Well, once again it has been a long dry spell in blogland.
Life has certainly been interesting lately and that is an understatement.
Being laid off of work is often times a crushing blow to men. We all too often get our value from our jobs. I have learned that real value only comes to our lives from God. the path that He has us on is uncertain except for that He has us on it. It is scary except that He is driving it. It is exciting because He is in charge. For anyone that decided to do something with their life that is basically for other people, there are some interesting moments to say the least.
I had the chance to be a small part of a guy's life this past weekend at an Iron Sharpens Iron conference. And as the story unfolded itself some interesting things took place and not one of them benefited me in any way, just the other guy. God can certainly use some cool stuff to help us be a part of the lives of other people. Christy and I have adopted the saying "it's odd because it's God" and that plays out in our lives almost daily.
I have learned this lately, self preservation isn't a purpose. Think on that one a while.
And this to finish up on, Seek the Lord, Seek the lesson and Seek the laughter in any situation and you'll come out of it better off.
Later,
Captain Dave
Monday, February 23, 2009
Friday, November 14, 2008
There's a Fat Lady Singing
Well, as they say that's that.
For the very first time in my life I just left a job not under my own choice. It's a bit odd feeling, being layed off, but the future promises to be exciting. I can say that because the past has really been unreal.
I am looking foward to some quiet time, some time to be still and listen. If you have read the book "Wild Goose Chase" you'll get the fact that this is one of the times that the Wild Goose flies. The Spirit moves in and out and all around our lives just as the wind blows. I am excited to see what will come out of this and where God puts me.
Would love to hear about times when you have felt that God was moving you and what happened. So if you have a story, send it back.
For the very first time in my life I just left a job not under my own choice. It's a bit odd feeling, being layed off, but the future promises to be exciting. I can say that because the past has really been unreal.
I am looking foward to some quiet time, some time to be still and listen. If you have read the book "Wild Goose Chase" you'll get the fact that this is one of the times that the Wild Goose flies. The Spirit moves in and out and all around our lives just as the wind blows. I am excited to see what will come out of this and where God puts me.
Would love to hear about times when you have felt that God was moving you and what happened. So if you have a story, send it back.
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
A New Season
It seems to me that life is full of seasons and the only thing that we can really be sure of in this world is that there will be change. Change came suddenly for me a few weeks ago in the form of a job that disappeared. The financial woes that everyone faces in this season of life are hitting every part of society. The church is no different, when there is less money things have to change.
Here in the last days of my employment some things come to mind. I really enjoyed serving the people that I came in contact with, some were sent as a test I'm sure but for the most part it was great. I have no regrets for spending six years and then all of a sudden it is gone. I hold no ill will or feelings towards anyone or any group of people, they are all just doing what they think is best for the church. I have been blessed to have had a staff of associates and volunteers who gave their hearts in service, they would have tried to turn the Titanic around in a bathtub if I just asked them to.
But here is the crazy thing, i don't even feel like the reason that I was placed there was to sell books because in all of what I did - I found the place that God has made me for. It is just nuts but I am excited about what is coming next, Christy and I have a perfect peace about what is happening. We have adopted a saying at our house "It's odd because it's God" and that is exciting.
For me it is time to walk the talk that I have been preaching and teaching to my guys over these last few years, I can't crumble now, that would dishonor God and all of the guys would see that I could talk it but not walk it.
The other crazy thing is that I have made some of the best friends that I will ever have. Some are here still and some have moved away. This is the longest that I have ever lived in one place since I left home as a kid. But, my time here has brought some of the best folks ever to my life.
Well, I guess that I should keep posting what happens in our lives because I know that it will be exciting. For those of you who are not here everyday, I miss the time that we spent together and look forward to more time with you.
Later
Captain Dave
Here in the last days of my employment some things come to mind. I really enjoyed serving the people that I came in contact with, some were sent as a test I'm sure but for the most part it was great. I have no regrets for spending six years and then all of a sudden it is gone. I hold no ill will or feelings towards anyone or any group of people, they are all just doing what they think is best for the church. I have been blessed to have had a staff of associates and volunteers who gave their hearts in service, they would have tried to turn the Titanic around in a bathtub if I just asked them to.
