A-"Muse"-ing Thoughts

Out of Site, Out of Mind

(And yes, the Pun was intentional for the title of this post)

Ugh!  What can I say.  I feel like a broken record sometimes on this blog about "I can't believe it's been so long..."  and "ok, I'm gonna get back to blogging."  

You know what they say about good intentions... well, I have good intentions.  But life seems to always get in the way.

In addition, you know the phrase, "out of sight, out of mind" Well, that has been my blog.  I have not been on my blog in a while, and therefore it seems like it has become a victim to that adage - out of sight out of mind.  I have SO much that I want to share.  So much that I feel would be good to journal about.  So much that has happened in the last 7 months.  So much I want to share with everyone.  But I've also been more busy than ever before in my life.  I've had more changes than ever before in my life.  I've had more challenges than ever before in my life.... and this blog seems to be the easiest thing to just ignore.  (and there is a lot of truth to that).  But, I also know that writing can be very therapeutic as well - and I LOVE to write.

So, what do I do with all of this?  Well, here is what I've come up with.

1) Don't feel so stinking guilty about not blogging as much as wanted.  Life is busy and guilt doesn't help get anything done.
2) Take some time out regularly to blog.  Writing is therapeutic and with all that is going on, it certainly couldn't hurt to take a few minutes every couple days or so to write what is happening.
3) Don't feel like very blog needs to be a novella - in fact, if they are, chances are no one will read them.  In addition, if they are, then I am more likely to put it off until I can "find time" - and that will never happen.  So, as Nike would say, "Just Do It!"
4) Relax, Enjoy, Write, and move forward.

To quote a phrase from a sermon I recently preached:  "You can't live in the past with all of it's mistakes, and you can't live in the future because we never know if we will even be there.  But, we must live for today - because it is a GIFT that God has given to us, which is why it is called the PRESENT!"

So here is to TODAY!!!

Time Flies

Wow.  Where does time go?  I guess one big answer to that would be: "To the Children."  It is so true that a lot of things have changed since getting our foster daughters.  Balancing time expectations is one of the continual challenges that I face every day. 

I have a lot of thoughts that I want to blog/journal more fully, but I thought I would give a few highlights since my last blog:

*  Got back to work on my doctoral dissertation.  At the moment of writing this I have 2 chapters written and about 15 pages on Chapter 3 completed.  This is my final year to finish the doctorate.  One way or another I am done after this.  I WILL write my entire project and pray it gets accepted by the committee.
*  May 2nd was the 3-month anniversary of Christi and I being foster-parents to two amazing daughters.
* Celebrated a wonderful Easter with my family - including the first time ever for easter baskets or easter egg hunts for my two foster-daughters.
* Celebrated Christi's 31st Birthday - treated her to a 3-hour spa treatment, lunch together, and then a fun dinner with friends.
* Had "Youth Sunday" at the church - which ended up being a wonderful day with the students doing an amazing job, and many adults giving us all very positive feedback.
* We are getting ready to celebrate our oldest foster-daughter's 4th birthday.  Should be a blast as we are having a "Princess Slip-N-Slide" party  (full of pinata and all)!!!  She is very excited, and so are we.
* We found out 3 days before the deadline that the bio-family of our foster daughters has hired a lawyer petition for adopting the girls.  Needless to say, this is a very heartbreaking thing for Christi and me, and we are praying that God would do what is best for these girls, but do it quickly, and if they are to be returned for him to cover our hearts.
* I am currently the only full-time program/pastoral staff person at the church.  Our Sr. Pastor retired.  We are hoping to hire an interim pastor sometime before September (yikes, that's a long ways away) and the search for a new Sr. Pastor will take approx. 2 years.  (YIKES!)  This has caused extra work for me and an extra element of trying to balance life duties and work duties.
* I have the most amazing and supportive wife that a husband could ever pray for.  Just have to say - Christi is a saint (she truly should be given sainthood status, but since we are not Catholics I am not sure they would accept my application for Christi's sainthood)
* At the end of April, beginning of May, I went on a "Walk to Emmaus."  It was powerful, incredible, and God is really working in my life and heart.  Lots to share about this one.

Well, I know there is more that has happened.  But that will give you a quick highlight of the things going on in my life since last blog in February.  Man, Time Flies!!!  I am going to try and blog a lot more details about some of these things, and some others that have been heavy on my mind lately as well.

Youth Ministry Interviews

I am the Featured Interview this month at the "Youth Ministry Interviews" blog that Len Evans started and Runs. 

Thanks Len!!!

Stop over there to learn even more about me, including some random fun trivia like the strangest thing I ever bought on ebay.  :)

Yikes... has it been that long?

