Reading the NKJV #1

So I’m not really big on the whole New Year’s resolution but this year I’ve decided to take the concept seriously.  Some people are anti-resolution, some people set “goals,” others set resolution year after year and have never accomplished one…I’ll be honest, I don’t know that I care enough about the concept “resolution” to have a strong opinion.  At the very least, it’s the start of a new calendar year and I’m hoping to start a new habit and spiritual discipline along with it.

I have decided to read the Bible from cover to cover.  I know there are several different reading plans for tackling the Bible: chronilogically, New Testament first (Old Testament second), OT & NT simultaneously, alternate a book from each Testament, etc.  I’m going the simple route and have been challenged and inspired to do so by an Elder in our church, Northern Hills.  He simply told me that he likes to challenge people to read the Bible from start to finish, like a novel, in a translation that you have never read before.  So I took him up on it.

I actually started on December 31st because I’m excited to dive into God’s Word this year like I have never have before.  I have read the NT through a few times in the NIV and NLT.  I honestly don’t believe I have read the OT in its entirety.  So this is a first for me.  As far as the translation I have chosen, the NKJV.  This has surprised a few people that I have shared this with, so allow me to share a few thoughts behind why I chose it:

1. Other than checking out a few verses, I have never read the NKJV.
2. It is a very literal (word for word) translation, which is different than most translations I read (phrase for phrase).
3. Because it is a higher reading level than other translations, it will force me to slow down and pay attention to what I’m reading.

What I’m really excited about is not just doing it this year, but a few years running so I can read a variety of translations.  But first things first.  I’m 3 days in and loving it.  I imagine I will blog about what I read from time to time, which will hopefully make for sosme good blogs.

Until next time, happy reading!

Top 10 Moments of 2008

Whether for humorous reasons, joyful reasons, somber reasons, or outrageous reasons, here is a list of my Top 10 Moments of 2008 (in no particular order).  Enjoy the list and share yours as well!

1. Finding out Neva is pregnant! (Oct 08 )
2. Being promoted to Director of Sales & Youth Ministry Services at Dare 2 Share Ministries (Dec 08 )
3. The day that 4 of my male team members “accidentally” showed up in blue jeans and white shirts of varying styles looking as if they were the new boy band of 2008 (Apr 08 )
4. My 30th birthday – great surprise honey! (Mar 08 )
5. Summer vacation at Hitlon Head Island, SC with my parents (June 08 )
6. Jumping back in to Youth Ministry and leading a small group for Northern Hills Christian Church (Sept 08 )
7. Being asked to preach at Northern Hills Christian Church (Aug 08 )
8. Completing the D2S Survive Conference tour at 95% to revenue goal (Apr 08 )
9. My personal Leadership Development (Ongoing 08 )
10. Taking Christian to his first NHL and NBA games (Oct 08 )!

5-Day Weekend #1

Tonight brings the conclusion of my first 5-day weekend, with another to follow next weekend.  It’s amazing what can take place in 5 days and yet how short that time still felt.  Christmas Eve and Christmas Day obviously consumed the front end of this 5 day weekend.  Here are a few highlights…

Christmas Day:  We got up and sang Happy Birthday to Jesus and gave Christian a piece of Jesus birthday cake before diving into the gifts.  It has become a Christmas tradition of sorts.  After plowing through the gifts and having a few phone conversations with family, we kicked back and relaxed to take it all in.  Christmas lunch was a fondue extravaganza!  We had cheese fondue along with chicken and steak.  Yummy!  After allowing the food to digest we headed to the movie theater and enjoyed Bedtime Stories with Adam Sandler.  Classic Sandler in a fun and family friendly way.  Great movie!

The Next Few Days:  These, of course, included some of the typical shopping excursions.  We hit up Fatburgers in Aurora in the midst of all the retail stores.  I have proclaimed their burgers the best burgers I have ever had!  A little more shopping and then we crashed at home for the rest of the day.

Saturday:  We took another trip to the movies and watched Four Christmases.  I loved it, Neva didn’t.  What can I say?  However, before we headed to the theater Christmas was torn down in our home.  The only thing left, a few holly berries hanging on our wall that we all missed before the boxes were wrapped up and stored under the stair well.  I guess they’ll be there until next year.

Sunday:  Today was the last day of Christmas break.  We got up at 5 AM because we had to be at church early.  Neva led worship in our White Water venue and I was preaching in there today.  It was nice getting ready for the sermon this week as it was only 2o-25 minutes, compared to preaching 2 weeks ago when it was 45-50 minutes long.  Good times.  We did lunch with the Stiers at Red Robbin (another good hamburger) and then came home and crashed.  Nap time for everyone until 5 PM.

It’ll be hard going to sleep tonight, but we only have to survive 2 days of work back at the Dare 2 Share “ranch” before our 2nd 5-day weekend!  Tuesday night will be fun…once I get off work I’ll be headed to the church for our New Year’s Eve Eve (that’s right, the eve of New Year’s Eve) to deliver a devotion and Gospel presentation to the teenagers.  What a great way to bring in the New Year!

Best Christmas Ever!

This year’s Christmas has been the best ever for a variety of fun and sincere reasons.

This year was going to be our first Christmas wiht absolutely no family whatsoever, and we weren’t too excited about that.  Last year Neva’s family came up from Phoenix.  The year before that we spent it with my older half-brother and his family.  The year before that we were with my parents in South Carolina.  You get the idea…family, family, family.

So being alone in the island I call Colorado with our closest family a 12-hour car ride away and in most cases, on the other side of the United States from us, it was going to be our first Christmas just the 3 of us (plus the 1 on the way).   We were okay with the idea early on but the closer it go to Christmas the sadder we all seemed to get.  God must have known how much we were missing family because this year He gave us an incredible Christmas gift:  incredibly special moments with people here in Colorado that have become like family to us!

Sunday, December 21st:  We attended the Best Christmas Ever Party with 80 other people at the Kelly’s house, successfully hosted by middle daughter Bethany, along with David Mercer.  It was an absolute blast as it was an ugly sweater party and Neva and I went in matching pink sweaters (mine did not fit).  It was a festive way to usher in the Christmas week with so many families & friends.  Good times!

Tuesday, December 23rd:  We went over to the Bresina’s house and had a Christmas pizza party with them and the Stiers which allowed Jeremy and Christian to have a few early gifts and spend some fun time together.  We were blessed to have that time with them as our families have gotten closer and closer over this past year.  It’s special for me to see Christian have such a close friend in Jeremy knowing that they will get to grow up together (being a military brat and moving around so much that wasn’t something I got to experience – so I am glad my son does).  Tuesday night was a special night for our family!

Wednesday, December 24th:  After a day of activities at the church we headed over to the Kelly’s for a festive Christmas Eve dinner.  In addition to the Kelly’s, our good friends the Holmes were there and Christian again got to exchange gifts with his good buddy, Preston.  Neva and I were taken aback by surprise gifts we got from both the Holmes’ and the Kelly’s.  The gifts were a wonderful surprise, but what Neva and I realized was how blessed we are by such wonderful friends that might as well be family.

Now you can see why this has been the Best Christmas Ever!  Even though we thought we would be without family this year, God blessed us with 4 families that have become so close to us, I can no longer say that we don’t have family in Colorado.  The truth is, we have an incredible family in Colorado that God orchestrated and master-minded before we ever got to Colorado, let alone before the beginning of time.  May your Christmas with your family, whatever that looks like, be as blessed as ours was!