Random Thoughts with Rob

2012 ISOC Snocross at the Pontiac Silverdome

2012-02-11T15:52:00.000-05:00

It was cool to be in the Silverdome again. The last two events I went to there were to watch Grave Digger crush cars, and Hulk Hogan body slam Andre the Giant at WrestleMania 3!

Merry Christmas 2011!

2011-12-24T11:55:00.001-05:00

ElliottChristmas2011, originally uploaded by rcelliott.

Merry Christmas from the Elliott Family!

A Piece From The Heidelberg Project

2011-10-01T22:14:00.001-04:00

DSCN3451, originally uploaded by rcelliott.

The lady working the grounds today told me the story behind this piece. Apparently it is a statement that there are so many people in the churches, but none in the schools or neighborhoods who care. The church has become a business, not a mission... Something to think about.

Fatter and Fitter

2011-07-21T08:30:00.002-04:00

DSCN2183, originally uploaded by rcelliott.

I am not sure how that happened. I know I am getting faster. I see I'm getting bigger. It's kind of a mess, really.

That being said, Jordan and I were able to make a team event and we raced the 6 hours of Ithaca. We had a great time. We came in 6th, and put in a lot of good laps together.

The rest of the pictures can be found HERE.

Independence Day Fireworks

2011-07-04T11:07:00.003-04:00

I had the opportunity to go out to the Birmingham Independence Day Fireworks yesterday with one of my friends and some of our kids. I threw both cameras in the van and had a little fun.

EACH Campaign 2011

2011-06-04T14:52:00.000-04:00

EACH Recap from E.A.C.H. on Vimeo.

EACH Prayer Walk

2011-04-17T08:30:00.002-04:00

DSCN0431, originally uploaded by rcelliott.

This was an amazing kick off to bring a heart of serving the community. Full gallery can be seen here.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/rcelliott/sets/72157626387206679/

EACH Youth Rally Worship

2011-04-11T17:44:00.001-04:00

This is a clip I shot from the E.A.C.H. Youth rally last night with my Nikon P7000. The rally was awesome!

PLEASE VOTE FOR JORDAN

2011-04-05T18:09:00.003-04:00

Dear Friends,

Please take the time to vote for my son in this contest. You will have to log
in to vote, but it is worth it. Jordan has worked very hard at this
project to resurrect a dead XBOX and a dead monitor to make his very own
XBOX Laptop! If all my friends vote, I would appreciate it very much
as would Jordan.

Voting ends Wednesday.

Making an XBOX 360 Laptop.

Thank you,

Rob

The Heidelberg Project

2011-04-02T00:39:00.002-04:00

DSCN0236 copy, originally uploaded by rcelliott.

I got to see it today. I am going back with all my gear.

You don't see these everyday

2011-03-24T08:20:00.002-04:00

DSCN0072, originally uploaded by rcelliott.

And especially not downtown!

Another Rotten Off Season

2011-03-23T21:10:00.002-04:00

So, winter has come and gone... Oh wait. I live in Michigan. Winter has come and gone, and come back again for the third time... You get the point. I had high hopes of getting a lot of time on the trainer and putting myself back into some form of better health than I was able to last fall. As you may remember, last fall I had to have shoulder surgery and it took a lot of time to get back to the point where I could even ride. In fact, last fall I was out of commission and in physical therapy from December to May!

This winter was no exception. Usually when the weather turns and the furnaces go on the world gets a nice surprise. I lose my voice. It never fails. I lose my voice for most of every winter. This time was no different. Furnaces go on, voice goes out.

Unfortunately, I noticed that this time the cough was a little worse than normal. I also noticed I was losing energy and getting a fever.. Trip to the doctor. Verdict, pneumonia.

What sucked is that this pneumonia hung around me like a piece of toilet paper from a mall restroom. What? That never happened to you? Anyway, this literally lasted from November to February. Any chance of losing that hundred fifty pounds this winter was lost...

Well, I am still optimistic despite all my venting. The spring has to make its way to the Motor City soon, and I will be on my bike morning, noon, and night. I am not going to miss any opportunity to ride this year.

Reasons for the Rise and Fall of Leaders by Joseph Mattera

2011-01-20T08:22:00.002-05:00

There is a lot to learn from in this post written by Joseph Mattera.

Introduction
Scripture is replete with examples of how leaders rise and fall. One of the reasons why I believe the Bible is the inspired word of God is because it so honestly and accurately portrays the plight of human beings regarding their reasons for success and failure. It adequately portrays the dark side of the saints of old and is not like the common biographies of great people in history that are more hagiographic in nature than historic (that is, they don’t reveal the failures of the person).

From what I have observed many, if not most, leaders do not end well. The following reasons have to do with long-lasting success or failure. Some may experience both for a short period of time but not end up that way in the long term.

The following are 11 reasons why leaders are promoted by God for lifelong effectiveness:

I. They are promoted by God to be used by God to complete a particular assignment

God promotes who He chooses (Psalm 75:6-7). There is no other explanation. There are some folks that we know who are very effective and very godly leaders who are not very well known. Then, there are well known leaders who are not very effective or godly. It is a divine mystery to why God gives some people more of a public platform than others. Like Paul said, no person should boast or brag as if they themselves have elevated themselves; everything we have received has come from God. Thus we should not be jealous of others or become worried about the amount of influence we have (Proverbs 3:5-7; 1 Corinthians 4:7; 2 Corinthians 10:12-18).

II. They have learned to live a life of brokenness and dependence on God instead of living a life based on their own strength and giftedness

I have been in full-time ministry for almost 30 years, and one thing I have found is that the true people of God who have a track record of long-time success all have one thing in common: they have allowed the Lord to break their strong wills and soften their stubborn hearts. Like Jacob of old, they walk with a limp (Genesis 32:24-31). Anyone who has allowed God to deal with them will walk with a limp. I don’t trust any leader who doesn’t walk with a limp!

III. They have learned from the lessons of the past

All of us will go through great challenges in our lives. The book of Proverbs tells us that a person who accepts correction is wise (10:8) but a fool refuses correction (15:5). In the arena of life, not only will wise people like our parents or pastors attempt to correct us, but the situations of life are also orchestrated by God so that we are conformed to His image (Romans 8:28-30). The wise person learns from both people and life experience and doesn’t repeat serious mistakes.

IV. They have learned from the lessons of what others have experienced

Effective leaders do a lot of reading of other successful leaders, and do a lot of listening when in the company of wise, great leaders. We have to do more listening than speaking and make time to fellowship with great minds by reading the books of those we want to emulate.

V. They get adequate counsel

Proverbs teaches us that before we go to war we need an abundance of counsel. To be effective you must learn to hire staff based on your weaknesses, while concentrating on your areas of expertise and strength. The smartest people in the world are those who know and have access to the smartest people they can possibly surround themselves with.

VI. They have adequate coaching and mentoring in specific areas of need

I have an inner circle of people and receive coaching in numerous areas of my life. I don’t have the time to read every available book or get every available degree, so I constantly receive coaching and mentoring from others with more expertise than me in areas like administration, finances, law, nutrition, health, emotional well-being, marriage and relationships, etc. If I didn’t have people who constantly coached me then I would be a disaster and would greatly limit my leadership ceiling!

VII. They are accountable to others

If you desire long-lasting success then you must have accountability regarding your finances, marriage, personal relationships, how you do ministry, strategic planning, and the like. Because all of us have a dark side, we need to have open relationships with people God has assigned to us and give permission to speak correction into our lives.

VIII. They live a balanced life that includes emotional and physical health

Jesus was both human and divine. Many of us forget that we must take care of our emotional and physical health, not just run on spiritual fumes and anointing! We are called to love our neighbor even as we love ourselves. If we do not care for ourselves we will burn out and not be able to be a blessing to others! We need to set physical and emotional boundaries that limit our activities and what we say yes to, so that we will remain a blessing to our families and have time to minister to the Lord for self-renewal.

IX. They know how to read, interpret, and discern the hearts of other key people around them

This is not something that can be taught. Great leaders have an intangible, intuitive ability to read other people accurately. They usually know who to trust and who to partner with. Often, they can tell when God is connecting them to someone instantly, even without meeting that person before!

X. They have a heart after God more than a desire for promotion and ministry

For long-lasting success we need to come to a place where we truly desire to seek God and know God more than making Him known! Only then can God trust us.

XI. They have prudence in the governance of their ministry

A person once told me that he heard Billy Graham met with his team many years ago and decided on certain core things they would always follow for the success of their ministry:

a. Excellence in administration (vision without administration is only a pipe dream!)

b. Never be alone with a woman who you are not married to.

c. Never exaggerate: they vowed to call their ministry what it really was. If there were 50 people in a meeting then they would say publicly that there were 50 people at the meeting; don’t say there were 150 people, etc.

d. Have financial scrutiny and integrity. Hiring outside independent auditors as if they were IRS agents checking the ministry’s books is something every leader should do on an annual basis.

Reasons for the fall of leaders:

I. They live out of their natural giftedness and spiritual anointing but do not build on character and integrity.

First Corinthians teaches that the Corinthian Church lacked no gift (1:7) yet they were also carnal, acting like mere babes in Christ (3:1-4). It is no accident that, after the great chapter describing the manifestations of the Spirit (12), the next chapter is fully devoted to love (13). Paul says that if we have faith that can move mountains but have not love we are nothing! Matthew 7:21-23 tells us that we can do miracles and still miss the Kingdom of Heaven! We need to focus on living a life in which the love of God is fully integrated into our character and habit patterns. This is the only way we can build a long-lasting foundation.

II. They have not learned how to process pain

Because leaders are targets and often experience betrayal they need to learn to give adequate time to process the pain they feel when someone leaves their church or organization. If we do not fully process and face our pain then these unresolved issues will spill over and cause anger, resentment, sarcasm, and bitterness that seep into our lives, cause great dysfunction, and cut off the ability for ministry longevity. We have to learn to grieve, mourn, and process pain until we fully face it and fully forgive before we move on to the next phase of our lives and relationships.

III. They are emotionally immature in certain areas of their lives

Any area of our lives in which we were traumatized--even as a young child--will cause us to stop growing emotionally until we actually face the trauma and allow the Lord to release us from it and heal our hearts. Often this means we also have to forgive folks, whether they are still alive or dead.

IV. They are quick to form an opinion and judge others

V. They are not aware of their dark side and so live in self-deception

We purposely allow areas of discomfort to be rationalized away or pushed aside so we can paint our own picture of ourselves, our worth, and our ministries. Often, the reality of who we think we are does not line up with who God made us to be. Exhibition A is watching the tryouts for American Idol. Some people have no skill in singing and yet they are convinced, based on years of dreaming certain things, that they will one day become a superstar. Simon Cowell of American Idol may be rude and blunt but at least he gives people a shot of reality!

VI. They live for the future and are never living in the present

Many leaders live miserable lives because they are always yearning for something more. Unfortunately, they are never really living in the present but only in past regrets, and the future. Thus they never stop to enjoy and appreciate the people around them, instead taking advantage of them so they can reach their illustrious “future.” I am sick and tired of some of the prophecies that come forth about some glorious future that may or may not come to pass in our lifetime. I think we also need prophecies getting us to appreciate what God and who God has put in our lives today so we can begin to maximize our gifts and release our great potential. If we don’t appreciate what God is doing in the present He can’t trust us with a more glorious future (1 Thes. 5:16, 18)!

VII. They use people instead of loving people

Many are the leaders who view the people around them merely as objects to serve in the church--to tithe or to be some kind of blessing to bring them and their organization to the next level. God is looking for leaders who will celebrate and not exploit the people He has entrusted to them!

VIII. They have a heart for ministry more than a heart for God

Those who only seek God or study the Bible to preach a message are truly missing it. I have found that when I seek God just to delight in Him, He pours amazing messages into me for the church and gives me all the strategy I need to go to the next level. God chose King David because he was a man after God’s heart!

IX. They do not receive correction or coaching from others

I have been with leaders who did not want to hear any negative things about their life or ministry. Hence, they never grew and often failed and left their positions in Christ. We need each other not only for moral support but even so we can effectively hear from God as a hermeneutical community. Those who can learn from the community of people God has surrounded them with will grow the fastest. This is one of the things I admire so much about Bill Hybels. He radically changed the way he did church based on an honest church survey that he calls “REVEAL.” If he wasn’t open to hearing from God from his community then he would still be attempting to employ unsuccessful strategies to make disciples in his local church today.

X. They seek and need the approval of men more than the approval of God

Many who are involved in ministry have never dealt with the need for approval from a father who abandoned them. Thus they are ministering more out of a need for respect and affirmation than to please God. Consequently, they will live without limits and say yes to numerous ministry endeavors that God didn’t lead them to do. They will also push their churches to fund projects more because they desire a monument that points to the success in their lives than being motivated to expand the Kingdom of God. These leaders often burn out and have terrible family relationships because, ultimately, they are “driven” personal need more then being led by the Spirit of Christ.

Our 2010 LHCF Childrens Christmas Play

2010-12-22T21:20:00.000-05:00

Make Disciples and Be Witnesses Where?

2010-11-06T13:41:00.003-04:00

Make Disciples and Be Witnesses Where?

PREFACE: There are a few definitions I will need to give in order to give an understanding of several things I am talking about.

SYSTEMIC RACISM- Discriminatory habits, stereotypes, generally racist attitudes whether conscious or not. An example-While driving to Tennessee I saw a multitude of construction crews. Each crew had a pattern. Those working with hand tools were Mexican. Those working with equipment were black. Finally, those who were telling people what to do, holding the clipboards, and keeping charge of each crew were white.

SYSTEMIC- Definition of SYSTEMIC http://www.merriamwebster.com/dictionary/systemic

: of, relating to, or common to a system: as a : affecting the body generally b : supplying those parts of the body that receive blood through the aorta rather than through the pulmonary artery c : of, relating to, or being a pesticide that as used is harmless to the plant or higher animal but when absorbed into its sap or bloodstream makes the entire organism toxic to pests (as an insect or fungus)

RACISM- Definition of RACISM http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/racism

1: a belief that race is the primary determinant of human traits and capacities and that racial differences produce an inherent superiority of a particular race

2: racial prejudice or discrimination

HAVE/HAVE NOT-Societal groups determined by who is in a position of wealth, power, or acceptance on the social scale.

