Go Bears

What a great game, GO BEARS! How about the come from behind victory? Devin Hester is amazing! What a great night of football. I wish I could have seen the entire game, I am thankful for the NFL network and NFL GameDay. We made it home from church with about 4 minutes left in the game and were able to watch the last few minutes of regulation time and the entire overtime. Jaye was home watching a movie so Wes and I invaded Granny house to catch the end thus Granny got to enjoy the end of the game with us. I'm happy.

After Robbie Gould's 39-yard game winning field goal

Thanks-Giving

What am I thankful for?
The important things:

• My amazing wife. She is the best and I don't deserve her. This year will be 20 years :)
  
• Four great kids. They are healthy, wise, funny and all around super. The best kids in the world!
  
• Many good friends. I'm blessed with some great friends. You'll never know how much I appreciate you.
• A great church. The best ever! I'm very blessed for this church family.
  
• A great job. I'm a youth pastor, I couldn't imagine a better job. Well, maybe chaplain for the Bears, but I don't think I'll be getting a call from Lovie very soon

Less important things:

• The garage roof is finished! Wesley and I got up there this week and finished it up. We worked all day, but it is finished. Joseph shares our EXCITEMENT. (I just have to finish the front porch)
  

• I'm still driving my first car. It's almost 40 years old, can't believe it.
  
• My fancy new lap top computer. Thank you Dell, nice work.
  
• Mt Dew. Nothing tastes better.
• My tools. Thanks Dad for the many donations. Thanks Jaye and the kids for my fathers day gift...craftsman 19v cordless.
  
• A huge turkey fryer. Thanksgiving dinner was amazing because of it.
• Sleep

I really wanted to mention all the things I'm thankful for but I think my list would look much like yours. Plus, it would be a really long list. Things like, X Box 360 and the time I get to hang out with Wesley playing it, a big tv to watch football, my Chicago Bears, being able to take three weeks vacation, hanging out with my district buddies, watching my teens grow up to be great adults and seeing them make a difference for God's Kingdom, music and the list goes on and on..... So what's on your list? ~Brian

A Mom Moment

The other day as I was making dinner, Anna came in wanting to help. Anna loves to help in the kitchen so this was nothing new. She wanted to help me peel potatoes. I handed her the peeler and let her go at it. She looked over at me realizing I was peeling three potatoes to her one. She said, "That's not fair. You're so much faster at it than I am." It was right then that I remembered telling my mom exactly the same thing when I was younger. I remembered her answer to me many years ago and I passed that same answer on to Anna this weekend. "I've been doing this for a long time. You keep practicing and you'll be fast at it too!" I guess my mom was right...I'm now a pretty fast potato peeler. Boy, I just wish I could cut up a whole chicken to fry like she does!!

It's Here.

Well, he did it! We now have an X box 360 in the house. Wes was able to get it this weekend. So Wes and Dad have been playing all weekend.

The Advance

This weekend Jaye and I spent time with some of the greatest people we know. Our district church hosts an event for youth workers called "The Advance." It is a weekend designed to help us, encourage us and train us in youth ministry to keep moving forward. I have to say it was a great weekend. I love hanging out with these people, not only the group from my church but also others from around the district. I wish that the rest of our youth team were able to go. I think next year I'll work harder getting them there.
We shared in a service on Friday night in which we youth pastors were able to show our sponsors that we appreciate them. I am blessed professionally to be able to work with a great group of adults. I wish I could somehow share with them the way I feel. The speaker used a clip from the movie "Field of Dreams" where Kevin Costner played catch with his ghost Dad. Great clip. We then were able to say "thanks" to our team for "playing catch" with us. I gave them a baseball with a little "I love you" kinda thing written on it. I really had all kinds of things I wanted to say but didn't get to because I got a little emotional. We have the best at Chapel Pike. I appreciate them and couldn't do a good job of ministry without them.
I'm also pretty blessed to have a great group of friends working around the district as youth pastors. I love the group of youth pastors around here, their friendship means a lot to me. The guys and gal do a great job.

Part of our youth team.
My heroes and me

How Cute

One of my favorite pictures of JR, he's not too happy.

Little Brian not happy about getting a picture taken.

This was taken before I was in school. It's one of the only little kid pictures of me.
Now if you wanna see about a million little kid pictures of my brother or sister, we have tons of those. Pictures of me as a child are rare.

Band Concert

I love going to watch high school football when I know some of the kids on the team. But what I like better than that is watching my daughter play clarinet in the band. I love the way the music all comes together and the huge sound that a high school band brings. That's what I think is so cool about music. It must be great being a part of something so big. I like to try to listen for each type of instrument and to pick out what that sound brings to the song. Jessica is a great kid and has always had a "thing" for music. I remember when she was little and just learning how to talk. One day she was watching Sesame Street and the song "These are the People in your Neighborhood" started to play. Her eyes lit up and she ran to her bedroom and grabbed a wind up toy that played the same song. Now here we are 12 years later and she is playing in the band. I'm so proud of her. She is a great kid! Jaye and I are truly blessed to have such great kids.

X box 360

My son has been saving his hard earned money to by a X box 360. He is the type of kid that will work hard, save every cent and then make a big buy. He saved up his cash for a DS, another video game at one point. I am really proud of him. The silly 360 cost a ton of money, I keep telling him save that money you will be needing to buy a car sometime in the near future. He wants the video game. When it come times to get a car, he'll probably save up and get a corvette or something like that. Hes a great kid. I just wanted to brag on him a little bit today.

Homework

Kids at youth group this week doing homework

I often tell my kids....I hate homework. Let me tell you why...my kids get on the bus at 7:15 and return at 4:15. That's 9 hours...9! So between 4:15 and bedtime that leaves us as a family about 4.5 hours depending on which kid you're talking about. We eat dinner together, spend some family time together and just about everyday there is homework. I don't mind studying for spelling or doing a quick worksheet. But there are days that the kids can spend the entire evening working on a project for school. I want so bad to show up at the school one day and go to the office and say, "I'm here to get my kids we are going to go outside and shoot some hoops. When we are done they can go back to class." But I don't, they would be embarrassed and I'm sure the school wouldn't allow that. I feel that if school cuts into our family time it is only fair I get to cut into their time. After all they only get my kids for 9 hours a day.
All that being said, I want my kids to learn that Jesus comes first. Serving in the church, spending time with their family and friends is way more important than math homework. It's easy for me to say this knowing all my kids are super smart and are honor roll students. Now don't get me wrong!! This is not a jab at all those wonderful teachers pouring their hearts into our kids, or is it about their commitment to teaching them. For that I am extremely grateful. For their influence, for their skill, for their investment....I wouldn't trade that for anything. I applaud that!! This is just my gripe about homework. I hate homework!

A prayer: Lord, help us as a family to keep the proper balance so our children grow up loving You and wanting to keep You #1 in their lives. Help them as they grow to know that You should be first. First before school, work, relationships, and just goofing off. Help us to model this in front of them so that when they grow up, move out and start their own families they will choose to get up on a warm, sunny Sunday morning and take their families to worship You at church.