Christmas Tunes

My Favorite Christmas Song

I just thought I would post a video of what has quickly become one of my favorite Christmas worship songs... By Paul Baloche of course...

At Least it's a New Post

I don't have a lot to say but I figured that my blog was due for a new post! This is a pic of me and A right before he sung his very first solo "Holy is the Lord." He did a great job! I am so proud of him!

Jack-O-Lanterns!!!

Well, I don't know how you all feel about Jack-O-Lanterns, but we carved some and it was a lot of fun! I don't think they will be worth much for scaring off evil spirits from Steve and Shawnna's porch, but we had a blast making them. We went to "Pumpkin Land" in Poland on Sunday with the gang and picked out some great pumpkins. Scotty and Ash had to buy their pumpkins at Wal-Mart. All in all we had nine Jack-O-Lanterns! What a blast! And yes, one of the pumpkins got carved with a chainsaw... Imagine that, only in Maine!

My Sea-faring Parents

This is my Mum and Dad. They recently went on a cruise to Montreal Canada with my Mum's brothers and their wives as well as my Grandmother and her husband. They stopped at several places including Bar Harbor, Maine and Yarmouth, Nova Scotia. I am so proud of my Dad, he has never been east of Bangor! And as you can see some of that personality that is so well hidden is starting to come out!

I'm so glad you guys got to go on this trip! I love you both!

Vacation

I am finally taking a vacation. Just me. I'm not going far, or really anywhere at all. In my mind vacation is when you get to do whatever you want whenever you want to do it even if it is "work related." If I do a "work related" thing on vacation it is because I want to do it and no other reason.

So here is how my vacation has broken down so far:

Day one - Monday
AM - Got Daniel on the bus, made a pot of coffee and drank it while watching tv.
PM - Started reading a book, "The Shack," until Daniel got off the bus. Watched Monday Night Football with some friends. Finally went to bed the beginning of day two... It was a great game...

Day two - Tuesday
AM - Got Daniel on the bus then went to teach class at school.
PM - Finished reading "The Shack." Yes, it is that good!

Day three - Wednesday
AM - Got Daniel on the bus, made a pot of coffee, drank half while watching tv, took the other half for a drive to Augusta and bought a new pair of shoes!
PM - Met with my new "Spiritual Director" or mentor for the first time at Panera Bread for lunch. Had dinner with the family and graded papers.

It's actually been a pretty relaxing week so far. I have class tomorrow morning, coffee with a friend in the afternoon and Worship Team practice in the evening. Should be a good day! I am hoping to get some real journaling done tonight after the kids go to bed. I'm looking forward to that but for now I am going to go spend sometime with the boys while they are still children!
Peace!

First Day of School

This has been a pretty exciting year so far when it comes to education. Daniel had his first day of school yesterday, Kindergarten, can you believe it?! I went back to college this year after an eleven year summer vacation and now I on the fourth of September I start teaching 9th and 10th grade Bible at the local Christian School!


I am scared to death....

Seeing Big Papi ground into a double play: priceless

Two tickets to the Portland Seadogs on ebay: 150 dollars
Sitting in the rain for two hours waiting for the game to start: 0 dollars
Seeing Big Papi get walked the first time up and ground into a double play the second time at Hadlock Field: priceless

Coming out of retirement

Ok, so I know I made a big deal out of retiring my old Red Sox hat but... Guess what?! I am going to see David Ortiz play for the Portland Sea Dogs tomorrow night! There is no way I am going to go to that game without my hat on! I will proudly don my cap, rips, tears and all. Maybe I can even get it signed so that it may be even more proudly displayed, wouldn't that be sweet! I can't wait! My buddy Scotty got us the tickets, he paid almost $150 on ebay, can you believe it?! I only have to drive and pay for parking and food during the game! WOOHOO!!!

A New Cap to Fade

Ok, so it is time to move on. I have renamed my blog in honor of my new hat. I know that these pics aren't the greatest but K-Ann doesn't let me put her pictures on my computer very often... The last cap took almost six years to get just right so it could be a while but it is definitely worth the effort.

I am so sad...

It's a sad day... It has become clear to me that no matter how hard I try, I just can't do it any longer. I have put forth the effort daily to hold things together and it just isn't working, things are just too far gone. I wish I could make things go back to the way they used to be in the beginning, when things were smooth and everything seemed so comfortable. But no matter how much I wish for those days, no matter how I long for the past, those days are gone and I can't get them back.


And so it is with a very heavy heart that I must retire my faded cap, my favorite Red Sox hat.



That's right, I know it's hard to believe but after six years of honorable service my Red Sox hat is in such bad shape that I just can't wear it anymore. It makes me really sad because I love that hat! I got while on a trip to Nashville before K-Ann and I had any kids. Can you imagine? Having to go all the way to Nashville to find a Red Sox hat that fit right? Well, it was worth it. I don't know if I'll ever be able to find another Red Sox hat like it, and I don't know if I'll really try. I did order a really cool Jeep hat last week through the mail. I was really nervous as to whether or not it would fit right because my head is such a weird shape. (for those of you who were wondering, yes, I know my head is a weird shape.) Anyway, the new hat fit perfect right out of the box! I was amazed! It will never be able to replace my first love but I know that it will come through for me on those days where I don't get a shower and my hair needs some taming, when the bugs are bad and it gets doused with deep woods Off, on those hot days on the ball field and it gets so soaked with sweat it weighs as much as a gallon of milk... I just hope it will serve as long and with as much loyalty and perseverance as its predecessor.