_____________________________________________________________________

[The Great Commission]

[16] Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. [17] And when they saw him they worshiped him, but some doubted. [18] And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. [19] Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, [20] teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

(Matthew 28:16-20 ESV)

[The Ascension]

[6] So when they had come together, they asked him, “Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” [7] He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by his own authority. [8] But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”

(Acts 1:6-8 ESV)

For those of you who remember the Promise Keepers Movement, one of the things they attempted to do was to work toward racial reconciliation. You might ask, “What do these passages have to do with racial reconciliation?” Bear with me a little while longer and I will do my best to share with you. First, however, let me give you a little history lesson over the last 110 years.

Somewhere around April, 1906 there was a little phenomenon called the Azusa Street Revival. In that revival, African American Pastor, William J. Seymour led the way. During that time people of primarily black and white descent were present and worshipping side by side. The revival ended around 1915. Unfortunately, whites went back to their homes, as did African Americans. Just a side note: Blacks were treated as second class citizens only being approximately 40 years removed from slavery. Also of note, Charles Parham (father of Pentecostalism) (white person, in a position as a “have” in society), wanted to take credit for this revival and keep the segregation of “races.”

In 1964 Martin Luther King Jr. was named the youngest person to receive the Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts in the Civil Rights Movement. This movement was led by this African American pastor to work toward ending racial segregation and discrimination. Many in the world know the famous “I have a Dream” speech. This speech had elements of Scriptures like Galatians 3:28, and Ephesians 2:15 put into our American context.

It is at this point that I must ask a question. What is the work of the Church? I stated it above with the Great Commission, did I not? That is a major part of the work, but what must happen along with that? This is where I look to correct what I see as an error in American Christian thinking. Is it enough for the world to get a “get out of Hell free” card? This is, unfortunately, our way of thinking about the mission of the Church. It is not enough to lead people through a simple formula of the sinners prayer in order to deliver their souls from Hell. There is a word called repentance, and it simply means to turn from that which you were before.

What are other major responsibilities of the Church? For the sake of time I will list some (this is not an exhaustive list):

To share the Gospel
To make Disciples of Jesus
To lay down our lives for others
To minister to the poor
To give food to the hungry
To give drink to the thirsty
To welcome the stranger
To clothe the naked
To care for the sick and in prison
To become all things to all men so that by all means you might win some
To become the bride of Christ

You might say, “Rob, we do all these things. What does all this have to do with the above?”

Let’s go back and look at the last words of Jesus before His ascension into Heaven.

[The Ascension]

(Acts 1:6-8 ESV)

NOTE: I could go on into the entirety of the exegeses of this passage and discuss our American weakness to government and our subsequent codependence on God plus our party, but that would be another paper… For now I would like to focus on the words in verse 8.

From what I understand of history in this time period, the Jews were occupied by a Roman government. On one hand, one could argue that the Jews were minorities. Unfortunately, this was in their homeland, so this argument is not accurate. They were the majority. The Samaritans, however, were the minority to the Jews. Jesus mentions the Samaritans in one of His parables:

[The Parable of the Good Samaritan]

[25] And behold, a lawyer stood up to put him to the test, saying, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” [26] He said to him, “What is written in the Law? How do you read it?” [27] And he answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.” [28] And he said to him, “You have answered correctly; do this, and you will live.”

[29] But he, desiring to justify himself, said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” [30] Jesus replied, “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he fell among robbers, who stripped him and beat him and departed, leaving him half dead. [31] Now by chance a priest was going down that road, and when he saw him he passed by on the other side. [32] So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. [33] But a Samaritan, as he journeyed, came to where he was, and when he saw him, he had compassion. [34] He went to him and bound up his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he set him on his own animal and brought him to an inn and took care of him. [35] And the next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper, saying, ‘Take care of him, and whatever more you spend, I will repay you when I come back.’ [36] Which of these three, do you think, proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell among the robbers?” [37] He said, “The one who showed him mercy.” And Jesus said to him, “You go, and do likewise.”

(Luke 10:25-37 ESV)

If you would care to note, in v37, after being asked who the good neighbor was, the man could not even say the word “Samaritan.” This is because the Jews despised this people group.

Jesus also has a direct encounter with the people of Samaria. This account can be found in John 4:1-42. In Jesus’ days the people would not go through Samaria. They would pass around it. Jesus “had” to go through it. He “had” to talk to a Samaritan. He “had” to talk to a woman. He “had to set a precedent for His disciples to follow.

We have established that the Samaritans weren’t looked on very favorably by the Jews. We have established that we are to be witnesses to all people groups. It is at this point that you might say that, “We are firing on all cylinders. We are sharing the Gospel throughout the world. We do missions. We have a food pantry. We help the poor and the needy. What are you getting at?”

Let’s look at how we have this wrong for a minute. Let’s assume that Jerusalem is our church, and our friends. Judea is our community, and the end of the earth is missions. How do we stack up? Unless we have immersed ourselves in the church, and have only church friends, many of us have unsaved friends with whom we need to be sharing the Gospel. How about the area of missions? In missions, we in America are weak. I would say that too many of us look at missions as our “Hollywood.” Missions are treated in the church as a glorified vacation in which the rich Americans go to help the poor people of ___ country. Some of us have mission funds in which we only send money to “do our part.” That again, may have to be saved for a later conversation.

What about Samaria? What is our Samaria? How are we doing in Samaria? “Well, we have minorities in our congregation, if that’s what you are asking.” That’s a start. Are we, however, seeking to build with those who are “American like us, but not like us?” I would argue that we are not good in this. The evidence can be seen in America every Sunday. “Well, that’s because we prefer to worship with those who are like us.” This is a comment that I have heard often. Do you see the error in this?

There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.

(Galatians 3:28 ESV)

[15] by abolishing the law of commandments expressed in ordinances, that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace, [16] and might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross, thereby killing the hostility.

(Ephesians 2:15-16 ESV)

How then do we live out becoming one new man?

If we took another look at our American history we would see that along with seeking a new land in which to worship, sinners (believers and unbelievers alike) came to America. Since those who came to America were sinners, some of them were given to the sin of slavery. Some of the sinners who came to America were given to the sin of greed. This combination left the door open to the selling and trafficking of human beings. Due to this, our country has been a part of approximately 400 years of oppression followed by a century of systemic racism (Jamestown contains the first recorded acceptance of Africans from a slave ship in 1619).

It is here that I have heard the argument that Jesus used the Samaritan as being the one who was good, so therefore it should be the minorities who do the reaching out to end systemic racism. In that I would ask if we understand the part of Luke 12:48 that says, “Everyone to whom much was given, of him much will be required, and from him to whom they entrusted much, they will demand the more.” That simply means that we have been given much. Much is required of us. If we are the “have” people, and we see that our brother “has not,” then we are to share with him. This is a principle taught by Jesus over and over, then carried out by the first church in Acts 2:45.

In conclusion, this area of the church in America is an area that I feel needs to be improved upon. Whether we are doing an acceptable job in our mission to make disciples in Jerusalem, Judea, and the ends of the world, is a question that I don’t think we can answer until we determine how we are doing in our mission to our own “Samaria.” As I have pointed out, the church in America has had a number of opportunities to tackle this "Power and Principality" battle and defeat it, but has fallen short. If we are ever to become one new man in Christ, then we must add intentionally working to minister in our "Samaria" as one of the missions of the church. Are we willing to look beyond ourselves and move intentionally toward reconciliation?

The Church in America Intro

2010-11-01T08:20:00.002-04:00

The Church in America
Intro

For quite some time I have been a worker in the church. For quite some time I have been interested in church movements across our country. I have watched the rise and fall of the Vineyard Renewal, the Promise Keepers Movement and a few other things. In recent years I have watched the emergence of the emergent church, the religious left, and the new reformation. It has been through these events and movements that I developed a desire to take a look and see what I can learn from it all.

Over the years I have developed several things that I really se about the church in America that I think we miss or lack. Please note now that I am not writing an indictment against the American church. My tendencies are to be harsh and black and white, and this might come off as such. Let’s just say that I am a sinner saved by grace, and understand that we all only see in part and prophesy in part (1 Corinthians 13:9-12). I say that to help you understand that these are my observations after looking at the church in America, other countries, and seeking Father to be who He wants me to be as a pastor and a leader.

With that said, I could sit here with my trusty laptop and write away about a billion and one things that I see about the church. Let’s face it, the American church is pretty silly and is often looked at as a joke by the world we are supposed to be ministering to. I could type about things like:
• Sin in the church
• In-fighting
• Errors in preaching
• Errors in teaching
• Errors in Bible study
• Our attempts to be culturally relevant
• Our lack of “need” of God and a Savior (which I will get to soon)
• Our tolerance of fallen Christian leaders, but our intolerance of those who have not heard or understood His grace
• Teaching Jesus as a principle or a concept as opposed to teaching Him as a person, the flesh part of the triune Godhead with whom there is relationship
• The subconscious thinking that you can serve God and politics simultaneously

I could go on and on like a Journey song at this point. There are so many things out of line with the church that we need to address. Over the next few posts I will be working on explaining some of the things that I think are extremely out of line. I will be starting with some of the lessons taught in the Promise Keepers Movement. As I go on, feel free to let me know your thoughts because, as I said before, I do not claim to have the whole answer.

Xtra Normal

2010-10-16T00:06:00.004-04:00

A little dumb fun with the web toys at www.xtranormal.com

Some insight on Hebrews 10:25

2010-07-13T20:41:00.001-04:00

"The gospel is never for individuals but always for a people. Sin fragments us, separates us, and sentences us to solitary confinement. Gospel restores us, unites us, and sets us in community. The life of faith revealed and nurtured in the biblical narratives is highly personal but never merely individual: always there is a family, a tribe, a nation-church…. A believing community is the context for the life of faith…. Love cannot exist in isolation: away from others, love bloats into pride. Grace cannot be received privately: cutoff from others it is perverted into greed. Hope cannot develop in solitude: separated from the community it goes to seed in the form of fantasies." --- Eugene Peterson "Reverse Thunder", The Revelation of John and the Praying Imagination

Whirlwind Tour

2010-05-05T08:08:00.004-04:00

My family and I just got back from a whirlwind tour.

We were going down to North Carolina. But on the way, we stopped at Hillbilly Hotdogs for a great meal and a great time. If you are ever in West Virginia, make the time to stop in Lesage.

We got back on the road and made it to our destination. The place we stayed in was wonderful and it gave our family a much needed break from things.

From there, we worked at Gospel Fest. That was the reason we came down. It was an awesome time! Andrea and I led the children area and had a blast. Our kids helped us and were the best help we have had!

Somewhere along the trip Andrea and I thought, "Since we are down here, we should go to the Atlantic." So it was off to Virginia Beach for us. We had a nice trip there, threw on some swim suits, and headed to the ocean! One thing to note... If you ever take an impromptu trip to Virginia Beach, TAKE SANDALS!!! That sand is HOT!!! I am not sure how it didn't turn into glass!

After the beach, we looked at each other and said, "Let's go to Washington DC!" That is a really neat, but confusing place. We didn't get to see much because we didn't plan the trip, but we still had a great time looking at the Washington Monument and the Lincoln Memorial.

From there, we took some rest in Maryland. When we got up, it was raining, but fortunately it stopped before we got too far in the mountains of Pennsylvania. From there it was a trip home through Ohio, but we were too anxious to get home, so we didn't stop at Tony Paco's.

That was a great time with our family and I am glad we did it!

I love my girls!

2010-04-26T09:17:00.002-04:00

DSC_0082, originally uploaded by rcelliott.

40

2010-03-23T07:57:00.004-04:00

Well, I am officially 40. I am actually pretty happy about this. I wondered if I would make it this far. I am happy to say I did. I found out that U2 was pretty excited about this event and they wrote a song about it.

I also found out David wrote a Psalm about it:

My Help and My Deliverer

To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David.

40 I waited patiently for the Lord;
he inclined to me and heard my cry.
2 He drew me up from the pit of destruction,
out of the miry bog,
and set my feet upon a rock,
making my steps secure.
3 He put a new song in my mouth,
a song of praise to our God.
Many will see and fear,
and put their trust in the Lord.

4 Blessed is the man who makes
the Lord his trust,
who does not turn to the proud,
to those who go astray after a lie!
5 You have multiplied, O Lord my God,
your wondrous deeds and your thoughts toward us;
none can compare with you!
I will proclaim and tell of them,
yet they are more than can be told.

6 In sacrifice and offering you have not delighted,
but you have given me an open ear.
Burnt offering and sin offering
you have not required.
7 Then I said, “Behold, I have come;
in the scroll of the book it is written of me:
8 I delight to do your will, O my God;
your law is within my heart.”

9 I have told the glad news of deliverance
in the great congregation;
behold, I have not restrained my lips,
as you know, O Lord.
10 I have not hidden your deliverance within my heart;
I have spoken of your faithfulness and your salvation;
I have not concealed your steadfast love and your faithfulness
from the great congregation.

11 As for you, O Lord, you will not restrain
your mercy from me;
your steadfast love and your faithfulness will
ever preserve me!
12 For evils have encompassed me
beyond number;
my iniquities have overtaken me,
and I cannot see;
they are more than the hairs of my head;
my heart fails me.

13 Be pleased, O Lord, to deliver me!
O Lord, make haste to help me!
14 Let those be put to shame and disappointed altogether
who seek to snatch away my life;
let those be turned back and brought to dishonor
who delight in my hurt!
15 Let those be appalled because of their shame
who say to me, “Aha, Aha!”

16 But may all who seek you
rejoice and be glad in you;
may those who love your salvation
say continually, “Great is the Lord!”
17 As for me, I am poor and needy,
but the Lord takes thought for me.
You are my help and my deliverer;
do not delay, O my God!

Photo Share Family Birthdays

2010-03-17T07:14:00.002-04:00

Family Birthdays Frankenmuth 022, originally uploaded by rcelliott.

This is my dad. I caught him when we were all up in Frankenmuth this past weekend sharing our family birthdays. March sees three of us in the Elliott clan having birthdays. My sister is on the 18th, mine the 20th, and my dad's the 22nd.

I would like to take a minute to say Happy Birthday to Lisa (my sister), and to my dad! I love you both!

