mike jones

Saw this driving around Springfield the other day.

Now let me ask… who’s in?

A discount on tattoos.

Is that something you really want to see discounted?
You have to ask yourself… why is it on sale?

Freaky.

Peace.

I convinced my kids the other day that it’s pronounced SHloppy Joe and said more gravelly… besides it’s more fun that way.

I hadn’t had these since I was a kid and Kristen has never made them, so we decided to try a new recipe of these ol’ favorites with the kids. Went better than I anticipated.

I think it helped that Kristen started this one-line story thing that entertained the kids while they ate spaghetti sauce on a bun.

So here’s the deal: here’s your chance to collaborate on a story with the other readers of this blog. Keep it clean (inappropriate comments will be deleted).

I’ll start it like I started it with the kids the other night:

“The ketchup was good”

Your turn.
Four words only, building from the previous line to create a story.
Have fun.

Peace.

We’ve been in a series at The Orchard called Smudged.

It’s all about the lenses we see life through and how sometimes we allow those lenses to get smudged, which in turn affects how we see different areas of our life. Once your lenses are smudged, you see things only through those smudged lenses and not necessarily how they really are. Anyway, you can check out the podcasts here.

This weekend we talked about our kids and our parents and us as parents. Now, being a part of the creative planning team, I get a glimpse and even get to help create the message concept for the weekends. This message still kicked me in the chest. Seriously check out the podcast. Though we also did the Ugly Kid Joe version of the song Cats In The Cradle before the message. It aided in building the tension for the talk to resolve. Hard song to sing for me because I have found myself saying things like the lyrics in the song to my own kids, for seemingly good reasons. I’ve even found myself saying things like that to my own parents when they have wanted to see me or spend time with me. It’s hard being a grown up sometimes.

We used the analogy of scaffolding to illustrate how we can say words of empowerment, pray for our kids, and give them examples to learn from so that their lives will go far beyond our own. By doing these things, we build scaffolding in our kids lives so that with each generation, they become better leaders, better Christ-followers than the last.

Two things impacted me as we talked about building scaffolding in our kids lives. I have not given my parents enough credit for building scaffolding in my life. For years I focused on things I shouldn’t have and at the same time did not celebrate them for the encouragement, prayers and support they have given me over my life. I know they are proud of me and have said as much. I know they believe I have what it takes. I know that many others did not grow up in a loving home like I did. While my parents were not perfect any more than I am as a parent. Parenting is hard, but I think they did the best they knew how to do and I have learned a wealth of great things from them. Mom and Dad – thank you for all that you have taught me and shared with me.

This message also inspired me to take the time and opportunity to ensure my sons know that I whole-heartedly believe they have what it takes. That they can undoubtedly accomplish anything they set their mind to. Does it mean they won’t fail – absolutely not and they will probably fail a lot. They have seen me do this. They have seen me make mistakes, which is good. They need to know that a mistake is not the end of the world but a learning point if you handle it correctly. I believe though that they will also see success in the areas that God has purposed and designed them for. I pray for open eyes for them to see that direction and for me as their dad to see that and support that as well. I pray that for all of my kids.

For my girls, I want the same things for them as I do for my wife… that they know without a doubt that they are beautiful and that they are worthy to be pursued. I want them to know that they are special and wonderfully made and that no one can take that from them. God has given them that and it goes beyond the outside but stretches in to their heart. I also pray for them to be able to accomplish their dreams and to dream big.

I am very proud of my kids – not because of their accomplishments but because they are my sons and daughters.

Thanks for letting me get that out so that I can swallow this lump in my throat down.
Peace.

I have to say… I’m hooked on this dude’s blog. Very creative, a good writer and his posts are just plain funny. If you have not been over to John’s blog and are in need of a laugh, you need to go there.

Now. Go ahead. It’s ok if you leave mine to go check out his (just make sure you come back

The dude is becoming a blogging fiend too.

If you missed it, here’s some videos he wrote scripts for. Pretty simple, pretty clever, and funny.

Let me know what you think.
Peace.

1. Yeah I said Twitter.

2. Bath time.

3. I just learned spanish.

We finally broke down and got a new car payment… I mean a new car We had a lot of help in trying to get a vehicle that would fit into our budget and for that we are very grateful.

We also had some really good friends who let us borrow a car when we needed it in the interim. And not just any car, but a Hummer H3… their best vehicle. It’s very humbling to have friends like that who will not only help you but give you their best.

Thank you!

On a side note, the car is perfect for getting me to and from the office. It’s also been cool to go out on dates with my wife in something other than the minivan. I also realize with this car how nice it is to have headlights and windshield wipers that work.

We got a Hyundai Accent GLS that feels like driving a suped-up go-cart with a CD player and air conditioning – I love it. Thanks to the help we got from friends, it looks like for now I can keep the motorcycle (I’m VERY thankful for that!)

One last thing on this… this car is the base model – other than the Cd player and A/C it has nothing else. My son gets in the car for the first time grabs the handle on the side and says, “what’s this for?”

Man did I laugh! They are growing up in an age that they may not even know what window-roller-handle-things are.

Ahh the things we take for granted
Peace.