Amanda's Awesome

Yes she is! For those of you who may not know it, today, May 31, is my wife's birthday! It is exactly 4 weeks after mine which is kind of neat and she is also turning 27 this year - just like me!

Birthdays are a big deal around here for her. Not just her birthday, but anyone's birthday really. You see, my wonderful wife loves birthdays. She loves them so much she remembers the birthday of just about everyone she has ever met. No kidding she recited someone's birthday, on our drive home yesterday, that she has not seen since high school. And from what I gathered, this individual has no significant history in her life. Weird if you ask me. Well maybe not all that weird since I can recite starting lineups for most major league baseball teams and the jersey numbers of most famous athletes. Everybody has their thing I guess. But let's stay on the subject of Amanda.

Today she is 27 and I hope she has a wonderful day. In honor of her birthday, I am going to post some of my favorite pictures we have taken. So Amanda, this day is for you, and I hope you enjoy the memories these pics bring up.

Me, Amanda, and Papa on the day Amanda broke her foot playing charades

I think this was on the fourth of July. I just think this picture shows our personality!

We were going to a date party in college and I believe the theme was masquerade.

Me and Amanda being models... for Olive Garden...

I like this photo because it shows how much fun we have!

This is one of my favorite pictures of us of all time. That day was long but fun (engagement pics)

Us in front of a fountain in Chicago

Our first snow day in Richmond.

I think this picture makes us look cute together.

So there you have it folks, my blog for my wife on her birthday. Now show her some love and write on her wall on Facebook!

Get LOST

I suspect that there are probably a bunch of people that are going to be talking about this right for the next week before the newness dies off, and I feel like I should write about it too, so don't get mad at me if you don't watch the show! I won't give away anything about the show, so you don't have to worry about spoilers. And away we go.

I remember watching this show starting in the second season. My roommates in college had the season 1 dvd set and we went through it in about a week because it was so interesting. At that point in season 2, and in the world, they didn't have the show posted on the web for you to watch if you missed it, so I bought the iTunes season pass so we could download all the episodes and catch up to that season. Now we were hooked! The characters were so interesting, the plot was hard to figure out, the mysteries piled up, and it was fun! We would end every show speculating about what was going on and what different characters had an agenda they were trying to push, and it just caused you to take a step back and analyze the show sort of like a book for English class. Instead of turning my brain off for a TV show, I had to turn it on, and I liked that.

As years went by, I was a faithful viewer and so were my friends and family. I would go home from school or from work and I would talk about the show with my mom and sister, or I would meet some new friends and I usually would spark a conversation by asking if they watched - if they did it was an instant bond. I was able to do the same thing in youth ministry as well. I would ask students if they watched and if they did, we could discuss the show, and, once again, instantly bond. So, with the show ending I am losing not only a good show to watch, but a conversation starter as well. Double bummer!

All of this is my lead up to what I really want to say about the end of the show.

A lot of people seem to be confused or disappointed by the ending. The finale was emotional and confusing and a little bit tough to swallow for me at first. I think a bunch of people are going to read into it and say, "Hey, they didn't answer that question!" Or, "That isn't how I would have ended the show!" And, "What about character X - what happened to them!" But, after thinking about this for a little bit, I think the show had a clear theme last night. And that theme was this:

It's all about relationships. It was about the special bond we form with some people - people that may enter our lives for a short time, or people that are present throughout our lives. The message was that we should cherish all relationships. Lost captured this incredibly well throughout its time on TV. Looking back it becomes clear when I think about the relationships between father and son, husband and wife, leader and follower, old and young, mother and son, etc. If you ask me, the bottom line of the show became the importance of ALL relationships.

We are starting a new church in Fort Bend County and one of the most important aspects is going to be relationships. Culture can do a lot of things bigger and better than a church can - even the biggest church! But, the one thing that culture cannot compete with is the church's ability to foster authentic relationships. Relationships between young and old, father and daughter, husband and wife, new friends and old friends, and so on. This is also biblical  -

Hebrews 10:24-25 (New International Version)

²⁴And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. ²⁵Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.


The bottom line: relationships are important. Some people will be sad that the show is over. I am a little bit. But, the finale reminded me that I have a bunch of people in my life that I love, and that I love spending time with. Make all your relationships count today.

The Foodie in Me

Lately for some strange reason I have been watching an inordinate amount of the Food Network. I can't tell you why I have been doing this, other than I guess I like to imagine I can make all the things that they make and then afterwards I will eat it! Seriously though, I was watching Guy Fieri the other night and he made what looked like the most delicious quesadilla that has ever been conceived by man. And he made some sweet cherry glazed short ribs. And he made some kind of crazy margarita. All I know is that my mouth was watering and I was wishing that I could be in that studio during the filming.