Rough Couple of Months

2010-03-02T07:25:00.002-05:00

So, I haven't blogged much of anything. It has been a really rough couple of months. After my shoulder surgery I spent 4 hours a day in a chair that moved my arm. From there I went to therapy. As you can tell, my time was pretty full with recovery.

In mid-January I went back to work. After two months off, I was way behind. My company sends more email in a day than most of the internet does in a year, so I have been working after hours and every spare minute I can to attempt to catch up. While this was going on, so was therapy, ministry, family, and home exercises.

Well, that took it's toll on me. on February 11, I fell off my stairs. I didn't fall down them, so you didn't read a typo. I literally fell off them. I was walking up the stairs and, BOOM!!! On my head into my laundry room I landed. Needless to say that hurt pretty bad.

As if that wasn't enough, I decided that I wanted to get sick on that day, too. I spent that weekend under about 1,000 pounds of blankets with a fever. I think I slept through the entire weekend.

That started the cycle of pneumonia. Though I tried to go back to work, I ended up sick the next weekend as well. I was coughing so hard that I hurt my ribs, stomach, hips, and back.

So, for the last nine days I have officially been battling pneumonia. Though I don't have the sickness side of things thanks to the anti-biotics, I have still been working toward healing. Everything is a chore right now and I just do what I can do. I am trying to take everything easy.

After a Year

2010-02-09T19:00:00.004-05:00

After a year of trying, I have finally been able toget our church podcast recognized and added by one of the two major Mp3 companies. We are now a featured site on the Zune Network. If you would like to subscribe to the Lord of the Harvest podcast, then click below.

Now, can someone tell me how to get the podcast on iTunes? I can't figure it out.

The Butterfly Circus

2010-01-22T07:46:00.001-05:00

Recovery Part 1

2010-01-18T10:51:00.003-05:00

Well, it has been nearly 8 weeks since my rotator cuff surgery. I thought I would take a minute to share some of what recovery has been like.

On November 27 I had my surgery. For all I know, it went well. I was asleep when it happened, so I really can't comment on how the surgery went. That being said, I can say everything seemed well. The hospital staff was great and took really good care of me. They were very good at telling me everything that was about to happen, except the nerve block part. My nurse told me the anesthesiologist was coming to tell me about it and then administer it. Unfortunately, how it went down was that this guy came in with some kind of space aged weapon that was about 2' long and had a laser sight on it. He then told me to turn my head as he shot me between the neck and the shoulder. It hurt like crazy, then... I can't feel my shoulder. I can't feel my elbow. I can't feel my arm. I can't feel my hand. I can't feel my fingers. WOW that thing works well!!!

After that most everything becomes a blur. I remembered two very funny guys picking me up and wheeling me to... Then I remember waking up.

I know Andrea drove me home, but I can't remember much of the rest of that day, or the several days that followed. I remember her talking to her friends on the phone. Apparently, they were encouraging her to get me on pain meds as soon as I awoke. This was a good thing in a way, as I remember that it was pretty painful. I wonder, though, that they were more encouraging her to give me pain meds in order to have a break from me by keeping me drugged.

If the latter was the case, it didn't work very well. I found by Sunday morning that I was having an "itchy" reaction to the Perkicet that I was prescribed. It was so bad that I was completely unable to rest. Imagine for a moment that you can't keep your eyes open. You are sitting in a chair. You are in pain. You might be in twilight, but, all of the sudden, your skin is on fire, and though you can't keep your eyes open, you are using a back scratcher (affectionately named "Scratchy") to scratch everywhere on your body! That is what I was feeling.

So, Sunday marked the end of pain meds. That led to the coming down. As I mentioned before the only place to sleep after such a surgery is my chair. Well, on said chair is a foot rest. The only problem with said foot rest is that the handle is on the right side. The problem with that is, according to my paranoid, coming down off big pain meds mind, is that, "if the house catches fire, I will be unable to get out of the chair!" So began several weeks of sleeping with the combination of Lazy-Boy and piano stool.

There is another chair in my life. This chair slowly moves my arm up and down. It has been a helpful therapy tool. For four hours a day I sit in this chair and slowly "row my arm to recovery."

Two weeks after surgery I attempted to go back to work. This was DUMB! No matter how bad the economy is, I was not ready, or able to work that soon after surgery. Call me a wimp, but I just couldn't do it. I had no stamina. It was near impossible to get in and out of my car that many times in a day. The seat was not wide enough to support my shoulders. Yup... Too painful.

This was where a great thing happened in my life. My boss noticed that I had a large bank of sick days. I was able to take the entire Christmas week off, the entire New Year week off, and an additional week off. I have to say that this made a huge difference in my recovery.

Over these weeks off I started therapy. This has been the hardest part for me. Though I have been in my recovery chair, my shoulder has frozen in several directions. That being said, most of my therapy sessions involve a lot of either E-Stimm, or Ultra Sound treatment and a lot of stretching. I have done a lot of hard work, but the results have been minimal. I have about 90 degrees rotation in several directions, but that comes with a lot of pain, and there is no further pushing that can happen at this time. I also have less than no outward rotation. Since this is the most visible of the three directions I have been measured on, it is the most fun at parties (LOL). Seriously though it is weird to see. For your own visual, imagine the following. Place your arm down at your side. Bend your elbow to 90 degrees. Now have someone place one of their hands on your elbow, holding it in place, while taking their other hand and grabbing your hand, pull your wrist outward. Mine literally does not move.

Though this has been challenging, I have been working as hard as I can. I am not allowed to move the arm on its own, so I am doing all of the assisted stretches I have been prescribed. Everywhere I look I find an opportunity to stretch. Sitting at the table??? put my arm out in front of me and slowly lean forward. Lean forward and let the arm hang out. Swing it from side to side. You get the idea.

I have noticed that everything takes longer with this shoulder brace on. A shower takes about 20 minutes. Getting dressed takes about 10 minutes. Getting my seat belt on has taken about one minute, but has improved with the help from my family. Driving has become slower due to the fact that I only have one arm to steer with and I have become more cautious than ever. Eating is an obvious challenge where two utensils are needed. Hugging is challenging as are a number of other things.

That being said, I see the doctor today. I should get the okay to go back to work. I am also hoping that I can get the okay to get out of the shoulder brace. I will be able to live if I can't get out of the brace. I am just hoping that I can.

Photoshare Zoo Winter

2010-01-07T09:51:00.004-05:00

Zoo, originally uploaded by rcelliott.

I am shooting with one working arm, a monopod, a broken shutter remote that I just bought, so some of these might not be very good. That being said, I did get a few good ones that you can see here:
Detroit Zoo in the winter

More New Year Awesomeness

2010-01-04T22:34:00.003-05:00

Travis Pastrana is amazing! It doesn't look like much, but he launched a car 269' on to a freighter!

Photoshare Christmas Families

2009-12-23T21:34:00.002-05:00

Family Christmas 09 130, originally uploaded by rcelliott.

A Long Road

2009-11-23T07:31:00.003-05:00

I know I haven't posted text in a while. It isn't for lack of ideas, it may have to do with too many ideas. I can tell you that I want to write about a million and one things lately, but haven't been able to. Just to prove it to you, I will tell you some of the things I am not going to write about today.

I was added to the pastoral team at Lord of the Harvest on November 1. Though I am very excited about this I am not going to write about it now.

MTB-Life/Soul Cycles won another Michigan Endurance series. I was a part of it. I actually rode well for a fat guy, but, I am not going to write about that today either.

My boys also won the points series for two man endurance team. They did an awesome job. They really tried and pushed themselves pretty hard. I am very proud of them.

I coached a perfect season of soccer this year. We didn't win a single game. That being said, my girls, and the other girls on the team all played well. They worked hard and learned a lot about the game. But, this post isn't about that either.

I want to write a number of faith topics as well. I want to write about the error or placing Conservatism over Christ. I want to talk about this badly... Some other time.

I want to look at the church. I want to dive into the concept of the Bride of Christ. I will do this as I am studying it, but not today.

I want to talk about the log and the speck. It needs to be addressed. Just not in this post.

Okay, Rob... What in the world DO you want to write about today? Well, I will tell you. On August 1, I went to race. I entered as a solo racer for the Stony Creek Endurance race. I had no intention of winning. I am still very out of shape for that. I entered to push myself and see what I can do against other riders who are in shape.

Less than 10 miles into the race I was in trouble. I was having a lot of pain in my left knee. It hurt to pedal. By mile 30, I gave up and called it a day. It was very disheartening for me. I know I won't be as thin or as fast as I used to, but I hate the feeling of taking steps backward in my health when I am trying to get some things stabilized.

August then became a month of finding what happened to my knee. Several visits to a specialist and an MRI ended up not with results, but insults. I further learned that I am fat. I don't need a guy with a PHD to tell me the obvious. I need him to diagnose my knee and get me back in the game. He finally told me to go ride and see how the knee holds up.

September 1 I got back on the trail. Nathan and I went out to Stony Creek to spin some miles together. About 3 miles into it I had to shake my hands out from riding on the gravelly two track. I did this as I entered a fun section of single track known as the Pines. I was just coming out of a left turn and into a little rolling down hill when I went to put my right hand back on the bars. Unfortunately I didn't do it in time. It ended up being a long endo. So long, in fact, that I nearly wrote a book by the time the crash ended. I was thinking to myself, "Hmm, knee isn't bad... When I get back to the car, I am going to post ""Back in the Saddle Again"" on my facebook... Oh no! This is gonna hurt... Why??? I can't believe I missed the bars... Try not to land on my head and break my neck again...OOOOOOFFFFFF... Was I really going that fast... OUCH... I hope Nathan doesn't have a camera... OOOOOOHHH... How many times can one guy hit the ground anyway??? OW!!! Why can't I breath??? Did my handlebars just go through my ribs??? Not on that shoulder again... Andrea is going to kill me..." Until finally I ended up in a heap on the bottom of the trail.

Nathan came upon me and helped me get myself back together. We limped out of the trail as I broke my shifter, possibly losing it somewhere in my body. I was also hurt pretty bad. So, one month to the day later and I knew I was facing another setback. What I didn't know was how long I would be set back.

After about three weeks the ribs started to feel a little better. They felt well enough for me to try to spin on my trainer. As I tried I noticed it was hard to put weight on my right arm. I had noticed that it was hard to move, but didn't think much of it. I thought that I had hurt it, but it was still a little bruised and it would go away eventually.

October came and the middle of the month held the last of the Michigan Endurance races. The boys needed to race one more time for points (BTW, they got robbed this year as the promoter put them in a wrong class for one race forcing us to have to make a decision about which class to race as he refused to fix his error. Did I mention that it ultimately caused the boys to win the series but NOT get the title and jackets they earned even though it was his error. Way to go in not encouraging the future of the sport and your future bill payers..) We hooked up with the team and got the last race going. The team had had a little rough of a year so I did my best to cheer them up. I was sending out emails telling them that I was at 80% and should be ready to kill it by race day.

On my first lap I knew by the first bump that something was more than sore in my shoulder. I only rode the minimum of the day because that was all that my arm was capable of. I was in a lot of pain by the end of the night. I knew I had to go to the doctor.

I will not bore you with the visits or the MRI details. I will just say that this time I was not picked on for being fat. This time I was told I have some sever tearing in my rotator cuff, and that I needed surgery to get back to normal. Since I can't pick my arm up without help this is the boat I am in. The surgery is scheduled for this Friday. I don't want yet another set back to losing weight and getting healthy, but since I can't function properly right now this is mandatory. I am hoping I recover quickly and can get back to normal as it has been a very long few months. I have been averaging about 3 hours of sleep a night and am feeling a little out of it more and more each day.

But, this Friday offers me hope. If all goes well, I will be recovering and sleeping like normal very soon.

Photoshare Skate

2009-11-17T08:20:00.002-05:00

Bday and Skate 109, originally uploaded by rcelliott.

Photoshare Maternity

2009-11-03T08:25:00.002-05:00

195c, originally uploaded by rcelliott.

On this Day in History

2009-10-05T07:22:00.002-04:00

18 years ago, on this day in history, one of the most wonderful things happened to me. I was standing there in a white suit watching the most beautiful woman in the world walk toward me and commit to share the rest of her life with me. I remember the feeling of awe and amazement I had as my pastor and I both remarked on how beautiful she looked. She could have had any guy in the room, or the world for that matter, but she chose to spend her life with me.

She decided to spend her life with me. We have had some big extremes in our marriage. Both of us have seen each other near death. I am not exaggerating that either. I have seen her on life support and she has seen me with a broken neck. Fortunately we both fought through that to spend more time together.

She decided to care for me. She has supported me through thick and thin. She has covered my weaknesses and faults. She has been patient when I had no clue. She has been firm when I was out of line. She has encouraged me to reach my potential.

She decided to love me. She puts up with my love for things that pedal. She leans on me during church. She makes hot tea on cold nights. She holds my hand. She talks to me about everything. She has been my best friend and has let me be hers.

She wanted to raise a family with me. We have four of the best children that a family could ever have. Each unique. Each stamped with a little of mom and dad. She cares for them and teaches them to be all that God created them to be. I look at them and love them each individually for who they are. I also look at them and thank Father for the woman who willingly shared her life with me and desired to raise them.

She is awesome and special in so many ways. She could have been anything she ever wanted to be. She is beautiful enough to catch the eye of anyone, but chose me. She is smart enough that she could have done anything, but chose to give her life to me. She is pure enough that any man would know she is "a keeper", but she chose to "keep" me.

Today I celebrate my wife. I thank God for her. She is truly a gift of His great love. She has modeled His love to me in so many ways. Her love has been greater than anything I could ever imagine.

Thank you for sharing your life with me! I love you with all my heart!

Another Sport I want to try... Cyclocross

2009-09-27T08:32:00.005-04:00

I gave up riding as a road biker back in 1990. After getting run over the sport didn't seem as fun to me. As a matter of fact I haven't really ridden on the road since.

But...

My buddy Andy, who races with me on the Soul Cycles / MTB-Life team, is also a cyclocross racer. He and I have been talking about the format. From his description it sounds pretty fun.

My other buddy, Matt, is an avid videographer. He shot Andy's last cyclocross race. I don't know about you, but I watched this and was inspired to give cyclocross a shot!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YmfExPouQxg

Photo Share 9-11-09

2009-09-11T23:17:00.002-04:00

Detroit Zoo 099, originally uploaded by rcelliott.