But here is the crazy thing, i don't even feel like the reason that I was placed there was to sell books because in all of what I did - I found the place that God has made me for. It is just nuts but I am excited about what is coming next, Christy and I have a perfect peace about what is happening. We have adopted a saying at our house "It's odd because it's God" and that is exciting.
For me it is time to walk the talk that I have been preaching and teaching to my guys over these last few years, I can't crumble now, that would dishonor God and all of the guys would see that I could talk it but not walk it.
The other crazy thing is that I have made some of the best friends that I will ever have. Some are here still and some have moved away. This is the longest that I have ever lived in one place since I left home as a kid. But, my time here has brought some of the best folks ever to my life.
Well, I guess that I should keep posting what happens in our lives because I know that it will be exciting. For those of you who are not here everyday, I miss the time that we spent together and look forward to more time with you.
Later
Captain Dave
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
Yep, It's Me Again
Well, here I go with some stuff.
I have the pleasure of being a part of a great men's group called Outside The Walls. One of my tasks is to lead a weekly gathering for the guys. Lately I have been talking about "Random Thoughts". You know, the stuff that God just bangs into your head from left field, that shakes you up. One thing that has hit me this week is fear. Or should I say FEAR!
FEAR often keeps us from being all that we can be to serve our great and mighty God. Fear is something that keeps us from our forward motion in our walk.
The question is why? Why are we afraid of anything when we have the Creator of the universe on our side? I have read that "God wants you to get where God wants you to go more than you want to get where God wants you to go". So if that is true, and I believe it is, why are we afraid of jumping into what He wants? Yeah sometimes what He wants does not seem to be what we can see or into our plans, I get that. But, I know everytime I mention my plans to Him that He has a good laugh and then says "Ok, now really, this is what I want".
I use this illustration a lot but the point is good. Remember when you sat on the floor with your infant kids when they were learning to walk? I sat on one side of the living room and Christy sat on the other and we helped and supported these babies across the room. We cheered for them and said "come on, you got it, come on". We cheered and clapped and hugged them and we were so proud of those baby steps.And then little by little they started to get it, we helped them as they stumbled and loved them through the swerves and werves. I picture Our Heavenly Father doing just that with us along the way. He holds out His Hands for us to walk slowly towards and He supports us when we fall or stumble. He watches us and is proud when we get it right and He cheers for us along the way.
Why would we fear anything that He is asking us to do?
I don't know why but I still get scared sometimes when I know I should go or do what He says.
Maybe one day I'll be able to take more than a step or two without Him grabbing me.
If you want to hear some other "Random Thoughts" go to http://www.mcgregor.net/ and find the Outside The Walls podcast and see what's up. I would appreciate any constructive advice as well.
Well, gotta go. We'll do more later.
Peace-
Captain Dave
I have the pleasure of being a part of a great men's group called Outside The Walls. One of my tasks is to lead a weekly gathering for the guys. Lately I have been talking about "Random Thoughts". You know, the stuff that God just bangs into your head from left field, that shakes you up. One thing that has hit me this week is fear. Or should I say FEAR!
FEAR often keeps us from being all that we can be to serve our great and mighty God. Fear is something that keeps us from our forward motion in our walk.
The question is why? Why are we afraid of anything when we have the Creator of the universe on our side? I have read that "God wants you to get where God wants you to go more than you want to get where God wants you to go". So if that is true, and I believe it is, why are we afraid of jumping into what He wants? Yeah sometimes what He wants does not seem to be what we can see or into our plans, I get that. But, I know everytime I mention my plans to Him that He has a good laugh and then says "Ok, now really, this is what I want".
