward are what those kids, now young men, deserve from you. Coach, for 46 years we've watched every Saturday in the fall on t.v. or for many, at one of the most amazing places to be to watch a game and catch a glimpse of a legend...Coach, we're still watching...."

My favorite...

My favorite day of the week is Sunday. I love Sundays because I LOVE MY CHURCH! Yesterday was "one of the best" that we've had at VCTC. Something about yesterday that was just awesome! Normally we have a LIVE simulcast to our campus from the Greenfield Campus of Victory Church....and it's always awesome. But yesterday, our campus pastor, Pastor Eric, preached LIVE (in person). We finished up our Break Free series, and Eric preached on breaking free from the barriers that keep us from worshipping the way God wants us to and intends for us to worship. GREAT MESSAGE! One that we needed to hear as a tribe. Meeting in a Theater for church, sometimes the tendency can be to get comfortable (because they are!) in the seats, and just stare at the screen and be a spectator. That can be the tendency because that's what you do in a theater. But as a church, as a VCTC tribe, God wants us, and intends for us not to spectate but participate....in an authentic worship with Him...to Him.

An encounter with God births proper perspective which fuels our worship to Him.

It was a great challenge that I needed and I know we all needed. ...and then besides the message, the time of praise and worship in song yesterday...WOW!! Amazing morning of worship! ...and besides the message being great, the worship time being great...my son, Chad, had his first day with the Media & Tech team. He's shadowing the team to learn and serve in that area which he loves! I love seeing my kids serve!

As good as the morning of church was...it didn't stop. Last evening, we had our Harvest Gather / Fall party - church wide. We had bonfires, games, bounce house, bobbing for apples, food, food, and more food, and the best part just connecting and hanging out with each other! It was an incredibly beautiful Fall evening, and was absolutely "one of the best" Sundays in the history (all be it very short history) of VCTC!!

I LOVE MY CHURCH!!! ...wish everyday was Sunday!

Jordan or Favre?

I've taken a sabbatical of sorts from blogging for a while. (obviously)

So in some ways, I kinda feel like the great Michael Jordan when he went from basketball-to baseball-and back to basketball stating "I'm back!" and then later again after retirement because of his greatness on the basketball court.

Actually it's probably more like Brett Favre, who retired-came back - retired - came back -retired - came back....and you get the idea. I wouldn't put it past him to come back again - maybe this time to the NCAA - even Penn State since JoePa can't figure out his QB?!?

Although this has been the longest, this hasn't been (and probably won't be the last) break. So rather than Michael's mantra in 1995 and 2001, the general fan population's sentiment of Favre's latter career is probably more accurate for my return to writing..."oh, brother, here we go again..."

And because of being hounded, like a paparazzi on Justin Beiber, I will be blogging and a few post will show up next week. :-) So for my wife, my brother, my friends Amy, and Keith, and the other 3 of you that may read...stay tuned.

14

Happy 14th Birthday to my Brookie!!!

No mo' Breakfast

I love breakfast. I usually eat breakfast out 2-3 times per week. Usually with a friend, sometimes I'll just go solo and catch up on reading, and each week - two days of breakfast is shared with ministry teams from church. Breakfast is my favorite meal of the day. In fact I could eat breakfast food for dinner too!
Came across this hilarious video about breakfast....enjoy.
...and please Lord, let there be eggs, and homefries in Heaven.

Honestly - Read this book!

Since finishing my schooling recently, I have enjoyed getting back into a reading rhythm of preferred reading....that is, what I prefer to read rather than classroom required reading. (Not that that was bad reading.)
I just finished reading Honestly by Johnnie Moore. Moore is one of the executive VPs at Liberty University and the preaching pastor of their Campus Church in Lynchburg, Va. Ginger and I visited Liberty with friends last December and was able to hear Moore preach. He's a gifted communicator not only in preaching but definitely in writing. Loved his writing. His wit. The history lessons. His stories. And his honest confessions of his spiritual journey.
The book was challenging. Read this book!

Change

Tomorrow - the 10th anniversary of the infamous day, now just referred to as "9/11." It was a day that marked America. It was a day that changed America.