I had a chance to sneak away with the wife and kids for a few minutes at the Detroit Zoo. It was a great time and I got some good shots of the animals.

These were a few of my favorites.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/rcelliott/sets/72157622243873662/

A Mixed Bowl of Thought

2009-09-01T07:13:00.002-04:00

Well, I have had a lot going on lately. There are so many things I don't know where to start, but I figure I better write something.

It has been one month exactly since I have been on my bike last. I can't afford injuries that have no explanation and lay me up so long. My visits to the doctor were nothing more than insulting moments in my life. I shouldn't have to go to a knee specialist to tell me I am fat. I also don't like the idea of taking drugs, then riding. Furthermore, I don't like the idea of going there and not getting any real information, other than being told I am fat.

So, I haven't been on the bike for a month to learn I am fat. I now have the ok to attempt to ride, though. I hope to give it a shot this week and see how it goes. If I run into the same feelings, then I am going to seek a second opinion. I don't want anything to be wrong with the knee, I just don't want to ride and have it hurting as bad as it does.

We had our Vacation Bible School several weeks ago. Ah, another time for me to be myself! I can be as obnoxious as I want to be, and people love me for it. Our theme this year was based on the sea. We wrote the plan for this VBS as we couldn't find one that went well. Andrea and I came up with the theme, the main stories, and the music, then everyone else worked like crazy to put the rest together. Everyone who was involved, I thank you.

Overall the VBS went well. Several things worked against us as far as turnout, but in the end it was possibly the best VBS in a long time. The kids got into it and were blessed.

Along with VBS we put together a tutoring program. This has been a blessing to our kids and to us. This would never have happened if we had not backed out of going to Colombia. It was a challenge for us to do that because our hearts are in missions, and we had planned to take the entire family, but it was God. I don't think it was a week after we made the decision to stay home that the door opened for us to do this. I will say all I really do is eat animal crackers with my pastors grandkids while the smart people actually do the tutoring, but hey, someone has to do it.

This past Saturday we took part in Summerfest. It went really well. Normally our church has its own event, but this time we partnered with about 11 other ministries. We held our event at a park across the street from the church. We did hair, nails, family photos, bike repair, food, clothing, and a ton of other fun stuff throughout the day. In the end we ministered to 3,000 people and saw over 200 saved. It was a good time.

Other than that, I have been gearing up for Kitty's soccer season. I will be coaching again. This year she moved up to U12. It should be fun.

Beyond that I have been thinking about a number of things. Planting a church has come back up on my heart as things are starting to level out with our friends. This has been on my heart for years. Due t the craziness of the past year I put the whole thing on hold. I have to say that it is a heaviness now to me. I need to start moving again.

We have been several months without XBOX. I am not sure I like it. Ours hit us with the red ring of death, and hasn't recovered. We tried to fix it. That was a mistake because after we tried we found out it was still under warranty. Needless to say the fix didn't work anyway.

I guess that is about it. There have been some other things going on, but I can't type them now as I have to get ready for work.

6/12 Hrs of Stony Creek

2009-08-05T07:04:00.002-04:00

Novi Stony Creek 083, originally uploaded by rcelliott.

Well, on a whim, Andrea decided to let me and the boys race. We were at a wedding when I got the ok. I quickly called the boys and they started getting everything ready.

Stony Creek is one of my favorite trails. It is local, which is a big plus. It has a variety of terrain. It is very fun to ride. All of this added to my excitement as I pulled up to the park.

We unloaded quickly. We signed in quickly, and got ready quickly. The boys entered the 6 hour team event. I decided to go solo for 6 hours. The team was in it for the long haul as they were geared up for 4 person elite.

So I get out on the trail a little behind everyone. I hate to say it, but I really had to go to the bathroom. No matter, I had no intention of actually winning. I just started riding my own race to see if I could hit my goals. Since the course was a little under 11 miles with a lot of climbing I decided to set my goal at about 6 laps. It felt doable...

That is until about mile 4. I was catching up to the last rider ahead of me. My feet decided to ache something fierce. I slowed down to adjust my shoes. I got back in the saddle and caught up to that rider again. I wasn't able to pass because for no reason that I could tell my knee started to hurt.

I hadn't crashed that day. Come to think of it I hadn't crashed on that knee at all the whole season. What the heck was going on???

I got done with the first lap. I kept going. I just rode at my own pace at this point. It was becoming clear to me that goals were not going to get achieved. To say I was disappointed would be an understatement. I am fitter now than I have been in a long time. I can ride way more than ever. But, I can't seem to lose weight, and now this... To say I was upset would be a minor understatement. I pretty much wanted to fall down, crawl into the woods, curl my bulbous body into the fetal position, sob like a schoolgirl, and have the biggest pity party known to man during my second lap.

So the knee is pretty bad by now. I get near the end of the second lap and decided to pull off the course. I was a good boy and listened to my body. Hey, with a body this big shouting at you, you had better listen!

My buddy Andy (pictured) has a sister who is a physical therapist. She took a quick look at it and gave me a couple possible solutions. After sitting for a good portion of the race it felt better. I decided to go do one more lap, just to say I did. I rode out and was quickly passed by Marty, another friend from a long time of riding. We were on the first big climb when she passed me. She reminded me of my granny gear, which I think after that I spent most of the lap in. It was apparent t me that this was going to be my last lap that day... Possibly this year.

All things said and done I finished that lap with a lot of singing to my knee to get through the ride. I was singing like Joe Cocker, telling myself I would get by with a little help from my knee. I pulled in and parked the bike. Disappointed, I packed my stuff and sat. I hadn't really broken a sweat the whole day. I wasn't winded. I didn't feel like I had even gotten started riding, but my day was over with close to 2 hours left in the 6 hour event.

The boys worked hard and ended up with a 7th place. The team won. I was able to hobble out and get some pictures. You can see the rest here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/rcelliott/sets/72157621802343551/

12 Hours of Ithaca

2009-07-24T08:18:00.002-04:00

12 Hours of Ithaca 007, originally uploaded by rcelliott.

I finally had a chance to contribute to the team at a race. As a bigger guy it can be a real challenge keeping up with the fast riders. This race, though, was right up my alley. I was able to keep on a pace slightly slower than my teammates.

The boys did well, too. They ran very consistent laps for the 6 hour race. We changed things up a bit to keep them going and I think it really helped.

The rest of the gallery can be seen here. http://www.flickr.com/photos/rcelliott/sets/72157621730811214/

Things I saw on my vacation

2009-07-15T08:12:00.002-04:00

Well, the family took its first official vacation. Andrea and I loaded up the kids and went up north to my parents house just south of the Mackinaw Bridge. We enjoyed some great time with my parents, tried our hand at fishing, shot bb guns, walked, cooked, took in the sites of Mackinaw Island, and took lots and lots of pictures!

Some of the more interesting things I shot were:

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2503/3718430228_5d905d87ff.jpg?v=0
Abraham Lincoln

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2421/3717605021_8ae0d4c6cc.jpg?v=0
The Oqueoc Falls

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3465/3717578345_9c5fb0b4d5.jpg?v=0

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3436/3717583147_634063dbd7.jpg?v=0

Complete Falls Gallery is HERE

We also saw some amazing architecture at the Earl Young houses

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3486/3715814711_1a0f1e9877.jpg?v=0

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3295/3716479144_35d135c5fd.jpg?v=0

and we took in a concert

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3479/3716151581_3ae411bbdd.jpg?v=0

That Gallery can be found HERE

Our family also got to see Mackinaw Island

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3502/3714756189_43448e0cab.jpg?v=0

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2443/3714912937_6316245b27.jpg?v=0

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3438/3715034941_0681d70089.jpg?v=0

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2536/3715820800_d9edcc3d70.jpg?v=0

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2488/3716039250_5feea1efb7.jpg?v=0

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2467/3715331579_d82e0d9406.jpg?v=0

The whole Mackinaw Island gallery can be seen HERE

All in all, it was a great time and the family really enjoyed it. Thanks Mom and Dad for letting us stay the week with you.

Karl Malden

2009-07-02T08:04:00.003-04:00

I always liked Karl Malden. I liked all the movies he was in that I saw as a kid. When I heard he had passed I was bummed. I wanted to take a minute to share one of my favorite Karl Malden minutes on film. It is from the movie Polyanna. I know it is a hokey old movie, but I like it.

Photoshare 7

2009-06-28T08:55:00.002-04:00

Nick and Julia Wedding 225, originally uploaded by rcelliott.

Yeah, this is the girl I love!

A Song for my Wife

2009-06-24T19:18:00.002-04:00

I just wanted to take a minute to tell the world how I feel about my wife, Andrea. She is the best!

Daddy Daughter Ride

2009-06-19T18:45:00.002-04:00

Tiger Stadium and Girls Ride 152, originally uploaded by rcelliott.

Yesterday at around 4:30 I got this text from Andrea.

"R U Biking?" was what it said.

In my car, I read this message while nursing some really bad pain in my shoulder from three consecutive crashes. "Biking? All I want is an ice bag and a pillow." Was the thought in my little head. I thought of an out.

"Do the boys want to go?" I knew they didn't. They were still recovering from the race last weekend.

"No." Was the reply. I thought to myself how I could relax and let my shoulder heal...

Then the phone rang. It was Allyson. "Dad, the boys don't want to go riding, but can we go? We haven't ridden any trails with you all year."

"Are you sure you want to go?" was my reply. Ally isn't the first kid in the family I think of when it comes to biking.

"Yes. Should we get the bikes out now?"

In my body, all I could think of was pain, but in my heart, all I could think of was my girls and how I haven't gotten to spend time with them lately. This was the easiest "YES" any kid has gotten out of me to date. Time with my girls??? Absolutely.

I got home and we loaded up the bikes. I chose to take them to the skills park at Stony Creek because I felt it would be safer if I didn't have it in me to ride. This way, they could ride and I could enjoy.

It ended up that we all rode. We all rode and had fun. We had a great time! We got to ride, then we rode around the park and took some pictures. We even got to see a male turkey showing off for some females! We capped it off with chocolate shakes and came home. My shoulder didn't matter one bit. Take a look at the rest of the gallery HERE.

Thanks to my Wife

2009-06-18T06:17:00.005-04:00

Andrea and I like a lot of the same things. We like to figure stuff out, we like to try new things, we like a lot of computer related stuff, etc. One of the things we both like is blogs. We read different blogs and like the look and feel of the different blogs we go to. (You can see Andrea's blogs HERE and HERE)

About a month ago we were talking about blogs and layout. We both agreed that we liked some of the other layouts that we have seen over the "standard" blog look. We decided that at some point we would like to update our blogs.

Two days ago Andrea decided to work on a blog a little. At first, I thought this was going to be a little adventure to do in her spare time. I forgot... We are talking about my wife. No, this led to two full days of her life locked at the kitchen table. This led to a quest. A quest to accomplish a completely new layout. A quest for a clean look. A quest for organization. A quest for boldly going where no man had gone before.

For two solid days she neither ate, nor slept. She never moved from her computer. She never faltered from her goal. She had a plan and NOTHING was going to stand in her way! She had to change MY blog! It was gnawing at her... Gnawing... Gnawing like a relentless rat. My blog must be cool. It must be cool and Andrea was on that quest until it was, indeed, cool.

I really appreciate this. I think she did a great job. She gets a thought in her head and she sticks to it, and this is no exception. Everything is laid out and categorized. Everything is clean. I think it is pretty doggone cool! Thanks Andrea, for taking the time to work on my blog! I love you!

Without further ado, I give you the new www.rctales.blogspot.com

8 Hours of Cannonsburg

2009-06-16T07:24:00.004-04:00

8Hrs of Canonsburg 165a, originally uploaded by rcelliott.

Well, the 2009 Michigan Endurance Racing season has had a bumpy start. First, Addison Oaks, which is the season opener, got rained out. It got rained out not once, but twice! Then came the 12/24 hours of Boyne. We couldn't make that race.

Finally a race came that we could make. It was 6-13-09 at the 8 Hours of Cannonsburg, in Grand Rapids. Nathan, Jordan, and I packed up the car and drove out early in the morning, despite the lack of sleep from the Detroit Redwings debacle the night before. We unpacked with our team members Nate, Andy, and Justin. But, in the clouds, was it... Yes it was. It was raining.

Fortunately the rain didn't last very long and before we knew it we were riding in prime conditions. The course was nice and had some great, flowing singletrack coupled with some long climbs. There was a great fast descent that led into the start/finish area.

We all had a great time. The boys finished third in their class, and we finished second overall in the elite class. Pictures can be found HERE http://www.flickr.com/photos/rcelliott/sets/72157619751746204/

Gratiot Car Show

2009-06-09T16:48:00.002-04:00

Gratiot Car Show 007gimp, originally uploaded by rcelliott.

The kids and I took a spur of the moment detour to Continental Lanes for their weekly Friday Classic Car Show. The rest of the gallery can be seen here. http://www.flickr.com/photos/rcelliott/sets/72157619506861016/

Photoshare 6

2009-06-05T07:52:00.002-04:00

099a, originally uploaded by rcelliott.

Just testing the blog function of Flickr to my blog. This was a shot from Florida last winter.

Photoshare 5

2009-06-05T07:44:00.003-04:00

This was a Bible on one of the tables at my friend Jeremy's church. You can check out his church at EnigmaChurch.com

Photo Share 4

2009-05-29T09:27:00.003-04:00

Flower

This was a flower I found over Memorial Day weekend. I just liked it and wanted to play with it a little.

Photo Share 3

2009-05-27T08:00:00.005-04:00

This was from a recent photoshoot with one of my favorite girls. We took about 700 shots and had a great time together.

Marriage Song for Husbands

2009-05-10T21:22:00.001-04:00

Photo Share 2

2009-05-10T18:22:00.003-04:00

One of my all time Favorites

2009-05-08T06:51:00.002-04:00

Another Inspirational Video

2009-04-22T04:01:00.001-04:00

Here is another inspirational video, though not from a topic you would expect.

Not Your Typical Parallel

2009-04-17T07:16:00.000-04:00

First Dirt 09

2009-04-11T16:48:00.002-04:00

So, the kids went to Grandma's to die Easter eggs, and Andrea had to wok for the Detroit Partnership. We toyed with the idea of putting in a gravel patio, but It would take longer than a day, so we passed on that. I thought about going on the roof to fix the leak, but my neck and shoulders are really hurting for some reason, so I didn't want to risk it. Andrea always gets crabby when she has something to do and I don't so she made me go biking.