FINALLY!!!

What a relief! Our "economic stimulus" check just came! WOOHOO!!! We are working on a plan for it that won't stimulate the economy too much but will still allow us to have a little fun. Unfortunately most of it will probably end up going towards debt reduction. However I was able to order some much needed parts for my Jeep! Nothing major but I really needed a new driver's side seat belt and a pair of fender flare extensions (because the old ones got torn off...) I was originally going to buy a new soft top with soft doors to the tune of $800 but we decided against it. We may end up just getting this one up to snuff and selling it for a newer one with a 4 cylinder instead of a 6. I haven't decided that yet but I have been toying with the idea. I put the soft top on that came with the Jeep when I bought it a few weeks ago and it isn't in as bad a shape as I thought so I think we will make due for now, even though I don't really like the color, it's khaki on a white Jeep... :P Either way I am excited that I was finally able to buy some new parts for my much neglected Jeep.

My Shoulders Hurt

Yes, my shoulders hurt. Not from back breaking labor but from falling asleep with my hands held high celebrating the Celtics 17th World Championship!
Finally after many sleepless nights I can get back to a regular sleep pattern. Honestly, is the west coast market so large that we, on the east coast, have to stay up until the next day to see our Celts win it all? Ahh, but it was all worth it!

Bad Blogger

This is a random photo just to get your attention!

Let me tell you why I am such a bad blogger.

It's simple really, generally speaking when I want to journal about something it ends up being a frustrated rant or simply just complaining about things I have no control over and this tends to be problematic. It becomes problematic because of who I am and what I do, not to mention who might stumble across my ranting due to blog linkage. So I try to keep my post innocuous which is very difficult for me to do so like most things that are difficult for me to do, I don't bother. So, there you have it, I am a bad blogger. Add it to the list...

Mini Vacation

Aahhh, vacation! I was so glad to be able to get away for a few days with the family. We spent a few days back in Meredith watching the final four and just relaxingwith friends. I also had my first "class session" in the Antioch School on Monday, that was awesome! This pic is what we spent most of the rest of our time doing... waterslides! We stayed at the Hampton Inn in North Conway, NH that has an indoor water park with two big slides and two little slides. The kids loved the little ones and I loved the big ones, I even got K-Ann to do the big ones a couple of times, although she didn't do the cannonball slide. That one was wicked cool, just one solid tube that is completely dark until you get to the end! My ears still have water in them from that one! Here are a few more pics of the boys, (yes, that is a giant frog puking out the boys into the pool.) K-Ann won't ever put down the camera long enough to let anyone takes her picture, sorry.




















Just a funny observation, when we went to CBC for Sunday morning service there were several people who looked me right in the face, said good morning to me like they just saw me the day before and kept on going for a second and then when they realized that they hadn't seen me for six months would come back and give me a big hug. It was really funny because it kept happening and it made me wonder if people were just so used to seeing us around that they were just in auto-pilot or that nobody has really noticed that we have been gone! Not really, I know that people miss us, I miss them too, we're family!

Back to School

For those who thought they would never see the day when I would go back to school, I did it... I have signed up for my first class in the Antioch School of Church Planting and Leadership Development. My first class is on Monday April 7th. While this may not be news to a few, it is a really big deal for me. Here's the story:

I graduated High school at 17 years old and that fall I shipped out to Rochester Institute of Technology, a huge university in New York. (I only describe it that way because most people thought I was just going to a community tech school someplace, to this day I have only told one person I went there and they actually knew what it was.) I was nowhere near ready to be 10 hours from home with no real support system or many real friends around me. I was way out of my league. It also didn't help that my first, and only, semester there drained my Dad's retirement fund. Needless to say I dropped out, actually I transferred to Maine College of Art in Portland, Maine. MECA was a little closer to home but I was still nowhere near ready to be out on my own in the city. Liberty took over and very soon my life was a complete mess.

I decided not to continue my formal education that spring and instead headed off to work at a summer camp in New Hampshire. I kicked around at home for the next year, working with the youth group at my home Church, working in a warehouse during the day and as a janitor at night.

Later that winter I got a job working for a builder who was part of our Church which was a great experience, I think he might have saved my life. I worked for Ken through the summer and decided to take up getting educated again. At this point I really didn't have anything to lose, except more of my parents money...

I started BICS that fall (that's Berkshire Institute for Christian Study) in Lenox, Massachusetts. After a year of painful study I graduated with a certificate in Bible and Theology and resolved never to do that again. BICS was a one year program designed to teach students discipline and give them a firm theological foundation before continuing their studies at other colleges or universities. I decided that I would have none of that and resolved to go back home, be a carpenter and a good parishioner. I remember telling the president of the school that I was going to be the best pew warmer I could be. (man, I was such a schmuck!)