It's a day that is burned into the memories of most all Americans. This week it's already started, and there will be all day coverage on all the major t.v. networks, remembering the tragedy, re-living the stories, and celebrating America - her resolve, and her heroes.

It's burned into my memory...I remember staying up late on Monday night September 10th. Partly because my team, the Denver Broncos were on Monday night football, but mostly because the next morning, I was starting a new job. I was hired as one of the sales mangers at Autohaus Lancaster. The other sales manager wouldn't be there due to a conference in NJ just outside NYC. He had me start 'on my own' because of my experience. Although experienced, there was still an anxious nervousness about starting off as a newbie in a new place. I remember making my rounds, meeting all my new co-workers, and then settling into my new office familiarizing myself with the computer system and unloading my boxes and organizing my desk. One of my new sales persons came to my office and said "I think you need to see this...." I walked back to the service waiting lounge where customers, sales persons, office personnel, and technicians all hovered around the t.v., as we watched in disbelief. America was under attack. I'll never forget that day, where I was; an unforgettable first day at a new job.
Since that day, America has changed. The way we travel has changed. The way that businesses hire, banks loan money, renters rent, etc... - all changed because of more strict background checks. The 6 o'clock and 11 o'clock news has changed as we listen for the update about our troops serving in the war, that seems now, to be forever ongoing. There is even change in government structure as we now have an Office of Homeland Security. The landscape of New York City is forever changed. Change - I'm sure you can think of other changes that we have, you have, experienced in 10 years time, as a result of "9/11".

I don't think it's by coincidence, or even ironic that tomorrow, Sunday 9/11/11 is the 10th anniversary that all of America will be talking about about and thinking about. Tomorrow is Sunday, the day many people, Americans and all over the world, will gather together in churches big and small, from every kind of denominations, and all walks of life. We'll gather and worship a Never-Changing God that can change anything He wants to - and has changed eternity because of the cross. People, more than ever, you could even say because of the events from ten years ago, are hungry for love, purpose, and life transformation - life change.

Church leaders, as we remember 9/11 tomorrow in our churches, let's remember that "The local church is the Hope of the World." The church has the change that people need - we have the message of Jesus, and God may be using us, as His catalyst for life change in someone...even tomorrow.

Love Who?

Sunday....This past weekend we started a new series at Victory Church titled I LOVE THIS CHURCH! I love the title by the way ;-) PC is sharing the 4 values of VC over the next four weeks and why VC is a unique church that people want to be apart of. Sunday he preached "God deserves our best." ...and how we give our best is Love Life, Love People, and Love God...

Great service that you can and should watch here!

Monday....was Labor Day and was kinda a nice lazy, labor-less day for us. Chad had 7:30am football practice so he and I left early while the ladies slept in.... When practice was over and we got home, Ginger made a 'brunch' for us and we were all able to eat together around the table...an event that is too rare, but cherished event. When we do gather together for a meal we have TableTopics that we do. It's a fun way to have some good discussions at mealtime as a family. Sometimes they're fun, goofy questions, and sometimes they're ones to make you think a little. Yesterday's question was a good one...it led to great discussion that then involved recapping the Sunday sermon too. The question was "What are some redeeming qualities in the person you dislike the most?"

Hmm? Right?

We started around the table and the answers were very generic....like, "well, she can be nice, and he's sometimes thoughtful..."

I then asked the kids who was she/he? I mentioned a specific person...and that caused for some pause. But then some good answers, and dialogue came from it.

My turn..."Well, I'm not sure who..." Then lightning fast - a name was blurted out my way. A person the rest of the family thought I could/should insert into the question. ...and then the pause. Wow. Makes you think. Made me think, anyway.

We began discussing what PC preached and what the Bible says about Loving People. Again, great discussion.

It's easy to say "Yeah, I love people." But sometimes it's hard to do...with some people, huh? People that are like me, or that like the same things I do, or that I like...they're easy to love. People that irritate me, just are not like me, or people that like the New York Mets - they're hard to love. Kidding about the NYM thing...sort of. Seriously though, loving people is not always easy, and I think it's the litmus test of our Christian walk, and how we're doing with the first commandment when Jesus told us to do which was to Love God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength.