I was a little afraid to go biking today because my neck and shoulders hurt so bad, but you never argue with an Italian. I don't have an xc bike set up right now, but you never argue with an Italian. My favorite riding shorts are in the wash, but you never argue with an Italian. So... A few minutes later, and Big Brown, my Enduro, along with my gear was in the van and I was on my way to Stony Creek to ride the pump track and see if I could get my upper back moving again.

After going through all of the construction I arrived at my destination. It appeared that the skills park held up great over the winter. I unloaded my bike and started rolling. Nothing too hard. Just rolling. One thing I can say is my Enduro is a fun bike to ride.

I must have done about 30 laps on the pump track, and about 25 on the jump line by the time I had left. I lost count at 20 of each, so I might have done more on the jump line. I had a total blast. I got to help some young new riders and teach them how to maneuver through the pump track without pedaling. I also helped them on their jumping.

I considered going over to the trail, but after two or so solid hours of pumping and jumping, my neck was feeling pretty rough so I just called it a day.

Here is what I have to say. All that time on the trainer has been good to me, but nothing beats actually riding. Also, no matter how much time you put on the trainer, you can't get ready for pumping. My upper body burns and my neck and shoulders are totally in pain, but I am glad I listened to my wife. Sometimes it really pays not to argue with an Italian!

Trial and Jesus

2009-04-07T07:41:00.004-04:00

This is a great video by Marc Driscoll about the effects of trial in our lives and how we handle them. I recommend, whether you are young or old, that you take some time to watch this video.

Photo Share

2009-04-04T19:56:00.006-04:00

I decided I am going to try to share some of my pictures when I get a chance. This was from the old cross out in front of our church.

Piper on Psalms

2009-03-18T08:10:00.002-04:00

A while back I posted some of the links to the video series our youth was watching. It is a very powerful series on basically finding yourself in the book of Psalms. I wanted to make sure everyone had all of the links so I am posting a summary of them here:

Thinking and Feeling with God part 1

Thinking and Feeling with God part 2

Thinking and Feeling with God part 3

Thinking and Feeling with God part 4

Thinking and Feeling with God part 5

Thinking and Feeling with God part 6

Main Link to the Series

Video Credits

2009-03-03T08:19:00.003-05:00

I was so excited to post the video that I totally forgot the story. I have had this idea for a long time. I wanted to post something that would inspire my team to train in the off season, and still be .... well,,,, me.

I was talking to my friend Randy, who I go on missions trips with, and I told him about the idea. He is pretty good at filming (as you can see), and without hesitation told me, "I'm in. When do we start?"

From there, Randy did all the work and I did the riding, as you can see. I need to throw another shout out to my son Jordan. He served a vital role as "key grip," and was in charge of lighting and placement of disco glow.

Thanks guys. I really appreciate the help.

My Inspirational Workout Video

2009-03-02T02:53:00.001-05:00

2009 Season Training Video

2009-02-28T06:19:00.001-05:00

rob elliotts work out video from caveman on Vimeo.

Another One for Mark Freer

2009-01-28T19:46:00.005-05:00

When I was young I was subjected to a lot of Joe Cocker music. At one time in my life I was pretty sure Joe sang every song in the world. Never in my life did I actually understand what he said, but I liked his voice enough to learn to do a pretty good impersonation of him.

Joe made many appearances in my family when I was young. He sang birthday wishes. He sang the children to sleep. He was a big part of our family. There was a long stretch of time when I would do something Joe related at every family gathering. It was kind of like a tribute to my mother, who was very into his lyrical ability. He has been pretty quiet in the family for about the last year... until today, when my dad and I were chatting on google. Dad shared a link with me and that is the reason for this post...

As you know, my friend, Pastor Mark Freer is interested in music. I wanted to share one with all of you, but also one I thought Mark would get a laugh out of. This video clip is an interpretation of what Joe Cocker actually sang at Woodstock. Watch it and enjoy.

Joe

So What About 2009?

2009-01-12T07:59:00.000-05:00

My last blog entry was about a theme the Lord gave me for 2008. I walked through a number of areas that He showed me this theme. Well, that was last year. What about this year? That seems to be the big question…

As I mentioned in that post, there were times I really wanted 2008 to be over. It seemed that there was an intense about of struggle in my life and in the loves of those around me. Though 2008 had its highlights, there were many times I just wanted to get away. I even remember asking Andrea on several occasions when we were going to get some good news for a change.

It was with this type of feeling I have been approaching the Lord. Through all of what has been going on, I have just been learning from the Psalms, how to let it all out to God. I seem to have been able to relate to David as he was in Psalm 42, though not all enemies were just about me, they have been surrounding my family and closest friends as well. I have learned a lot from him in his tenacity and will. Though everything on the outside is going wrong, David closed the Psalm with preaching to himself to trust in the Lord. Though it sucked around him, David challenged himself not to get overwhelmed by his surroundings, and forced himself to put his hope in God.

So in asking God for some “good news” for a change, I was given a challenge by the Lord. At this point, I don’t know if this is a theme, or the only theme, or what, but I got a sense from the Lord that this had to be a year of Good News. I got a sense from the Lord that I had to look to the Lord; after all He is where my help comes from. I have a challenge to look for what He is doing. This is a year of good news and I have to preach that to myself.

In saying that, please understand that I am in no way preaching any prosperity messages or anything like that. With our economy and everything going on around us, I am not expecting “Good Things.” I am expecting to see His goodness.

One of the things that I automatically go to in “Good News” is the Gospels. In this year I plan to take a long and extensive look at the Gospels. I hope to see Him in different ways and learn more from His message. I am hoping that I can learn more about His love and ways from the four different accounts of Him.

Another thing that I feel the Lord challenging me with this year is to go out and make some good news. As I mentioned before, when it gets really tough I feel overwhelmed and want to throw in the towel. I feel like this year I will need to take risks. I will need to take challenges and build on them. I feel this year I will need to put more hope in Father. What is good news? Good news is Jesus! How do we go out and make good news? We go out and share his love with those who don’t know Him. I have a feeling that this will be a big theme for me this year.

I am not sure if this is all that Father is putting before me as a theme for the year. I get the sense that this isn’t all, which is why I have hesitated in writing this post. I feel like another thing that is going on this year is the year of accepting challenges. I think this might be the theme, and the Good News might be the first of the challenges I face this year. That being said, it is an adventure and we are 12 days into it…

2008 Review-The Year of Getting Fit

2009-01-05T07:18:00.001-05:00

Rather than post 2008-2009, I have opted to break it up into two posts. I just feel like it will help me clear my head properly.

Well, we have exited 2008. Some would say good riddance to this past year. It was a rough, challenging year. It was a year filled with tension. It was a year filled with fear. It was just a tough year all over.

2008 had its theme early in the year for me. I really felt a sense from the Lord that it was a year I needed to start getting fit. I feel big changes are on the horizon, and I felt the nudge from Father to be ready for them. How did this sense from the Lord show itself in my life? Well, let's take a look.

In getting fit this year a highlight for me would be finishing Bible College and getting ordained. This was a big challenge. At times I felt as though I would never do, or get through this. It was a challenge for so many reasons. It forced me to sit down and work day in and day out. It forced me to study things. It forced me to take a big look inside of myself. It forced me to look at my faults and weaknesses. Each week, new assignments, new papers, new studies, new words, new sermons, bombarded me until I could feel the weight of it in every area of my life. Then suddenly… It was over. I was able to walk down the aisle Suma Cum Laude. I was able to say I completed this challenge.

Another area of getting fit for me was obviously the physical area. Did I succeed? That’s a mixed answer. If you were to ask me if I am able to see my feet yet, I would have to answer no. I did not seem to lose any weight. That being said, I did work out more this year than I have, or have been able to, in a long time. Starting last winter I was on my cycle trainer regularly. As soon as the weather broke I was out on the trails. I was able to ride a 40 mile ride in the woods of Addison Oaks. I was slow and fat but I was able to go further than in a long time. This year I raced two endurance races with my team, MTB-Life Racing. Though I was slow, I was still part of the team and worked to see us win. One of those races I actually did a 6 hour solo against my teammates. I met almost all of my objectives. I was in the lead group for at least 5 feet (small goal, but when you are as fat as I am, you have to count your victories). I kept up with my team for a lap, despite flatting early in that lap. This, however, is what kept me from attaining one of my other goals. I did all of this on the first lap of the race. Because of this, I pretty much blew up and was only able to complete 7 or 8 laps (I have to look it up) when I knew I could get 10. Reminder to self: Pace yourself.

In our family it was a good thing I started getting fit. I now have 2 teenage boys. This is a new challenge that I think I needed to prepare for a little earlier. I think we have made positive steps as a family, but, if I had known then what I know now… This is still something I am working on. Since it is not a project made of wood, I know I will never finish, and will always be able to improve it. I think this year taught me a number of things regarding my family. We are a good family, but I have always been a “loosy goosy” type of father. I tried to be the more relaxed one. Not that I wasn’t involved, or was just a total goof off, but I tried to give everyone something to smile about. I started to see, however, that I needed to establish some things. In the end, I am learning, things are getting established, and the family is growing. As I said before, this is something I will always be learning and changing, so I am looking forward to learning. I love my wife, my sons, and my daughters, so I will continue exercising in this area.

What else??? Oh, all of this getting fit really came in handy in a number of other areas. One of which was our mission trip. This was the first year we led the team. We went to Tijuana Mexico. We took a team of 10 from our church and 2 young people I am close to. While we were there we led a team of 17. Over the week I had to preach in 3 churches, minister millions of times, make decisions I never knew of prior, care for and encourage my team, and the larger team, and do a bunch of other things I have never done on previous trips. In the end, we saw a lot of people get saved and we saw the lives of our young people touched like never before. Not to mention that the getting physically fit helped me pull a couple of kids out of the Pacific Ocean, but I won’t get into that here.

The year of getting fit taught me some lessons about life. It is still teaching me about life. One of the harder lessons I am still learning and working to get fit in is my job. I have always been very good at what I do. Sometimes I take that for granted. I am learning to work as unto the Lord. I need to, especially in this economy.

Getting fit came with challenges. I have watched some of my closest friends go through some major challenges. I have watched some get setback after setback, and watched others get bad report after bad report. Andrea and I have had to do things I don’t think we ever thought of before with all of these challenges. We haven’t had the answers, but we have had to support and love amidst the confusion.

All of these challenges have worn me out at times. I remember sitting down with the weight of everything and not wanting to get up. There were times this year where I felt like Oscar De Lahoya when he fought Manny Pacquaio, just being up against a foe that was always faster, bigger, and stronger. One that had no mercy and was just taunting me to throw in the towel. I remember telling Andrea a couple of times that I wish we could just get away. I wish there was some good news somewhere. It was in those times where getting fit paid off. I was able to wrestle through them, not run from them. I was able to see Him move when I needed the encouragement. I was able to take one more step when I needed to.

Jaw Dropped!!! Uh

2009-01-03T14:57:00.001-05:00

Always a Favorite!

2008-12-27T20:22:00.000-05:00

Merry Christmas

2008-12-24T13:27:00.001-05:00

A Video from Our Church

2008-12-19T20:14:00.000-05:00

My New Theme Song

2008-12-09T21:13:00.005-05:00

Andrea showed me a very funny song I have to share. I am pretty sure this woman, Anita Renfroe, just copies my random thoughts!

This is my new theme song! I am going to think of this song every time I have a craving!!!

What are Mooks and Midriffs?

2008-12-01T09:44:00.001-05:00

Please take a look at this blog to find the answer.

Psalms by Piper Part 3

2008-11-26T07:00:00.002-05:00

The third Psalm Mr. Piper addresses in this series is Psalm 51. The title of this sermon is "A Broken and Contrite Heart God Will Not Despise." As you may know, this Psalm is from a time in David's life when he is confronted by Nathan about his sins.

Some things that stuck out to me were:

David is truly full of sorrow over his sins
If you look at the story in 2 Sam 11-12, you see an early occurrence of God putting away the sin of David. This is what He does for us.
David doesn't make excuses for his sin, he owns that he is a sinner
David points out the the root of his sin is that he lost the joy of his salvation. This is important for us to look at.

Here is the link to the video "A Broken and Contrite Heart God Will Not Despise"

Here is the main link

Here is a link to Psalm 51

What if Starbucks Marketed Like the Church?

2008-11-24T08:29:00.006-05:00

Andrea sent me this email this morning. It is a link to a very interesting video that really has me thinking.

Psalms by Piper Part 2

2008-11-22T15:52:00.003-05:00

The second sermon in the series on Psalms by John Piper is entitled "Spiritual Depression in the Psalms.

This is an incredibly important word for people who find themselves in times of trouble. The Psalmist deals with how to handle adversity and trouble in God. He deals with hopelessness and despair from the world and how to deal with yourself in it.

Here is the link to the video Spiritual Depressions in the Psalms.

Here is the main link.

Here is the link to Psalm 42.

Psalms by John Piper Part 1

2008-11-21T08:07:00.003-05:00

The first video of John Piper is "Songs that Shape the Heart and Mind." Mr. Piper tackles Psalm 1, and encourages the audience on several points. I am going to give you several points I got out of this message.

The Psalms are to be read to influence, not only to instruct.
The Psalms are meant to be sung to yourself.
The Word of God is meant to be learned.
You can find yourself in many of the Psalms. Wherever you are in life, you can find yourself in the Psalms.

This is the link to the Video of John Piper, Songs that Shape the Heart and Mind.

This is the main link.

Here is a link to Psalm 1

The Power of Music Intro to Series "Psalms by John Piper"

2008-11-21T07:32:00.004-05:00

Does anybody know the name Elvis? Of course you do! When you hear that name your mind goes to the vault and pulls up Jail House Rock, Hound Dog, Love Me Tender, and a whole slew of other songs. As you think of the name your hips start to swing! If you are not careful you might end up swinging and singing in the shower with the back scrubber as your microphone, trying to mimic Elvis' every move! The next thing you know you are standing in the shower with a shampoo waterfall hairdo singing Jail House Rock in the mist covered mirror with a million fans (in your mind) screaming and cheering for you!!!