I did end up going back home and working construction for a few months but I settled in a machine shop in town after realizing that it gets really cold in the winter time in Maine and that's not a lot of fun for builders. It was during my stay in the shop that I met my wife and eventually got married and started a family. I did work for a while at the shop that my Dad has worked in for almost 40 years but that didn't last very long, working nights is definitely not my thing. My Mother-in-law actually hooked me up with a job at another local shop which worked out great, I stayed there for over three and a half years but a funny thing happened on my way to retirement... I got called into ministry, youth ministry to be specific.

We sold our house and put most of our things in storage waiting for just the right position to come open which eventually did. We moved to Meredith, New Hampshire in July of 2004 and I started work as the Youth Pastor of Calvary Bible Church. We stayed there for another three years working for the Lord and growing in many ways. Our family was up to five members now with three little boys, two dogs and a handful of fish.

In the spring of 2007 I had a conversation, albeit brief, with the president of BICS while they were on choir tour and visiting our Church and he told me about the Antioch School. He said "I know how you feel about education and now that you have a family it would be nearly impossible to go off to school someplace but I think that this Antioch thing might just work for you." Boy was he ever right!

Since that time we have moved again and I have taken on the role of Associate Pastor of my home Church in Oxford, Maine where I will be using the Antioch program to learn while involved in a ministry context. The courses are specifically designed to allow people to study to show themselves approved while continuing their involvement in the ministry that God has called them to.

So, as it turns out, I was right all along! You just have to be patient, God will give you just what you need when you need it!

(Just kidding, I wasn't right all along, but if you are patient and wait on the Lord He will make a way when there seems to be no way!)

Palmetto Racing Technologies only builds winners!

I have to tell you that the pinewood derby is my most favorite thing! In 1998 Oxford Advent Christian Church started having a pinewood derby that was open to everyone as a community outreach. That tradition has continued to 2008. I hesitate to say but I built the Grand Champion car that year, it kind of looked like a cockroach and was aptly dubbed the "Palmetto Bug" by Bobby Walker who called the race. I am very pleased to begin the process of handing down that winning tradition to my boys. In the 2008 race we entered four cars, three in the under seven years old division and one in the fifteen years and up division. I can honestly say that I am very glad that we didn't have cars in all three divisions, I think I might have gotten run out of town on a rail! Daniel's car ended up first in his division with only one loss due to jumping out of the track, and my car won my division with no losses (I think). My car's only loss was to Daniel in the Grand Championship race. All in all we had a blast, we had a great turn out- including Neena and Boppa! I shudder to think about next years race and the impending abuse that awaits me! Here are some pics:

This photo doesn't really do our pinewood derby experience justice... We brought home FOUR trophies!

Another win for "Palmetto Racing Technologies!"

The Passing of a Legend...

Wednesday "Crazy" Eddie Barbato passed away after living with prostate cancer. Eddie was a fantastic drummer and though I only met him a few times he had a profound impact on my life. He taught my friend and former bandmate from "Soundcheck" Kristin Brown the art of the drums, and through her inspires me to be a better drummer.

I bet your wondering, "now why don't he write..."

Those of you who have read my blog in the past may or may not have noticed a fairly common theme through most of my posts... complaints. If you have come to "Faded Cap" from "Another Day in the Dream" you may also have noticed that the complaints have mostly vanished. My friends, this is a good thing! I don't have that much to complain about! Isn't that great! The more I think about it the more I realize that I really didn't have that much to complain about before, not that it kept me from doing it anyway...

I was asked recently about the condition of my soul and my response was this: I am tired and thirsty, but not desert thirsty, not marooned alone on a deserted island thirsty, I am tired and thirsty like you get after a good run. I am being worked out and it is good for me. So, I try to rest some, drink of Christ's living water and get back to work. It is good and God is blessing me.

Keep Moving Forward...

Yes, I know what happened yesterday...

Spring training starts in just a couple of weeks. We can't dwell in the past, keep moving forward!

Yes I did...

I made it to Luigi Galaxy!!!

There must be something new...

Well, there is. Here is the short list:
I have become the new "Web-Mastah" of OACC! That means I built a new web site for our Church! You can check it out at: www.oaccmaine.org. It was a lot of fun putting it together but I am glad it's all built now so I just have to maintain it. You can even listen to some of our recent services, and yes that is me singing, sorry...
Well at least now you know the next "something new." I have been leading the new praise band at the Church too, not leading the singing, just leading the band. (That means that K-Ann has really been doing it.) This has been great so far. It's exciting to be working where the Spirit of God is working!
I'll be preaching on the 17th and 24th of February. This will be my first "back-to-back" preaching assignment so I am looking forward to that process.
New small groups are bubbling up around here, which is terrific, three new groups in February! We are also discussing changing the name of this fellowship from "Oxford Advent Christian Church" to "Living Hope Christian Fellowship" a process that is exciting and scary at the same time!
Well my thought well has run dry... So that is what's new!