Oh my goodness.  I can hardly believe it has been OVER a month since I have been on here and blogged.  This completely goes counter to what my intentions and desires are for blogging.

So, a couple quick bits of what is going on with me:

* I am working hard getting into my new job in Boerne, Texas

* I have been LOVING living here - but I am very afraid of the summer heat.  I don't do hot well, and yet God called me to Texas.  Maybe this will be the "thorn in my side" that God has in store for me.  Or, hey... maybe the natural sauna will result in my losing weight simply by sweating off 20 lbs per day. 

* I am heading back to California this weekend to speak at a Jr. High Winter Retreat.  I am VERY excited about this.

* Last week my family came to visit for a week.  This thursday, 4 members of Christi's family come to visit for 10 days, and then 5 days after that another 5 members of Christi's family come to visit for a week.  Lots of guests in our new home.

* I am INTENT on getting this blog updated more often.  I have a LOT I want to share, such as the NEW new pictures of my house - since we have upgraded many features inside, such as paint, flooring, light fixtures, door knobs and more.

So... more to come soon!!!

New URL

So I now have a NEW URL for my blog. 

Please note:  If you have bookmarked my blog in the past or linked to it, the old links and old bookmarks will still work 100% perfect.

But, to make it easier for people to remember how to get to my blog, I have dedicated a URL to it.

So you can now access this blog easiest by using this URL:  http://www.uthpastor.com

How exciting!!!  :)

Belligerent Bloggers

One of my concerns for a couple years now, and one reason I hesitated to start my own blog, was observing other bloggers who did not handle their blogs (or their comments) with much kindness, or at least respect.  I have seen the blog be used and abused by some - and I have also seen blogs hurt individuals in a variety of different ways.

I had been trying to think of a way of sharing these ideas/thoughts, when Adam McLane posted on his blog a post that so perfectly describes my feelings and frustrations over the last couple years (not with everyone, but with certain blogs and individuals).  So, rather than trying to re-paraphrase what Adam states so well, I thought I would share his quote with you.  I could not have said it better myself:

"There is a troubling thing going around the "student world" of blogs. There is this thing that basically goes like this... "Write notes to 10 people of things you want to say that you would never say. Turn off comments and just say it." This is stupid on so many levels it almost isn't worth commenting on, but I will anyway.

Why is it dumb? First of all, it is dumb to say something rude that you know the person is going to read. Yes, get over it... there is no anonymity on blogs! (So if you are blogging something and you don't want your mom to read it, don't blog it!) Secondly, just because you turn off comments for a post doesn't mean people's feelings are not hurt. To see stuff that reads, "I hate your guts and I wish you weren't so annoying" isn't going to help. Why not just tell the person for real?

This stupidity (great thing about blogs is that I don't have to sugarcoat, right?) isn't limited to students. I see something very similar on some of the pastoral blogs I read. Then they wonder why their words get them in trouble? Genius!

As for me, I am happy to have everything nice and simple. One blog, and I am careful to not say things that I wouldn't want my mom to read. (Heck I even gave my mom the URL... as if "adammclane.com" isn't public enough.)

Here's my recommendation: If you are blogging, realize it's public and the things you say there are real."

Thank you Adam - you took the words right out of my mouth!!!!!

New Year's Resolutions

I have gone back and forth on my opinion about making New Year's Resolutions. I certainly believe it is good to make goals that you hope to accomplish, but I believe that resolutions are very different than goals. I also wonder if we set ourselves up for failure in making New Year's Resolutions? I know, in my own life, many of the things I struggle with and hope to accomplish require that I make a "New Day" resolution each and every morning. And even then, I struggle greatly with making sure that I keep my committment. So how much harder is it to make a resolution that you plan to keep for 365 days without getting discouraged and abandoning it completely?

I have made goals for 2006. I certainly have things I hope to do and accomplish. But, for me personally, I get far too overwhelmed when I think what I am supposed to accomplish in the next 365 days. So, I will take it one day at a time and continue to try and take up my cross daily - both in my faith life and personal life (which I don't believe can really be separated as each one impacts the other.)

It is about time

So, for YEARS now I have been asked by people when I would begin blogging. I have had a desire to do so for a long time now, but didn't know what I wanted the blog to be about, or what to say.

Well, I have decided a good goal to begin in 2006 would be to start my blog. I don't know what shape or form this will take. I do hope to blog on a regular basis, so as to not leave this blog idle for too long.

So here it all begins. I hope to do just as the title of this blog states - to share the thoughts I have from the silly and pointless to the deep and profound. My intention is to share a personal journal of sorts.

So...Welcome to 2006 and the my new blog!!!