What if I said "Come Together?" Your mind travels to the Beatles. You have a million and one Beatles songs coursing through your veins. Your mind starts to think of the "love" generation.

Jimi Hendrix? Automatically, you grab your air guitar and start playing the greatest solos ever heard!

Devo? Whip it!

Pink Floyd? The Wall. We don't need no education anyway. You start to feel negative toward all your teachers.

Just about everyone I know (save for two) gets lost in a Journey song!

Eminem? Your hand goes up, your other hand holds the mic to your mouth and you start rapping away.

The Cure? If you know them you think, "the front runners to emo."

My point is that music has an incredible power to influence the mind, emotions, dress, and sometimes the actions of a person. Many times people will sing themselves songs to comfort themselves in times of trouble. Whole cities can be found singing Queen's We Are The Champions when their local sports teams win a national championship. The Cure's Killing An Arab made a resurgence after the atrocity of 9-11. The whole 60's were influenced and shaped by musicians and what they were doing.

I was pondering where to go next with our youth ministry and how to help them find a true hunger for God when I started thinking about the power of music in our lives. I felt the urging to go to Psalm 1. I started to study and think about the Psalms and how they can help us. Fortunately, I ran into a podcast from John Piper on my Zune. It happened to be on Psalm 1.

Over the next several weeks I am going to post links to the series John Piper did on the Psalms. I want to post them after our youth have heard them so that any who missed can catch up, but I encourage you to take a listen as well.

I Just Wanted to Beat Mark to the Punch!

2008-11-19T19:10:00.005-05:00

Mark Freer is one of the better blues guitarists I know. He is a man who loves guitar, and watching him play it totally shows. He is one of those people who you can just tell gives it his all when he plays. Besides that, he is also a great pastor.

The reason I am posting this blog, though, is not just to tell you a little about my friend, but to beat him to the punch. He often posts YouTubes of some great music. To me, the song Voodoo Child is like a pinnacle of guitar playing. It has been done by the likes of Buddy Guy, Jimi Hendrix, and Stevie Ray Vaughn. I wanted to post the links of this song before Mark did. I am posting them in order of my favorites.

Well, We Tried Hunting

2008-11-19T07:39:00.003-05:00

Jordan, my younger son, is notorious for wanting to do things at the last minute. For example, one year, the day after the 4th of July, he wanted to go and buy fireworks. He is also notorious for not investigating things well. I say these things not to draw you to bad conclusions, but to help you enjoy the mind of a thirteen year old boy.

For several years we were into Scouting. He was the one who was really into the outdoors. Nathan, my oldest, liked the outdoors, but not as much as Jordan. This could be because we found Jordan as a baby swinging from tree to tree when we decided to take him home. Anyway, Jordan loves the outdoors.

Scouting took on the progression to shooting things. Jordan has built an arsenal of K'Nex guns, including semi automatics, shot guns, pistols, rifles, and even a potato gun and hand grenades (the potato gun is pvc, and the hand grenades are K'Nex). When he is up north he can be found searching for the perfect branch with which to make a bow and arrow set.

Well, it came... The time when all men who crave meat go out into the woods in search of big game... That time when mankind pretends to be a tree, sits totally still, thinks animal thoughts, wears clothes that make him look like the jolly green giant, sprays himself with deer urine spray to smell like the wild, doesn't shave, doesn't wear deodorant, doesn't change his clothes for days, moves through the woods like a silent ninja, carries lethal weapons, lives on beef jerkey,... I think you get the idea. Hunting season came. Yes hunting season came and Jordan wanted to go. Well, he doesn't have a license, has very little time shooting, doesn't have the appropriate clothes, pretty much is totally unprepared, except he has an unrelenting desire to join the ranks of the nature loving big game hunters.

What does that mean? That means dad has to do research, go to hunting stores, buy tons of stuff, get apprentice licenses, make more trips to the store to buy hunting gear, blow his shopping budget, blow his Ray's MTB budget, blow his Christmas budget, and every other budget, remember how to hunt, find out where we can hunt, drive up north, and a host of other things to be ready for bow season. Wait, BOW season??? Jordan wanted to start the year off with bow hunting 3/4 of the way through the season, AND he wanted to do rifle season, and muzzle loader season. Good thing he waited until late October to tell me...

Ok, all of the research is finally done. Jordan is totally excited. He can't wait to do this. He is sitting on the XBOX 360 playing Alaskan Adventure. I watch his hunting technique... Run through the woods, chase an animal. Shoot relentlessly until you expire all of your ammo... Oh no, this is going to be a long adventure for us. I sit him down to explain how to hunt, or at least how we will be hunting. We will be sitting quietly in the woods in a deer blind. Enter Nathan... Why does the talkative kid enter here? I don't know, but this is where he entered. "Dad, I have always wanted to hunt, but you always said no. I just abandoned ever going hunting because you didn't want to. Now that you are going, can I come, too?"

Oh boy. Here we go. This is going to be a true adventure. "Ok, boys, call grandpa and see if we can hunt on his property."

How do I deal with this? I know, Youtube! They have videos of everything! I will show them some clips of hunting and the mess of shooting a deer. I will show them field dressing video clips. They might not want to go after that... See, the reality here is I used to be a hunter, but I can't bring myself to actually shooting something, though I am a good shot.

"Boys, come over here and watch this clip."

"Aww cool!!!! Thanks dad, now we can't wait to go hunting!!!"

Something tells me that idea backfired...

Let's fastforward to the big day. We are on the road enjoying every memory I had of hunting with my dad when I was a kid. Our jaws are sore from the famous Narski's beef jerkey. I use this as my dad used it. I used this as an intentional way to tire my kids talkative jaws so they wouldn't talk the deer to death the next day.

4:00am opening day. The boys are already up and dressed in their hunting gear. I pack them and the gear up and take them to our hunting blind. It is very dark. We get into our blind and set up. Then we wait. And we wait. We wait some more. The sun finally rises. The woods are teeming with wildlife. "Dad, look over there in the trees. It's a white moose!" "I think I see something!"

I politely remind them to be quiet. This works for the rest of the morning. We headed back to my parents for a quick lunch, then back to the blind. We saw some tracks so we must have just missed the deer...

Back into the blind and the conclusion of the story. One boy sleeps the entire hunt from this point out, and the other talks the entire hunt from this point out..... One dad has to drive us home. What a good time with the boys. Exactly what I thought it would be, but I wouldn't trade it for anything.

A Worship Post

2008-11-10T07:25:00.004-05:00

My friend Jeremy posted this a while back. I really have been thinking about it lately. I hear the comment, "it's just worship," a lot as though worship is some routine habit like anything else. I don't claim to be an expert on worship, but I think this video can say all I want to for the moment.

What a Disappointment!

2008-11-07T08:25:00.006-05:00

I read this the other day and unsubscribed from this "devotional." Is this how Jesus commanded us to act?

God Removes His Hand from the United States

(1 Samuel 8:1-21)

But when they said, "Give us a king to lead us," this displeased Samuel; so he prayed to the LORD. And the LORD told him: "Listen to all that the people are saying to you; it is not you they have rejected, but they have rejected me as their king. As they have done from the day I brought them up out of Egypt until this day, forsaking me and serving other gods, so they are doing to you. Now listen to them; but warn them solemnly and let them know what the king who will reign over them will do." 1 Samuel 8:6-9

The LORD answered, "Listen to them and give them a king." 1 Samuel 8:21

God removes His hand from the United States, it is now time to act! With the election of Barack Hussein Obama as the next President of the United States, yesterday marked a watershed day spiritually for this nation. For decades now, this country has been operating in rebellion to God and His Truth. We legally slaughter 4,000 babies every day. We have made a mockery of God's Holy Institution of Marriage. God's plan for the family has been decimated. We have totally given ourselves over to the lusts of the flesh and the pleasures of this temporal world. We have bowed down to and worshipped every false god and idol created in rebellion to the God of the Bible.

ROB'S NOTE: America has been going in the wrong direction for a long time. I agree that these things are a travesty. But, has God removed His hand???

Out of our rebellion to God, the people have now elected a man to lead this nation who is a staunch supporter of legalized infanticide. Speaking to the Planned Parenthood Action Fund on July 17, 2007, Senator Obama said, "The first thing I'd do as President is sign the Freedom of Choice Act. That's the first thing that I'd do." President Obama will repay the support of those in the baby killing industry by insuring abortion on demand at any stage of the pregnancy, and through executive orders, he will wipe out any progress individual states have made in trying to ban abortions in their state. As President, he will elect judges to the US Supreme Court who will insure Roe vs. Wade is never overturned, as well as activist judges to the Federal Courts who will rule on the side of death in any abortion cases.

ROB'S NOTE: I am very disappointed by President elect Obama's stance on abortion. We will need to pray for a change of his heart. We will ALSO need to be on the forefront of the battle now. We will need to actually reach people in sin in whatever condition, young, old, adulterers, rapists, BEFORE there is a need to get an abortion. Yes, I am suggesting that if anyone feels the need to have an abortion, the church wasn't there with the love of Jesus and the Gospel soon enough.

President Obama is also a great friend to the homosexual community and will be a champion of their radical agenda. President Obama will make it easy for gay couples to adopt children. I remember years ago warning people in my Daily Devotional that the homosexual community was targeting your children. People said I was over reacting. Today, an entire generation of children has grown up being brainwashed that being gay is normal and acceptable. They are being indoctrinated as young as kindergarten that there is nothing wrong with this choice of deviant sex. Again, through executive orders he will wipe out any gains made by various states to insure gay marriage will quickly spread across the nation, and the judges he appoints will help the radical gay agenda to move forward.

ROB'S NOTE: This is an issue to be concerned about as well. I believe that marriage was first mentioned in the Bible. Could not this, then fall under "separation of church and state?"

Today, the people of Israel should be very concerned. Over these past 60 years, they could always count on the full and total support from the United States government. No longer. It is bad enough we have had numerous Presidents now trying to make peace by giving away part of the land God gave to the children of Israel to those who want to see the Jewish people wiped off the face of the globe. Under President Obama, Israel will no longer have a friend in Washington that they can count on. Sadly for this nation, Genesis 12:3 that promises God will bless those who bless Israel and curse those who curse Israel is still in effect.

The truly sick fact is this will all be done by a man who will professes to be a Christian. Despite supporting the killing of innocent babies, the agenda and special rights of those who choose to commit acts of homosexuality, and believing the universalistic lie that everyone will get to Heaven regardless what they believe, President Obama proclaims to be a Christian. I have told you for the past few years that the biggest problem in Christianity, is the ever growing group of people who make up the Christian left. These are people who call themselves Christians, yet don't hold the Bible to represent Absolute Truth.

This liberal group that President Obama is part of, focuses on a social Gospel, things like world hunger, AIDs in Africa, and climate issues to name a few. These are noble causes Christians need to be involved in, but you can't just ignore issues like abortion and marriage like they don't exist. Most in the Christian left are a byproduct of this seeker/purpose driven/emerging church/liberal mainline denomination generation that lays down the absolutes of the Bible to attract warm bodies. It has flourished due to the gutless pastors who refuse to lead and preach a watered down, feel good, ear tickling message void of hard Truth so nobody is offended.

ROB'S NOTE: Okay, this is where I get off.

First, who can judge whether Obama is truly a Christian? It is true that many of his policies would lead you to think he is not, but how can you really know?
Second, when did it become a prerequisite that the president had to be a Christian?
Third, isn't God concerned with those things as well as abortion? Didn't Jesus spend the bulk of his time on earth with the poor, the weak, and the sick? Didn't He criticize the leaders of the religious and political spheres for their lack of involvement? Can it be possible that God is concerned with ALL of these things, that it should be a "both and" type thing and not an "either or" type of thing?
Lastly, though I am sure there are many watered down churches in America, when did Bill Keller earn the right to judge them all? There are many churches who are preaching Christ, who care about all aspects of the Bible. Many of them might still be considered politically conservative. This just really irks me that a Christian can be so narrow minded and not see that all of these issues are important to God. Maybe Bill Keller needs to be reminded of Jesus' words in Matthew 25:31-46. Maybe he also needs to consider the establishment of the first church after the ascension of Jesus into Heaven in Acts 2...

The nation has had Presidents before who were no friend of God and we didn't crumble spiritually. That is because there was still a vibrant remnant of true followers of Christ. Today, we have the better percentage of two full generations who have never been to church. So many churches today do little or no evangelism. Over the past 40 years, that remnant of true followers has dwindled down considerably as older saints have gone to be with the Lord and haven't been replaced.

ROB'S NOTE: Maybe, if there are the better part of two generations who haven't heard the Gospel, we as the church need to roll up our sleeves and get our lazy butts to work!

The effect of Obama's election is that it will empower those who oppose the work of God. Those who serve satan will be bolder and more aggressive than ever. They will be targeting like never before, true followers of Christ. Spiritual crack dealers like Oprah who peddle New Age garbage are ok. Those who promote cults like Mormonism, the JWs, Scientology, Kaballah, and others are ok. The false religions like Islam, Buddhists, and others are ok. Those in the Christian left with their social agenda are ok.

Their target will be zeroed in on those who believe, preach, and teach the Bible is God's inspired, inerrant Word, representing Absolute Truth and our final authority in all matters. They will be out to destroy true followers of Jesus Christ. This will come in many forms, such as laws to call the Bible hate speech as other countries have already done. For the first time, real and tangible persecution is going to be felt by those who refuse to compromise the Truth of the Bible and preach the Gospel.

The end result is that people are no longer going to be able to stand in the middle. The election of President Barack Hussein Obama is going to finally force people to take a stand. You are either a follower of Christ, which means you are also a follower of His Word, or you are not. Jesus said you can't serve two masters. Elijah told the people on Mt. Carmel to CHOOSE who you will serve. My friend, it is now time to choose. If you going to follow Jesus, it is time to act!

ROB'S NOTE: I am kinda back on with this point, though I think Bill is too narrow minded in his thinking. Now is the time to act if people like Bill are ever going to be saved. (I say that with sarcasm. I just can't figure out smileys on this blog yet.) This will be a time of choice and the church will need to be on guard. We will need to be more active than ever. We need to unite, though, support our president in prayer, get out on the streets and share the love of Jesus, and embody the Gospel, regardless of what the world around us does.