Yesterday's meal around the table was one of the best we've had. At least in a long while. Besides the omelet being amazing....the discussion we had and shared was good stuff.

...and then it got better...and harder. When we wrapped up our discussions, I suggested and challenged that we act on loving people....even and especially the "ones we dislike." It was as much for me as it wasfor the rest of the family, but one by one we went around the table a specifically, by name of the names we discussed, and we prayed for each one of them. It was a hard thing to do, and if you could hear me shouting through these typed words, you hear me loudly saying how proud I am of my kids, and my wife...showing, only...to each other, but showing and practicing loving people.

...we pulled out another card, just to lighten the mood a little. Pretty heavy meal time, so discussing "what long lost childhood object we miss the most" was a good way to end....

I John 3:18 "Little children, let us stop just saying we love people; let us really love them, and show it by our actions." (TLB)

Leadership at it's finest

It's football season. I love this time of year. Baseball (the best sport) is winding down with pennant races, playoffs, and world series time. Football is here. NFL is finally playing getting ready to start the regular season, and College GameDay begins next Saturday!
This week was the Big10 luncheon for the players and coaches during media week. I love Big10 football - specifically the white helmets running out on the field behind their fearless leader, JoePa now entering his 114th season as head coach of the Nittany Lions! Yes, I'm a PSU fan, and so that means while there is a mutual respect for the other Big10 teams, especially during bowl season - you're just not suppose to like the other teams - especially Ohio State, Michigan, and Michigan State. So I don't. I do not like those teams (especially Buckeyes) but I am now a fan of Kirk Cousins. Cousins is the senior QB for the MSU Spartans. He gave a speech at the luncheon representing himself and his fellow Big10 players.
One word - Wow! This kid, as his coach mouthed to Minnesota's coach is "special." Cousins understands leadership, and what it's all about. He says that he bases his leadership on the example of Jesus Christ. "He was the greatest leader, and the ultimate servant leader," he said, "That's leadership to me. You have to serve people and help them, and then the will believe in you and follow you."
"Privilege does not equal entitlement - privilege comes with great responsibility"....An amazing speech. At the end, he received nearly a minute standing ovation - a deserving one, because the speech, and his challenge was leadership at it's finest.
WE ARE....PENN STATE. ....and cheering on Kirk Cousins too. I'm a fan now!

It's Just Sex

Today was another (as always) great morning at Victory Church Theater Campus. Pastor Curt isn't afraid to talk about the "tough subjects in the Bible" or the "taboo in the church pews subjects". Today was one of those days....we continued our "It's Complicated" series dealing with relationships...today's message: "It's Just Sex" My note page is scribbled on from top to bottom.

Here they are....today's PCisms:

• Today's society says: "It's just sex, it doesn't matter" , "If it feels good, do it" , I'm not hurting anyone" , It's my body and I can do what I want" ---NOT true!


• "Purity matters to God.


• ...and if it does, it should matter to us."


• "If you really want what God wants, you need to live the way He said to live"


• "No one can fill the void in your heart that your longing for, except the returning relationship with Jesus Christ"


• "To really have a fulfilled life, you need a relationship with the only one that can fulfill it"


• "Not how close I can get to the line...how close I can get to God should be our focus."


• "Sexual purity does matter."


• "In any relationship, you need to er on the side of purity"


• "Hello, women...THINK before you dress!"


• "Hello, men...learn to bounce your eyes! Look away!" Job 31:1


• "The line for right & wrong has moved, it's all over the place and you know where we look for our standard? T.V. , music videos, culture...we need to look to the Bible for the standard on sex"


• "Intimacy matters to God"


• "In the covenant of marriage, the gift of sex unites a husband and wife"


• "Sex: it's the spiritual truth of the two shall become one"


• "Concerning sex, the church has screwed this thing up. We do sex an injustice by only talking about it in youth groups. The church needs to know and hear about sex."


