On the 3rd Day of Christmas...

God as given me three years of stable residence. From college graduation till November 2006 I have lived at nine addresses. The stat line is as follows: 9 towns/villages, 3 greater-metro areas, 3 states--all in 8 years.

My family and I love our home in Cincinnati. It's a slightly older home with a little character which contributes to the warmth that resonates within. We enjoy the relationships established with neighbors and the opportunities that come from a city its size. The advantages of living in a city are numerous and too good to pass up. Our family enjoys sports and fitness at the YMCA. The kids love the Zoo and the Museum Center at Union Terminal. Hilary and I take in a concert at Music Hall from time to time, and during the heat of the summer, I can be found at Great American Ball Park.

Slightly over a year ago, God came out from nowhere to bless our home by securing our safety with the removal of a badly broken tree. Here is where the above pic is relevant. The wind from hurricane Ike made its way north and did some serious damage, including splitting our 100 year old tree that sat less than 10 feet from the roof line. Taking out a tree of this size and situated as it was is no job for a rookie. Professionals cost huge bucks and for our modest lifestyle, impossible to pay for. A request from the insurance company was initially denied. Several weeks later, an adjuster shows up out of the blue ready to cut us a check. God not only has given us stability but also safety.

Three whole years in one place feels very nice. The memories and God stories are piling up.

On the 2nd Day of Christmas...

Two years of running has been a backdoor blessing. What I mean is that the benefits from the miles have been unexpected. I began running against my will as I was registered for the 2007 Chicago Half-Marathon without any warning or preparedness. So I had no choice but to find a training plan and get going. Almost immediately after beginning a program I was hooked. After the miles started piling up and my training rhythm smoothed out I began to experience the "high" of competition that I missed since my college baseball days. At my age, running has become a great athletic activity to cultivate and manage my desire to compete. Being the most competitive person I know, running has also become a stress reliever because I can set my own goals and work toward achievement with very little outside distraction. And then, of course, are the health benefits of running. I dropped 25 lbs. which, as a result, changed my eating habits because being at a healthy weight feels fantastic and now I know the difference. My sleep is much better, feeling more rested in the morning. The hardest part about running isn't the physical effort but the mental effort. For me, it can be a grind. After two years of training, I feel as if my mind is stronger, tougher.

Now my goal is to complete a half-marathon in two hours or less. I am very close. A new pair of shoes and a season without injury should put me over the top. Having a goal is the only way I can get through training. The hours and the miles and the pounding is all worth it on race day when I'm packed in at the starting line with thousands of other runners. It's a natural buzz for me when I can see the finish line and finally step over. Maybe I'll see you on May 2nd in Cincinnati for the Flying Pig. Never too early to start training.

On the 1st day of Christmas...

God has given me a wife. Not just any wife, but one perfect for me. Yes, she is beautiful, smart and talented, but that is not why I married her. I married her because she is a follower of Jesus and serious about her faith. During our dating years, I quickly learned that what we share is a common understanding of what we want our lives to look like. Our views and aspirations on marriage, church, family life, social activities and parenting comparatively showed similar earmarks of purpose. After 9 and a half years of marriage, she continues to be a person of purpose, not losing sight of God's agenda for her life. She is the most patient, kind, sincere and giving person I know. Thankfully, she lives with me. To live with me and all my baggage, these traits are a must.

12 Days of Christmas: God's Gift To Me

A longstanding tradition of mine is to use the month of December to clear my schedule and reflect. I enjoy the end of the calendar year because it has become a time of looking back and for looking ahead. As my personality goes, these two behaviors stand out very clearly. I find it rewarding to both review and to plan. In some ways, these activities, reviewing how my time was spent and what I experienced along with planning goals and action steps for the future, have become a personal act of worship. When I get quiet and consider my life in this way, I see God at work. This year is no different. Truly, I enjoy and benefit from God's authority both in and around me.

As Christmas approaches I'd like to share some of these blessings as a daily acknowledgment of God's riches and purpose. To do this I will use the 12 Days of Christmas model. Starting today I will post 12 consecutive blog entries reflecting on God's unique gifts to me. The church calendar teaches us that the 12 days don't actually begin until Christmas day, December 25th, but due to our culturally driven (pre) holi-day excitement and because my family travel schedule would get in the way of daily entries, I have decided to traverse the common path instead of the religious one.

The first day of Christmas is coming up...

Heaven

Heaven is a place like no other. Sorry. What a stupid opening line, of course it is. Scripture is filled with hundreds of references which, in my view, reveal heaven as a place of special mystery. As a major subject, the Bible describes heaven in simple language but also in a fashion near the abstract. The apostle Paul writes, "I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago was caught up to the third heaven..." (2 Corinthians 12:2). When considered in a topical study, it is clear that heaven was understood as varying degrees of God's authority. From an expansive list of biblical references, Paul's, in his second letter to the Corinthians, seems to give the best single summary of the place and mystery of heaven.

The Bible uses both a singular and plural form of the word. The verses with the plural form, as in "heavens", seem to point to nature; that is, the vast expanse above the earth. That space called heavens is that part of creation that rises above and expands into the universe, where the stars shine brightest. A remarkable place; I told you. In the singular form, the context of heaven broadens to claim that it is more than just created space. Heaven is God's dwelling, a supernatural establishment of His complete rule. Jesus associates heaven as a kingdom. Heaven is a place for those who belong, a community where Christ is King.

The attitude of each of the biblical writers who write about heaven is clearly one of hope. From what they could see--clouds, birds, weather, stars-- the heavens are a place that is untouchable; and so from that perspective, a viewpoint of awe and worship to God the creator. There is also a sense of deep mystery because heaven is God's lair, not seen by the living. So many questions arise. What does heaven look like? What are the activities of heaven? Describing God's realm of authority over the entire universe almost sounds abstract because how can one understand completely and express in words what it is to experience heaven?

A city,
hidden treasure,
field,
net,
mustard seed,
all metaphors used by Jesus to stir faith. Heaven is not far off. It is being revealed and yet is coming. So much to be and so much to do. Let us prepare ourselves to be "caught up to the third heaven" and see the very face of God.