I love you and care about you so much. I realize that very few can "hear" what I am saying today. They woke up in their bed this morning and it seems like just another day. I can empathize with the frustration of the Old Testament prophets as they warned the people of God's coming wrath and most of the people simply ignored them or wrote them off as kooks. Yesterday, God's hand came off this nation. True followers of Jesus Christ no longer have the luxury of sitting back and doing nothing. Silence is not an option any more. We must take our stand now, or we will no longer have that opportunity. We have the only true answer for this nation and for the souls of men. It is time to boldly and without shame or compromise declare that answer!

ROB'S NOTE: Did God's hand come off the nation? Could it be that God knows more of what He is doing than we do? Could it be that God is putting His hand on the nation by causing it to take a great step forward to end racism? Or, could it be that He has just placed His hand on our country in a little more painful place than we are used to? (Meaning a big slap on the butt for Christians in American who have become complacent American consumers over being salt and light.)

As I was praying over all of this the other night, before going to sleep I was flipping through the stations and I stopped at TBN. On the eve of the election, with the spiritual course of our nation hanging in the balance, I expected to see true men of God preaching great messages of repentance and a turning back to God. Sadly, these people are as lost as the sons of Eli or Samuel. What were they doing? Having a telethon, raising money by promising people if they sent them money all of their financial problems would be solved. It was like watching the fiddler play while Rome burned !

ROB'S NOTE: Did you really expect to see anything else on TBN?

For those who have been following Liveprayer, you know in the Spring God gave me a vision for this nation. In July, I launched the Jonah Project. The Lord gave me this vision and the Holy Spirit guided me to set up this vehicle for exactly where we are at today. The Jonah Project is the plan from God to bring together the true followers of Christ at this moment in human history, to call this nation to repentance, to turn back to God and Biblical Truth, and to help lead the lost to faith in Jesus Christ while taking a bold and visible stand on the social issues of our day.

ROB'S NOTE: Why didn't you have this vision when you were converted?

Let me encourage you today to become part of the Jonah Project. You can go to the Jonah Project homepage at http://www.liveprayer.com/jonah/ , watch the vision video, and sign up to be part of this great last days move of God. My friend, this is the only hope for our nation and for each soul. There is only one answer, JESUS!!!

In His love and service, Your friend and brother in Christ, Bill Keller

A Great Post by my Wife!

2008-11-06T21:18:00.002-05:00

http://www.redeemedvessel.com/2008/11/what-do-we-do-now.html

A Devotional About Reaching Out to the Other

2008-11-02T21:24:00.002-05:00

The other day I got a devotional that I wanted to pass along.

Relating to those Different from Us
TGIF Today God Is First Volume 2, by Os Hillman
10-31-2008

"The Samaritan woman said to him, 'You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?'" (John 4:9).

Do you find it difficult to relate to others who are different than you? Do you shy away from interacting with those who may have a different belief?

Jesus interacted with his culture and especially those who thought differently than He. When Jesus met the Samaritan woman at the well it was much like a Christian speaking to a Muslim or a Jew speaking to a Palestinian. Jesus built a relationship with the woman instead of taking an adversarial position.

In order to influence our culture it is vital believers engage with those unlike us. We often assume others who come from other cultures do not want to engage with us. This is a deception from Satan. Many who grow up in other faiths do so as a cultural tradition, not because they have strongly held beliefs. For instance, many Muslims do not know what is in the Quran and simply believe what they are taught based on tradition.

Every person is looking for a genuine relationship with God. Jesus operated based on that assumption. Notice how Jesus engaged with the woman.

"Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. The woman said to him, "Sir, give me this water so that I won't get thirsty and have to keep coming here to draw water." He told her, "Go, call your husband and come back." "I have no husband," she replied. Jesus said to her, "You are right when you say you have no husband. The fact is, you have had five husbands, and the man you now have is not your husband. What you have just said is quite true." "Sir," the woman said, "I can see that you are a prophet (John 4: 13-19).

Once Jesus established a rapport with the woman He began to engage with her. He spoke supernaturally into her life which broke through the religious spirit which prevented a theological debate. This led to faith in Christ and even the city being impacted.

Why not seek out a relationship with someone different from yourself. You'll be surprised how God might use you.

A Post for my Daughters

2008-10-08T07:44:00.001-04:00

Government Exists because Worship Doesn't

2008-10-02T07:21:00.003-04:00

The other day I had the privilege to hear a person speak on the election from a biblical perspective. He did an excellent job of pointing out a number of criteria that we need to consider when we vote. As he spoke I got to thinking, though. Something made me angry inside but I couldn't put my finger on it.

As I was on my way home I was reminded by a phrase that Mark Driscoll often says. "Missions exists because worship doesn't," popped in my head and would not leave. This really got me thinking about the upcoming election.

1 Samuel 8 tells us the story of the nation of Israel begging Samuel for a king. A weak reason seems to be found in verse 5. "We want a king because everyone else has a king..." (Paraphrase by me.) God reminds Samuel in verses 7-8 that they are not rejecting Samuel, but God himself. Even after things like deliverance from Egypt, the parting of the Red Sea, and any number of things until that day, God was not enough for them...

This is what was bothering me. So often we are reminded by our "for God and Country" radio station that we need to get out and vote. We need to let our voices be heard in the political arena. We need to support "God's man," in "every" coming election. It makes me want to pull my hair out.

It is very simple, though, as to why this is. Our condition, EVEN AFTER JESUS, is no better of than that of the people of Israel in the time of Samuel. We pledge our allegiance to America, and to the Republican or Democratic Parties simply because God isn't enough for us. We live like everyone else because we want a king like everyone else.

I am going to be taking a look over a couple of posts as to what to do about this. In the mean time, I am convicted as I write this and I hope I can articulate what is in my heart that we might take a step forward.

Test of Freecaster

2008-09-28T19:15:00.001-04:00

In case some of you were wondering what is going on in my world I wanted to have my blog at my own site. Unfortunately every time I attempt to start my blog at my site, things go wrong. This latest attempt was just starting to get going then I was hacked!

This has been pretty frustrating for me. I really wanted to get this right at my site. I have been testing other methods for blogging, but the one provided by my host is pretty limited. I am having a hard time getting the old one redone, and I can't find many other alternatives that I like.

Andrea recently set up a few blogs here at Blogger. I have also been helping some of my friends get their blogs going here, so I have decided to give it a try.

One of the things that will be here is mountain biking. One of the cooler sites to see race coverage is freecaster.tv. Not many of the blogs I have tried using seem to accept the code for freecaster. This post is a test. This post is Sam Hill. He os one of the most amazing mountain bikers of our time. Watch the speed he carries through this run.

You Know Your First Sermon was a Hit When..

2008-08-25T02:44:00.001-04:00

..when you preach on the armor of God and your wife tells you, "that was the best teaching on the fruit of the spirit I ever heard."

My First Solo Endurance Race!

2008-08-20T16:13:00.001-04:00

If you would like to hear about it, follow this link.

I Finally Graduated!

2008-08-20T16:10:00.001-04:00

I posted this at MTBMichigan.com, but I thought I would post it here, too.

I finally have a little time to tell about graduation. I have been enrolled in the New Breed School of Ministry for a long time. It has been a challenging time for me. I have been youth pastoring for about four years, and I just felt I needed to get a better education and preparation for larger amounts of ministry.

After over a year of education in homiletics, hermeneutics, exegetics, theology, doctrine, sacraments, Old Testament, New Testament, Bible Prophesy, Personal Ministry, Leadership, and a whole slew of other topics I can say that this is one of the best things I have ever done. I am now an ordained pastor, which is exciting to say, but more than that, I have been immersed in education that has forced me to take a good look internally and figure out who I am in Christ, and who I am called to be as a leader in the church.

Another exciting thing about this is that I graduated with honors. In high school I think I might have been in the top 90% of my class, but I graduated School of Ministry #1. This is made more exciting because I did it in the midst of all my life duties of family, job, ministry, outreaches, and trying to get my health in order.

Pictures can be found here.

The value of a wife Part 1 of millions

2008-07-08T02:30:00.001-04:00

I posted this at MTBMichigan.com, but I thought I would post it here as well.

Many men realize often too little, or too late, the value of the woman God has given them to be their bride. I might be one of them who does, but I still do not see how valuable she really is often enough.

Andrea is an amazing woman. It isn’t the fact that she cooks or indulges me that is amazing. It isn’t how she keeps up the house, bills, or kids that amazes me. It isn’t how beautiful she is. It isn’t anything you would expect…

Andrea is hard on me. As a wife she is my helper. Sometimes she does things I like to help me, but other times she holds me to the fire of purification and forces me to grow to be the best I can be. She never lets up and is very good at taking a step back from herself, and forcing me to take a step back from myself. She makes me look at things form a bigger picture than my own self centered thoughts. She doesn’t let me off the hook.

You might think this is awful, and that my wife is a jerk. Sometimes I do. Unfortunately, I look back at these times and see how she has such awesome insight and how she pointed me in a better direction than I might have gone. She helps me to see where I need to grow and then encourages me to do it. I can’t help changing my thoughts on my wife from thinking about these moments in this way. I go from frustration to gratitude. She has my best interest in heart and wants me to reach my full potential.

I am sure I have written about my wife before, but I am not sure I have ever written about her in this way. I write about it because I am grateful that she cares so much. Thanks, honey.

Heaven Bound

2008-06-22T16:07:00.001-04:00

A Counter Thought on Socialization

2008-05-21T16:15:00.001-04:00

My wife has been pointing out how our children are socialized in her recent blogs, but after hearing my monkey say this, "I would check my email more... But I have K'nex to build," I am not so sure

A Baseline to Measure my Riding

2008-04-24T03:39:00.001-04:00

Tuesday I needed to get a break in. Andrea was sensitive to the fact that I have been running ragged lately, so she graciously let me go mountain biking with my racer buddies Eddie and Andy, and my co-worker, Ed.

I was able to head over to the Novi Tree Farm to meet the guys. After about 20 minutes of setting up bikes and letting everyone get ready, the four of us were off.

Novi is a relatively flat trail. I would be surprised if there was 200' of climbing. That is not to say that it is an easy trail. Novi is twisty and tight with few sections that allow you to build good speed and momentum. The climbs always come after tough switchback turns. There are a lot of bumps and obstacles that throw off your flow, too. In its eleven miles a rider can get pretty surprised at how he can bomb and blow up if he is not careful.

Andy is the fastest singlespeed rider I know. He is young, light, and full of energy. He has some of the best, well rounded skills of any rider in any discipline to boot. Eddie is a muscle, health freak. He is a former downhill racer and rides everything like it was his last ride. Ed is 55 and a former open heart surgery survivor. Don't let that fool you. He is an accomplished road rider and has calves the size of bowling balls. Then there is me. I am fat, and look like Andre the Giant compared to the three of them side by side. Tell me how you think this ride is going to turn out???

Well, we got going. In the first two minutes I was in front of the group so Andy could see how the big bike moves. Not long into this I hear "crack kills", and check my shorts. They were pulled up all the way. Man, I must be so big that my rear end reaches to my shoulder blades... It was about then that I let them pass.
After each section of the trail the guys waited for me to catch up. The sections were all about 2 miles or so. The order of riders would always be Andy, Eddie,.. Ed,....... Me. They would stop and wait, but I would just catch up make some small clothing adjustments and continue to ride. I made it my goal not to stop for more than thirty seconds at a time.

Overall, Andy and Eddie turned in a 57 minute run. This was expected for them. Ed turned in a 1 hour and 3 minute run. I came in at 1:15. I was very excited with this baseline. It was slow for many riders, but for a fat guy on a big bike to be within 18 minutes of two state champion endurance racers, I was really stoked! I think the guys were really happy about this as well. They have been really good friends to me through a long time and know that riding like this is a real challenge for me.

This baseline gives me something to shoot to beat over the coming months.

First Dirt 2008

2008-04-21T02:24:00.001-04:00

It is that time of year again. Everyone says that at every season or holiday. Ah, but this is special. This is the time of year when I can finally ride my bike on the dirt. After 4 months of spinning away on my trainer I finally get to commune with nature. It is a wonderful thing.

Here is how it happened. We were at the Master Builders Spring Regional (audio here) and my buddy, Pastor Ken's daughter, Mimi, starts playing the cute, sweet card to see if I will take her biking. Well, I had a lot to do, but I really wanted to go, so I didn't answer. Mimi took that as a yes and the next day of the regional her and dad showed up with all of their biking gear. Needless to say As soon as it was over and all of the cleanup from the luncheon was done we were on the way home to pick up the boys and the bikes.

This was my first ride back on a cross country bike in a looooooooooong time. Normally I like to do downhill and freeride stuff, so this was like a challenge to me. I also like to ride my Enduro as it is the best bike ever made, so this new Soul Cycles Dillinger 29er was a really different feel.

First impressions of the first dirt for the year. Well, I can tell that I have been on the trainer. I had a lot of energy and was pedaling smooth. I was able to ride everything and really enjoyed it. All of the kids had a great time and that was a plus. Pastor Ken was pretty happy to get out and move. It ended up being a really fun afternoon.

I noticed this bike is tall. 29 inch wheels are a lot taller than you would think. I had done a lot of research as I have two new frames I could have built up. I am actually glad I started here. The 29er does have its quirks, but it seemed to fit my riding style quite nicely. I was able to adjust to handling this big rig in a matter of minutes and went from timid to terror. Ok, I didn't really go to terror as I am very slow. The training helped my endurance, but I still have no speed to speak of .

The lack of suspension didn't bother me either. I must admit that I think that I like a full rigid bike for xc. I was thinking that I may need to get a suspension fork, but it ended up feeling nice and responsive on its own, and the big wheels seemed to roll over stuff more easily. I also liked the rigidity of the rear end. I was able to climb things I haven't climbed in the last year. That is a big accomplishment as this body isn't meant for climbing.

Nothing notable happened on this trip. It wasn't like one of my previous first rides. It was just a fun, relaxing, enjoyable afternoon on the bike with my boys and my friends. Since my schedule is going to be jam packed this summer I will be sneaking in my rides as much as possible. I think I will probably be riding during lunch just to fit it in...

I gots da Gimmies

2008-04-17T03:03:00.001-04:00

I had a very depressing meeting with the doctor this week. I have a feeling that it might even get worse. When that happens I get down. The first thing I do when I get down is head to McDonald's for one or two of these tasty Egg McMuffins.