• "The church has made sex confusing. Growing up you hear No, No, No. We should be teaching Wait, Wait, Wait, because it's not wrong in marriage and it's beautiful, and amazing"


• "There is no such thing as safe sex, I don't care what your 8th grade teacher said. You can't put a condom on your heart."


• "Give your spouse, joyfully, and without strings attached, what your spouse wants


• ...that's a formula for a happy marriage"


• "Holiness matters to God"


• "Living a holy life is honoring your spouse"


• "Living a holy life is building your life story..."


• "What's your story, when your kids ask one day? Is it your mom and I honored each other and we stayed pure before marriage. Or is it - something like, well, one night me and the fellas we're out, met your mom dancing on a pole, and the next thing you know, you come out, Jr."


• ...yes, and PC gave a quick, small demonstration of a pole dancer?!?!


• "What if I've messed up?" 2 Corinthians 5:17


• "IN CHRIST...you can be pure, you can be healed, you can be set free"


• "You can't change your past, but you can, with the power of God, change your future."


• "In you married life, dating life, thought life...raise the standard in your life."


• "Live as Jesus wants you to live"


• "God can bring clarity in your "It's complicated" life"

It's worth checking out our website here and watching this week!!

...ending the morning, Pastor Eric, our campus pastor stood to close in prayer and asked "If anyone has pole dancing as part of their story would you please stand." ....thankfully, no one stood! :-)

Great morning at VCTC! Amazing Worship with the band, as you can see the message and challenge was spot on, and the fellowship was sweet! I LOVE MY CHURCH!!!

Celebrating my wife...

Not that everyday is a celebration :-) ...but last week I celebrated Ginger everyday, all week long. I mentioned here that it was the 10 year anniversary of our first date - so that was reason to celebrate!

• Monday: I sent 10 roses to her office with a note saying "Celebrating 10 years of dating" (She said to me "How do you remember the day? Is it today's date?" :-)


• Tuesday: 10 post it notes all over the house of notes of why I love her so much


• Wednesday: This was a fun one...I asked to leave the office early so I could beat her home, and I had dinner made for her and ready for when she walked in the house. I made her "Honey Mustard Chicken"...which there is a story about. Early in our dating, the first dinner she made for me was honey mustard chicken. I LOATH mustard, or any resemblance of mustard. YUK!!! Well, because we were in what we call "the impression stage" of relationship, I choked it down. She said to me something along the lines of "Wow, you must really like that!" and proceeded to serve more mustard chicken onto my plate...and yes, I ate that too. (I'm gaging while typing this) Months later, and I forget where we were, but she asked if I wanted some mustard on my soft pretzel. I emphatically, and I'm sure dramatically, answered, 'Gross! No way. I HATE mustard!' Ginger, a few minutes later, with a puzzled look on here face, mentioned that, hey, you had honey mustard chicken and seconds of it, not that long ago?! To which I replied, "and I'm sorry, but it was gross! Hey, we just met, and I didn't want to disappoint her for making a nice meal. Well, because she likes mustard, and I obviously don't, she rarely has it, and never has made that again at home, so I re-created our 'first home-made meal' together and had grilled honey mustard chicken (bbq chicken for me), potatoes, and green beans. Same meal - 10 years later. She was surprised - mission accomplished! :-)


• Thursday: I emailed her a note with this attached video. Our daughter, Brooke, worked hard on this and from start to finish made the whole thing!! (Thank You Brooke!!! It is awesome, and she loved it!!)


• Friday: This is the night of the actual anniversary of our first date. She found 10 cards throughout the house, and her car in the a.m., and I made dinner reservations to the same restaurant, D&S Brassiere, that we ate at for our first date. We had a great dinner, sitting ironically 1-table away from the same table, talked about how fast 10 years have gone, and looking forward to dating for many, many, many more years!

What a fun week! Not sure if I had more fun with it, or her, but what a great week we had. I love you Ging, and love that we still have fun, date each other, and God has blessed us with 10 incredible years!