I use this illustration a lot but the point is good. Remember when you sat on the floor with your infant kids when they were learning to walk? I sat on one side of the living room and Christy sat on the other and we helped and supported these babies across the room. We cheered for them and said "come on, you got it, come on". We cheered and clapped and hugged them and we were so proud of those baby steps.And then little by little they started to get it, we helped them as they stumbled and loved them through the swerves and werves. I picture Our Heavenly Father doing just that with us along the way. He holds out His Hands for us to walk slowly towards and He supports us when we fall or stumble. He watches us and is proud when we get it right and He cheers for us along the way.
Why would we fear anything that He is asking us to do?
I don't know why but I still get scared sometimes when I know I should go or do what He says.
Maybe one day I'll be able to take more than a step or two without Him grabbing me.
If you want to hear some other "Random Thoughts" go to http://www.mcgregor.net/ and find the Outside The Walls podcast and see what's up. I would appreciate any constructive advice as well.
Well, gotta go. We'll do more later.
Peace-
Captain Dave
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
Many Moons Ago...
Well it has been many moons since my last post. This is really difficult for me b/c I feel like I don't really have that much stuff to talk about.
My Buddy Rusty and his wife Tina and the kids were down last week and it was great to see them. Rusty had a whale of a time on an overnight fishing trip, he loved it and wants to do it again especially in the summer.
My little girl Hayley turned five last week and tomorrow I will be officially on the downhill side of life. YIKES!!! It goes by fast.
It is really odd that the last ten years of my life have been the best. The best friends that I'll ever have have all come around, I have been blessed with two amazing kids, my wife is incredible (even when she isn't) I would not want to be with anyone else in the world. Christy is just perfect for me and I am seriously lucky.
The best thing in these past ten years was coming to know Christ, what a change. I will never be able to explain all the mysteries of God's work but, my life being changed is undeniable. What a gift. That gift has also led me to the thing that fires up my heart more than anything else.
Have to save that story for another post.
To all my family and friends i say thank-you for being around, I love you all and feel so lucky to have all of you in my life. We have all had ups and downs but were are 'pressing on'.
By the way, the new Relient K C/D comes out soon and I can't wait. Those young guys are great, give them a listen sometime.
Well gotta go, talk to ya' again in a couple months.
My Buddy Rusty and his wife Tina and the kids were down last week and it was great to see them. Rusty had a whale of a time on an overnight fishing trip, he loved it and wants to do it again especially in the summer.
My little girl Hayley turned five last week and tomorrow I will be officially on the downhill side of life. YIKES!!! It goes by fast.
It is really odd that the last ten years of my life have been the best. The best friends that I'll ever have have all come around, I have been blessed with two amazing kids, my wife is incredible (even when she isn't) I would not want to be with anyone else in the world. Christy is just perfect for me and I am seriously lucky.
The best thing in these past ten years was coming to know Christ, what a change. I will never be able to explain all the mysteries of God's work but, my life being changed is undeniable. What a gift. That gift has also led me to the thing that fires up my heart more than anything else.
Have to save that story for another post.
To all my family and friends i say thank-you for being around, I love you all and feel so lucky to have all of you in my life. We have all had ups and downs but were are 'pressing on'.
By the way, the new Relient K C/D comes out soon and I can't wait. Those young guys are great, give them a listen sometime.
Well gotta go, talk to ya' again in a couple months.
Tuesday, April 1, 2008
Living in a Techno World
For those of you that know me, you realize just how limited I am related to things that are technical. I am just getting the hang of computers. Things with lots of keys and screens and knobs and buttons scare me.
The other thing that scares me is public speaking. I mean really, who gives a rip about what I have to say. This combination makes this whole Blog thing very weird to me.
I had the pleasure and honor of doing not just one but two Podcasts today. Now you may ask well, how many Podcasts have you done so far in your life there Big Boy? Well that's an easy answer. Two, and they were both today.
I humbly and with a great deal of care am leading our men's morning Bible study. It will be available on the MBC web site at some point. The series is called 'Changes in Latitude, Changes in Attitude'. And let me assure you that it is not the gospel according to Jimmy Buffett. It is about setting our attitudes in line with the Attitude of Christ. It is at least a good idea for a series, we'll see how well it gets done.