Because this depressing news has to do with my weight I will need to head off the Casual Male XL for new clothes to fit, as most of mine are getting too tight. Of course this is depressing, too so I need to go eat a sensible lunch at my favorite restaurant Cafe Sushi where I can enjoy some fine dining.

Since I am getting so fat, and nothing seems to stop it, I will need to upgrade my mountain bike to one of these just to hold my weight. Most bikes are built for an average 200lb rider for everyday cross country, so that means my current bikes will crumble under my size. It will be depressing to ride a near 40 pound bike through the trail, but it is what I deserve in my current state. The problem here is that no companies make mountain bike clothes in my size, so I will be forced to wear Vanilla Ice Jumpers.

Unfortunately I may just be too fat to ride, and will have to increase my XBOX time, so I might as well get this new TV from Best Buy. If I am diabetic I will have to cut back on Culvers.

Of course I will have to change my eating habits, so I will go back to the McDougall Diet. Or I may have to join Jenny Craig. Maybe I will have to join Bally's. If so, I will need a heart rate monitor so I stay in my target zones. I hope I don't over do it. I might need to get some home fitness stuff as well.

While I sat here typing this my problem became painfully obvious as my dog peed on the floor. While cleaning it I had a hard time bending over and ripped my pajama pants. I will have to get a new pair of those now.

Man, this is a depressing and expensive post. Can't I go to the doctor and get some good news for a change???

Vision, Vision, Vision

2008-04-06T15:23:00.001-04:00

Well, the last several months I have really been challenged by the Lord. As the three of you who read my blog know, I finally got the guts to sit down with my wife and my senior pastors to tell them about the vision to plant a church that has been growing inside me. After that I started talking about it out in public as my pastor directed. This has really stretched me. I think actually telling others with the blessing of my pastor has been a very humbling experience. This is all topic for another blog, though...

So we have been rolling along with youth ministry, then the Father lets me know I need to change direction with the youth. This has been a good thing for our youth. We have a small group, but I must admit that they have been a blessing, and I have seen the Lord work in them in many ways.

It all started when I was praying about the vision to plant this church. I was on the road spending time with Father and was impressed about the need to impart vision now. As I was thinking on this He reminded me about David as a young man. From there He reminded me of a number of young men in the Bible and showed me how they had the same vision.

Then, my pastor has been corresponding with a young pastor in Alabama, I believe. This young man sent him an Mp3 of one of his recent sermons. Guess what??? It was very similar to what the Lord was speaking to me above.

David was a young man in the place where Father pointed me to. He was asked by his mother to bring some food to his older brothers who were in the army. Those brothers were sitting in a camp waiting for a battle to begin. These guys were trained for battle. They were military men and ready for war, but something stood in their way.

On the other side of the field stood a big obstacle. A large man, somewhere near 9' tall opposed the army that David's brothers belonged to. He issued a challenge to the army daily, "One of you face me." I am sure this army was versed in battle, but they were versed in a certain type of fighting and this giant fighting wasn't it. Also, how would you like to be the one who loses to this guy and causes your whole army to be enslaved to the enemy???

David didn't like the smack he heard going out from this guy, though. To talk bad about the army was one thing, but to talk about David's God was another thing. Anger burned inside David. He knew God. God was his friend, his provider, his protector, his father, and spent time loving him daily as he attended sheep. He went to God as he was lone and had no one to talk to. He was comforted and guided by God. This person on the other side of the field needed to be taught a lesson. I can hear David's thoughts, "This guy has to go... No one talks about god like that and gets away with it, that dirty blasphemer..."

Let me sum this thought up for the sake of time as I have a lot to talk about here. His brothers were a little annoyed with David as they had been trained for battle. King Saul had been trained for battle as well. As a matter of fact, if you have already read the story, you know the Israelite army could whip the Philistine army. So what is my point? The Israelite army was paralyzed by not knowing how to face this enemy. This enemy was an enemy of God, though, and David had a real, lasting, relationship driven vision of the Father and nothing was going to drag His name in the mud while David could do something about it. It took a person with a vision of Father to release an army to fulfill its destiny.

Let's look at the older brothers and the whole army as the "adult church", and look at David as the "young church" for a minute. I believe that there is a need for young people to rise up and take a stand against the enemy. I know you may have heard that before, but I think too often the older church has missed the point, leaving another generation burned out. Since I focused on the young church in the youth ministry, I will continue to do so here.

I believe that if the young people of the church truly seek Father, and get a true vision of Him, and oppose the enemy, that the older generation will be able to move forward in battle and the whole body of Christ will be able to achieve victory over the enemy of our times.

You might be saying a couple of things:

You keep mentioning vision, what's up with that?

What enemies?

I guess I will answer them in order.

What is up with Vision?

As we know, the Bible says that without vision, people cast off restraint and perish. I have noticed that a large number of Christians have lost some sense of vision. I have also noted that the older we get, the more vision we lose. I have also noticed that when I am not wrapped up in thinking about Father I am an easy target for the enemy to sneak up and get me sinning. Vision is essential for the Christian. If we do not have vision we follow aimlessly. If we do not have vision we get caught up in "good" rituals. If we do not have vision we can miss Him entirely. For this I submit the following test I found (this test is actually for cycling, but I think it makes a strong point)

As you can see, it is easy to miss something you are not looking for. This is why it is imperative that we seek Him for His vision. We need to seek Him to know Him. We need to know Him to see Him. we need to see Him to have a vision of Him. We need to have a vision of Him to have His vision for the world.

What enemy?
There are so many enemies to our world right now. In our particular area some of them are:

For God and Country

The American Dream

Family above _____

Materialism

Poverty

Injustice

Racism

I will point out here that I left a number of holes in this blog. I purposely didn't put the scripture in because if you read it I hope you would know where to find the passages. I thought it would be fun to see if anyone can mark the verses.

Second, I left a number of holes in here as there were a month worth of sermons to our youth. I can't do them all justice.

Third, I just want to hear your thoughts.

A Must Listen

2008-03-21T15:59:00.001-04:00

I wanted to pass this on to everyone. This audio is from my pastor at our Master Builders National Leadership conference. If you are experiencing changes in your walk or changes in your church, this might shed some light on the subject.
http://www.lhcf.net/main/images/stories/MOsminskiMasterBuilders2008.mp3

Just when you thought they were gone

2008-03-21T03:46:00.001-04:00

The top of the fridge has been bare for several months now. I was under the impression that they had packed up and moved. Who you might ask has backed up and moved? Well, my dear friends, the chicken mummies.

Over this winter I built a mountain bike and did some smaller tasks around the house. I noticed on each occasion that my tool have been missing. I also noticed that for several months my garage, which I like to be kept NEAT, has been pretty messy. I thought it was Jordan. He likes to tinker.

Some other things I have noticed around the house are as follows:

My kids scooters and roller blades have been all over the garage

My computer died

Mysterious bumping on the garage door

My dogs have woken up in the middle of the night on several occasions

I have had a hard time finding my grill thermometer

The middle of the night the temperature drops to like 50 degrees

No matter what time it is in the morning I do not have hot water when I take a shower

Today I went to the basement to go ride my trainer. I ended up not riding it because I noticed the door to the garage was opened. I inspected the garage to find four boxes opened and four shivering, bandage wrapped chickens huddled together inside. As I went to talk to them, they all turned their backs to me. After a few seconds I noticed a piece of paper slid in my direction. I picked it up and read it. It said:

"We have frozen out here all winter. We are unhappy with our current accommodations and would like to return to our rightful place on the top of the fridge. Please take this matter up for us as soon as possible.

The Chicken Mummies"

I Once Said

2008-03-11T03:35:00.001-04:00

I once said, "no matter where I go I will capture the moment!" I was wrong. I have missed a lot of moments lately. Some of them have just been silly things, but one was really dumb for me to have missed.

As some of you know, we visited the restaurant of the Canadian Prime Minister, Tim Horton, and met the Campbell family. Like a dork, I did not bring a camera. It was pretty stupid of me not to bring one. Here we were, eating donuts and drinking coffee with foreigners and I didn't get a single picture. What a dope.

Well, there was a reason I didn't bring a camera, albeit a DUMB one. I wanted to enjoy the time with our new friends. It is so rare that I get an opportunity like that, that I wanted to really have a good time. And a good time is exactly what we had. I won't go into all the details, but it was nice to make friends that day. We had one of those times where you almost have to remind yourself you just met. We shared a lot of the same heart in Christ, and the same pioneering spirit.

As was mentioned in other blogs, our kids hit it off as well. Ours are still talking about meeting the foreigners. It sounds like the boys were of similar minds as well judging by the sugar coated comments in the Prime Ministers suggestion box....

This was actually day two of relaxing and enjoying the company of friends. We also got to spend time with our oldest friends and two of our pastors, Ken and Cheryl. We did that on Friday night. Although Ken and Cheryl are always around, and we see a lot of each other, we haven't just sat down and talked in so long that it made our conversation so special. We talked about everything and just had a great time.

Oh, wait, there is more. We also got to see one of our dearest friends, Terisa, on Sunday. Joe and Terisa run the mission board we are on. They are the couple we went to Niagara Falls with last fall. Ths Sunday at their granddaughter's fourth birthday party was the first time we have seen her in a while. She had some complications form a procedure and was pretty touch and go for a week or so.

I did bring the camera for that, as I end up being the photographer for all of Noel's birthday parties. She is only four and has her own personal paparazzi.

Well, that is about it. I still don't have my computer back, so I am limited on what I can spend time doing. If they have to replace my computer, I may suggest a MacBook....

Six Word Memoir

2008-03-04T02:34:00.001-05:00

Anotherblogonthefire tagged me to sum up my life in six words. At first I thought this was going to be so hard as I am a pretty talkative fellow, but then I remembered I have a personal slogan:

Live the Faith! Ride it Out!

For info on how to do this tag, go here:

to start a six word memoir meme here are the rules:

1. Write your own six word memoir
2. Post it on your blog and include a visual illustration if you’d like
3. Link to the person that tagged you in your post and to this original post if possible so we can track it as it travels across the blogosphere
4 .Tag five more blogs with links
5. And don’t forget to leave a comment on the tagged blogs with an invitation to play!

I tagged:
Kalene
Lisa
Christina
Emmy
Cheryl

The Blame Shift

2008-02-04T00:47:00.001-05:00

About two weeks ago I was driving down I-275. In my daily travels this is the only road that has a rest area. I had the need to stop at this rest area on this particular day. As I came out to my car I noticed a car parked next to mine. It was a black 2007 Mustang. I got into my car and did my normal routine that I do; you know, check your cell phone for messages, adjust your seat, pray for a minute, get your Mp3 player set up, etc...

As I was doing this, the lady who owned the Mustang walked up. We made eye contact, and I nodded as if to say "hello," which is something I always do if I make eye contact with someone. As the lady went to get her bag into the back seat of her car, she went to open her door a little more, then WHAM! Her door hit my minivan pretty hard by the sound of it. I was debating leaving at this point, but I wanted to see her reaction to this issue. Her reaction was simple. Without batting an eye she continued to hop in her car.

I had a note to write down from one of my voicemails, so I decided not to leave. The woman looked over. She was about to back out, but I think she wanted me to leave first. I had some time to kill, so I continued making calls and doing some of my daily busy work. The woman did her hair, then her make up, then her nails. Keep in mind that this is at about 11:00 am, on a cold winter day. I could see that she was getting a little angry. I still had stuff to do, and no appointments, and I was really wondering if she was going to say anything at all about the door, so I continued to stay where I was. Well, after about 30 minutes, she revved her engine and sped out of the parking lot with a very clear "f--- off" being yelled in my direction. I could only assume that she damaged my minivan, didn't want to acknowledge her wrong, and didn't want me to see her license plate by the reaction she had and how she drove out of the lot.

The other day, Andrea and I decided to preview Spiderman 3 to see if the kids could watch it. I saw a very similar thing play out on screen. Peter Parker's job was being threatened by a new photographer, Eddie Brock. Eddie will do anything it takes to get the staff photographer job at the newspaper. Finally, the boss issues a challenge; "the first one to get me a picture of Spiderman showing him for the villain that he is gets the job. I want Spiderman caught with his hand in the cookie jar!" We all know that Spiderman is not going to commit a crime. Peter tells Eddie he will never get the shot, and Eddie comes back with a "we'll see about that."

Later in the movie Eddie produces a picture of Spiderman stealing money! He ends up with the staff job, but Peter knows better. Peter confronts Eddie of his sin, and produces evidence to prove that the picture Eddie used is a fake. This gets Eddie fired from his job and leaves him hopeless and vengeful.

Eddie does what most hopeless people do. He prays. He goes to a local church and kneels before a cross and says, "God, I want you to do one thing... kill Peter Parker!"

Isn't this an interesting thing. It is interesting to note how often we see it in scripture. Jesus tries to point out the sin of the Pharisees and they respond with hate. Right up to the cross He spoke truth to them, but still showed them love, and their reaction was "Crucify, crucify!"

As I sit to type this, I have a number of incidents flooding my head. I have youth in my youth group who hate me right now because they got caught in a sin the God wanted them to get caught in. I have people at work trying to claim rights to commission for things that I have done. I have people talking behind my back about my work in order to preserve their own jobs. I have people trashing me for trying to live a godly life. I have family who despise me for no reason at all.

In the end of it all, I think about a couple of things. How easy it is for us to shift our blame. The woman in the Mustang did the wrong. She slammed her car door into my minivan. I did nothing wrong, yet she left screaming at me. Eddie Brock lied, and falsified a picture to get a job, then asked God to kill the person who pointed out his crime. People always lay the blame in the wrong area.

It reminds me of two men in the Bible. I could use Saul and David. Saul is confronted and shifts blame. From there he sees David growing in the eyes of the people. He becomes angry with David and spends pretty much the rest of his life in pursuit of him, trying to kill him. This ultimately ends in his death.

David, on the other hand, has an affair. He tries to cover it in several ways which ultimately end up in murder. He is confronted with his sin. The prophet lays out the story for David and he burns with anger at the thought of the injustice. The prophet then reveals that he is the one who causes the injustice. David's reaction is one of repentance. Instead of shifting the blame on someone else, and laying his hatred on Nathan, the prophet, David owns his sin and repents.

May we all be like David...