The beginning of a lifetime

Today, August 12th, is the 10 year anniversary of forever, happily ever after, and my lifetime with my best friend. August 12th, 1991 was a Sunday. It was the first date Ginger and I had. She'll say I'm not sure it was a date. But, oh, it was a date. She wanted me bad. :-)

After she spent the afternoon at my parents' house after church, we were sitting at the kitchen table talking and I casually brought up in conversation..."Hey, I've gotta eat dinner. You? I'm going to get some. You? You wanna go get dinner?" She said YES!

We drove separately to D&S Brassiere and from there we drove together to Kendig Movies. I took her to the $2 movie theater to watch Pearl Harbor.

So, raspberry chicken (yes, I remember. I'm the sentimental one.), Ben Affleck and Pearl Harbor...the beginning of a lifetime. And I love dating my wife still 10 years later more than ever!

Ging, I love you! Thanks for "saying yes" that night 10 years ago!

Which way?

The last weekend of July our family took a day to go hiking. ...and all day it took! We drove 2 1/2 hours to Rickett's Glen State Park. We sure could have found some woods and trails close by but wanted to hike the Falls Trail of that park. Several friends have told us it's beautiful and worth the hike to see all the waterfalls on the trail. Yep. It's true. Beautiful!

We started out on the hike and came to the first fork in the hike. Left or right? Wasn't sure, so we played rock-paper-scissors to see who'd pick. True story. Brooke picked left (I think). Good pick, we soon found a waterfall. I was quickly chastised for not bringing the map to make sure we knew where we were along the way. I visually saw the map in the big board at the beginning, and hey, it looked like a big circle to me. Sort of. Kind of. With one little trail going off that looked like a tail off the "circle."

Well, guess which trail we found? Yep, we turned onto the "tail" of the trail instead of circling back around. Just after we took this wrong turn, it began raining, actually storming. So already, hot, tired, we were now wet. Soaking wet when we reached then end, to only find out it wasn't the end. Some of us, tried to find the humor in the situation, some of the other soaked ones in the family not so much. So we backtracked the wrong trail and added another 4 miles to the 7.5 miles of the original trail. When we passed what looked like a seasoned hiker and he said, "Wow, you guys have a long hike ahead of you" and then kept on walking, I knew that couldn't be good. Hey, the bright side was we got an incredible workout. Especially considering we saw all the beautiful falls on the way. Emphasis on the word falls, because when something falls it's heading downward. Tony Horton had nothing on us that day because the last 3+ miles of our hike were straight, and I'm really not exaggerating :-), straight up! Finally, after 5.5 hours of hiking, leisurely mind you, in the state park of Rickett's Glen, during a lightning and thunder storm, we ended our hike to the starting parking lot to find our vehicle and like two others in the whole lot. Must have been a lot of fair weather hikers. Not us. :-)

Seriously, the hike was beautiful, the 22 waterfalls (plus the 2 bonus ones we saw because of our extra hike) we postcard perfect. Hopefully can do it again...maybe with a map next time.

Lesson learned....take a map if you don't know where you're going. A spiritual application, cause I'm thinking along the way (with the extra time) this has got to preach somehow....

Maps are important. And in our spiritual life, actually, just life...God provides us with a map, His Word. Do you ever feel "Which Way?" I know I have. I do. Sometimes when we're stuck, or we think God's not paying attention to us, or why me, or what now...Proverbs 3:5-6 are a great compass for "which way" There is work to do, we have action to take, and a responsibility for ourselves, but the payoff is direction! "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, do not depend on your own understanding, seek his will in all you do, and He will show you which path to take." We are to trust in Him, not ourselves, and seek Him. If we do...He'll show us "which way"

It was worth the extra hike...but a loooong drive home!

Here we are pooped out and wet at the end of the hike.

Math in our house...

Summer "Math" in our house...

Before school was even out in June, Abbey left for her summer trip. Chad was solo in the house most of the summer until Garrett & Brooke came while Chad was away at youth conference. So the three of them were home until Abbey returned. All four kids, all six of us for a 2 week stretch was awesome. Some really good times all together. Abbey & Chad just left this past weekend and are gone for the week on vacation with their dad. Garrett & Brooke only for this past weekend. They left on Tuesday and it just Ging and I left...till the weekend. Then our fall routine starts again with their school year starting soon....