Along the same lines, I was at HEB the other day trying to decide what kind of ice cream I wanted. I was flip flopping between cookies and cream and this flavor I had never heard of before. The flavor - bunuelos and cream. Being the savy person I am, I figured it had to be some amazing tex-mex sweetness inside, and after a quick google search on the trusty iPhone, I found out that bunuelos are like a mexican fritter (basically some fried flour tortillas with cinnamon and sugar), so this was pretty much fried ice cream. I was pumped. After I got the ice cream back home, and popped it open, my taste buds rejoiced. They rejoiced so much that I had to know how to make some home made bunuelos. So, I hopped on the Mac and looked up the recipe, and decided that I was going to make some for myself. And that is where I lost motivation... But, I do plan on making some this week, and I will let everyone know how they turned out.

I bet you have never read a blog entry about bunuelos before!

In other news, if you have ever read my wife's blog then you know that we have some "friends" that we talk to on a regular basis. One in particular, Baby Dinosaur, was pretty excited the other day when he saw this video. You see, BD as we so affectionately call him, is an aspiring baseball player, and he dreams of pitching in the major leagues one day. That video further inspired him.

And last but not least, check out this website www.newfortbendchurch.org to learn a little bit more about what we have been working on doing at the church plant. See you later friends!

P.S. I think I will start consistently posting my fantasy baseball pickup of the week each week. So get used to it!

This week for hitters it is Edwin Encarnacion and for pitchers it is John Ely. Encarnacion is subject to hot and cold streaks and now he is hot. Cut him when he gets cold!

The Best Intentions

Have you ever planned something out so carefully and thoughtfully only to have it not turn out as you had hoped? I'm not talking about just thinking about something ahead of time, or even just formulating a plan. I am talking about some SERIOUS preparation. Preparation like planning for a few hours every week for a couple of months. That is what I did.

I am sort of a serial obsessor. I get obsessed with things for a while - as long as I am interested in them. Not simply having interest in something, but taking it to the point where I know more than most regular people ever need to know about something.

Here is where I tell you that I play fantasy sports. Plural. I am currently in fantasy baseball season, and it is driving me crazy. I planned my season out in February, and it is NOT going according to plan. I did all the projections, had the best laid plans, but they are falling flat, and it is frustrating. I won't go into details about my team on here unless someone comments and wants to know what it looks like, but just know that they are underperforming (I need more RBIs and Runs!).

Which gets me back to my main thought - it stinks when you plan and plan only to have those plans fail. I really believe that those times in our lives that our plans fail are preparing us for something further down the road. Something where that preparation will pay off. Something where our efforts won't seem to go to waste. The bottom line is that we can't be afraid of failing. Although my team isn't doing so hot, it is fun trying to come up with trade scenarios to make them better.

The bottom line is that we can't be afraid of failure. I believe that we need to have the courage to go out on a limb sometimes and always do the best we can even if our plans fall through. A year ago I never would have guessed that I would quit my job with a salary and a free house to do something where I wouldn't have an income for a while AND pick up a house note. But I am not afraid. My courage doesn't come from knowing that we are planning really hard for this church plant. My courage doesn't come from knowing that we have some money saved and we are going to be ok. My courage comes form the Lord.

2 Timothy 1:7
For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline. 

1 Peter 3:13-14
Who is going to harm you if you are eager to do good? But even if you should suffer for what is right, you are blessed. "Do not fear what they fear; do not be frightened." 

Deuteronomy 31:6
Be strong and of good courage, do not fear nor be afraid of them; for the LORD your God, He is the One who goes with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you. 

I know that I know that. I just need to keep reminding myself. Now Lord, help me figure out what I should do with my second baseman....

P.S. My fantasy baseball pick-up of the week for hitters is Brennan Boesch and for pitchers is Jhoulys Chacin!

In the Beginning...

I kept telling myself that I would probably never have a blog, but here we are. If you are reading this and you know me, then you probably realize that this is something that I am going to have to be intentional about because writing isn't something that comes as naturally to me as it does to say... my wife. But nonetheless, I can promise you my new readers that I will be faithful not only in posting new blogs, but posting new blogs that will occasionally be interesting, fun, or possibly even thought provoking!

Since this this is my first post, I am going to go ahead and address the title of this blog. "At the end of the day" is, in my opinion, quite possibly one of the most overused phrases I hear. I watch a good amount of TV and it is used a lot. One show on ESPN (let's be honest, I will probably be referencing sports quite a bit) even has a 30 second montage of different athletes saying it. I hear it at least once a day, whether I am watching some show on E! that my wife likes, the Food Network, or the local news. At the end of the day I have heard that phrase at least once. I'm not sure why it drives me slightly nuts, but recently some folks found out that it irked me, and they started using it every chance they got. Maybe that's why I got out of youth ministry... just kidding!!! 

Seriously though I just found a great link that proves my point! And if the Brits think it's irritating... well it has to be! 

Ok I promise that I won't rant very often on here, but now you know why the blog is called what it is. I realize that this phrase isn't something that I will be able to get away from, so I have decided to turn its power for evil into a power for good. Now, every time I hear those 6 little words, I will think, "Oooh I should blog!" And, maybe you will think, "I should read Brian's blog!" 

Welcome to my blog that is now about subliminal messaging.