And then this morning I was asked to be on the "Mark and Miller" show. Which is a cool show that a couple of our pastors do each week. It can be heard also on the MBC web site under Podcasts. Once again I felt honored to be a part of it and I had a blast. But, I had to ask again who cares about what I have to say. My friend David and I had fun chatting about a few things and maybe even made a point somewhere along the line.
I am excited that David is going to be preaching a good bit in our near future, he has a great style and is very relevant. I am sure that many people will be blessed and challenged by his messages. I know I will.
So, for a real low tech guy this was an exciting day. Maybe there is hope for me yet in a Techno world.
Captain Dave
The other thing that scares me is public speaking. I mean really, who gives a rip about what I have to say. This combination makes this whole Blog thing very weird to me.
I had the pleasure and honor of doing not just one but two Podcasts today. Now you may ask well, how many Podcasts have you done so far in your life there Big Boy? Well that's an easy answer. Two, and they were both today.
I humbly and with a great deal of care am leading our men's morning Bible study. It will be available on the MBC web site at some point. The series is called 'Changes in Latitude, Changes in Attitude'. And let me assure you that it is not the gospel according to Jimmy Buffett. It is about setting our attitudes in line with the Attitude of Christ. It is at least a good idea for a series, we'll see how well it gets done.
And then this morning I was asked to be on the "Mark and Miller" show. Which is a cool show that a couple of our pastors do each week. It can be heard also on the MBC web site under Podcasts. Once again I felt honored to be a part of it and I had a blast. But, I had to ask again who cares about what I have to say. My friend David and I had fun chatting about a few things and maybe even made a point somewhere along the line.
I am excited that David is going to be preaching a good bit in our near future, he has a great style and is very relevant. I am sure that many people will be blessed and challenged by his messages. I know I will.
So, for a real low tech guy this was an exciting day. Maybe there is hope for me yet in a Techno world.
Captain Dave
Sunday, March 16, 2008
My Service Light Is Getting Dim
Do you ever have those days or times when your service light goes dim?
You know the little red light in the corner eye that shows how much is left in your battey.
Well, mine is getting dim. Sometimes work and stuff and life just gets to ya'. And when it does you know that you need a jump start. Well sports fans, Captain Dave needs a jump start.
It seems like the only thing I really look forward to is what I get to do with Outside the Walls. Now I'm not talking about my family, I always enjoy my time with them. As a matter of fact today was the first Sunday afternoon that I have had off in a very long time. I spent most of it on the floor wrestling with Dylan, we had a blast. Christy was out at a bridal shower and Hayley fell asleep on the way home. The boys had a big time.
Apart from my family I am spent. I am having a difficult time motivating myself, maybe it is a sign, maybe I need a vacation, I don't know. What I do know is that God has made this men's ministry deal become so important to me that I really want to do just that. I don't know what that means or looks like but........I know that is where my heart is at.
So, any great suggestions on how to move on when you have been stuck would be appreciated.
You know the little red light in the corner eye that shows how much is left in your battey.
Well, mine is getting dim. Sometimes work and stuff and life just gets to ya'. And when it does you know that you need a jump start. Well sports fans, Captain Dave needs a jump start.
It seems like the only thing I really look forward to is what I get to do with Outside the Walls. Now I'm not talking about my family, I always enjoy my time with them. As a matter of fact today was the first Sunday afternoon that I have had off in a very long time. I spent most of it on the floor wrestling with Dylan, we had a blast. Christy was out at a bridal shower and Hayley fell asleep on the way home. The boys had a big time.
Apart from my family I am spent. I am having a difficult time motivating myself, maybe it is a sign, maybe I need a vacation, I don't know. What I do know is that God has made this men's ministry deal become so important to me that I really want to do just that. I don't know what that means or looks like but........I know that is where my heart is at.
So, any great suggestions on how to move on when you have been stuck would be appreciated.
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