Glass household math:

4-1=3

3-1=2+2=4

4+1=5=1=6

6-2=4

4-2=2

...and that's not even counting 2 dogs! This weekend, just the two of us, with lots of sheets to wash! We prefer a FULL house, so we're looking forward to Thanksgiving in a few months!

No more...

As my kids are preparing to go back to school, I feel like a little kid who'd be running out of the building on the last day of school yelling "school's out!"

It's Tuesday. Normally, I'd be thinking of school, Lancaster Bible College, and the paper that would be due next week. I'd be finishing up my reading, thinking through my paper (that I'd probably do the weekend sometime) and be reading for the next class starting next Tuesday. No more for me though. Last week (and I'm just now catching up) was the last week of school for me! It's been over 1 1/2 years now since I started back to college and have been attending Tuesday nights at LBC to finish my undergraduate degree. I finished my last class, and turned in my last paper last week. So pending for some reason that didn't turn out well :-) - I'm done!

Going back to pursue my degree some 19 years after I started this process has been good, and challenging. It's obviously a lot different that when I was 18 years old. I paid a lot more attention now than I did as an 18 year old kid who played alot, being away from home for the first time. So grateful for great profs who made the classes challenging, and enjoyable. Thankful too for some great friends made this past year and a half too. I know God will use these men and women greatly in ministry in years to come. The challenging part was the work load. College work is college work. And I knew that going into it, but the challenge of reading sometimes 250-300 pages of reading, write a 6-8 page paper (in the correct MLA format) :-) , and spending healthy time with my wife and kids, catching their sports events, while still working my job, and doing ministry in my church. I'm tired just writing that! It was challenging but so thankful I did it. Such a rewarding feeling of completion.

Very thankful for my wife and family who have been just as much of it as I have been it seems. Thankful for their encouragement, support, and accommodating of my crazy schedule this past 1 1/2 years.

We get to celebrate in December with the graduation ceremony. We are continuing to pray for God's leading in our lives....

Guess I'm now suppose to be officially smarter?

It's Complicated...even during the service

Yesterday, we began a new series in church called "It's Complicated." Being on the worship creative team, we meet each week and brainstorm and think through creative ways to help share the message and clear gospel to each one on Sundays. This was not planned for the August calender, and a few weeks ago Pastor Curt shared his burden for marriages and prompting to change things up in the preaching calender and share what God has to say specific to marriages but for sure all relationships. He shared he has been inundated with calls for counsel, and emails for prayer petitions of couples with difficulties in their relationships and Satan has been on the attack for sure. I really appreciate that about my pastor, how he's willing to "change it up" and follow in obedience the Holy Spirit when there is a need to do so.

Marriage. So many marriages, too many marriages are not right, not healthy, or just "stuck" and boring. It can be complicated. One on the things in marriage and any relationship that can make it real complicated real quick is Lying. Yesterday, PC specifically challenged us with being people of integrity and STOP LYING...to people that you love and then hurt by doing so, but also and mostly to yourself. He "held back no punches!" In fact he started off by telling everyone to buckle up...here we go. It was a great challenge, a good reminder that I, and I know we all need! Watch it here. It's worth watching!!

Speaking of lying...figured I'd be truthful and share it here first before my wife uses the comment section. :-)

So during yesterday's message...on relationships...specifically on lying....wife wife turns to me and says "Are you sleeping?" To which I quickly responded "No, praying." The dialogue continued when she says very sarcastically I might add, "You know he's preaching, right now, on lying. to you spouse. So you're lying while he's preaching on lying, and lying in church about praying!"

While the dimmed lights, comfy theater seats, late nights, and early morning would lend to what one would think would be a snappy nappy....that's the last time I BLINK in church! Honest!

All grown up...

No longer a Twizzler. JollyRanchers in our house! Kids can ride on all the rides at Hershey Park! (They were VERY excited to take these pictures) (as they will be that it's posted here) :-)