Here goes:

• Anna’s mom, Karen ‘Chucks’, passed away Friday, August 13th.  It is harder than we thought.
• The memorial service is Sunday, August 22nd in Columbiana, OH.  It is a private service.
• I have the privilege of overseeing the ceremony.  I am both honored and nervous.
• Very proud my younger brother is a doctor who walked us through a very difficult week.
• Very honored to have another brother and a sister who prayed us through the week.
• The kids start school next week–YAY!!!
• Praying Isaac’s year goes better than last year.
• Have to be out of house by August 31st.
• Currently have no clue as to where we may be moving.
• Excited that Grace Point has hired our first worship pastor, Aaron Zink.
• Feel incredibly blessed to serve on the staff I do and to serve the church family of GPCC.
• I miss all of my EPIC students and leaders, REALLY REALLY BAD!!!.
• EPIC, by far, has the best volunteer leadership team on the PLANET!!!!!!  NO JOKE!!!!!
• Currently reading the book, Radical by David Platt–Phenomenal!!!
• I hate seeing my wife cry!
• I hate seeing my kids cry!
• I am madly in love with my wife!!
• I am more madly in love with Jesus!!!

I feel like I need a personal download and here is why:

• Anna has been gone for 5 days and I am going CRAZY!!  Don’t know if I can make it another 9 days.  I have only heard from her twice and need to hear her voice again soon.
• Excited to get Isaac back from camp tomorrow.  Heard he had a great time but want to hear it from him.
• Noah and Emma have been awesome.  It has been great to have Eva Hyder’s help watching them.  She took them to the Clipper’s game on Tuesday and to the pool today.
• Have been patching and painting alot!!!!!!
• Hopefully getting cabinets in the kitchen on Saturday.
• Need to get tile down as soon as possible so we can get back to living normally.
• Would love to have everything done by next Friday so we can surprise Anna on Saturday.
• Got the air-conditioning fixed in her van.  She will be excited.
• Man, I miss her!!!!!!!!
• Have two and half weeks until we leave for our Mission Trip to Cleveland.
• Have way too much to do and not enough time to get it all done for the trip.  Just found out we are doing a week’s worth of VBS!
• I am excited about Father’s Day but bummed that Anna won’t be here!
• I love her and miss her A LOT!!!

Well that is all for now.  Thanks for letting me vent!

1.  My goal for this year is to live 1John 2.6, “Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did.”  I want to walk just as Jesus walked.

2.  I am transferring degrees from Master of Arts in Counseling Psychology to a Master of Arts in Management and Leadership.  Just sense that the counseling path is the path God has for me right now.

3.  I have read two fiction/non-spiritual books in the past month (that is a record for me, since I prefer non-fiction spiritually related books).  I read, The End Is Now, by Rob Stennett.  Though it is a spiritually focused book it is fiction book.  The other book I just finished up is, Tiger Force, by Michael Sallah and Mitch Weiss.  The book is the account of a renegade group of U.S. soldiers in the Vietnam War.  This book was way out of my normal reading habits but Anna got it for me and I really enjoyed reading it.  I read it all in about 3 nights.  It taught me a lot about human nature especially in moments of extreme crisis and conflict.

4.  I am currently reading, In Common:  Catalyst Groupzine.  It is a compilation of authors discussing the importance of community among Christians. 

5.  EPIC is going well.  I really like our FUSE Nights in which parents are encouraged to attend.  Our current programming breakdown is:

1. First week of the month—FUSE Night (Dinner with families and then parents have separate discussion while students do their regular programming).
2. 2nd and 3rd week of the month—regular EPIC format
3. 4th week of the month—rotate between an outreach activity and service projects.

6.  I am excited that the Colts are in the Super Bowl!!!!

7.  I am focused heavily on The CHILL which is our High School winter retreat.  You can read about it here.

8.  My personal spiritual development has been taking me through the book of Acts.  Though I haven’t been as consistent as I should, I have been impacted about the leadership of the Holy Spirit in the early church.  The result of His empowering of Christ-followers was incredible boldness and compassion which led to incredible growth and ministry opportunities.

9.  The fam is doing well.  Isaac and Noah continually do well at school.  Isaac has been quite the Jesus-witness at school (we are waiting te get calls from the school and/or parents).  Emma is Emma—really enough said!  She is getting sweeter by the day.  I live for our nightly snuggle moments.

10.  Anna and I have been working out.  Though it has been painful,  I have really enjoyed the experience.  I have lost about 10 pounds in the past 15 days.  My favorite snack is Steamed Sugar Snap Peas—and no I am not kidding!

So what is your Top Ten so far this year?

1)  Married to Anna for 11 years.
2)  Have known her for 15 years.
3)  I met her in Canada at camp
4)  She is my best friend–for REAL
5)  I am a proud father of three amazing children
6)  The oldest of three bothers.
7)  I love to blog (www.myepicjourney.com)
8)  I LOVE to read but only non-fiction
9)  I want to be a professional fisherman when I grow up.
10)  I am not sure I will ever grow up
11)  I am currently working on a Master’s in Professional Counseling
12)  I am Pastor of Student Ministries at Grace Point Community Church
13)  I have been Youth Pastor for 11 years in 4 different churches
14)  Our Student Ministry is called EPIC
15)  I LOVE my students!!
16)  I LOVE my leadership team MORE!!!!
17)  I love Ohio but not the Buckeyes
18)  I love the Indianapolis Colts–A LOT!!
19)  I grew up in Nashville, Indiana
20)  I have an amazing sister we adopted when I was 24!! She was 25!!!
21)  I love to hunt–animals!
22)  I don’t like to fly
23)  I am not a big fan of traveling altogether
24)  I weighed 165 lbs. when I entered college.  I no longer weigh that!
25)  I pooped my pants–in public–at a funeral.  I was 24 years old!