Home.

We are back home from the hospital festivities. Syd is feeling much better. Thanks for your prayers. She is still slightly under the weather, but she is definitley more herself. Dehydration sure is fun. Poor thing would cry, but no tears would come. If you feel bad, and would like to help, Sydnie really enjoyes anything from the Apple Store. Make gift certificates payable to Jamie Hart. She is really desirous of Tiger this Friday.

Quick Update

If you're reading this, would you pray for our little girl Sydnie.  She has been at the hospital the past 2 days with severe dehydration and vomiting.  Thankfully she is doing much better and has been hooked up to an IV for the past day, which has helped immensely.  She should be coming home tomorrow sometime.  In the meantime, Heather is there with her now (they only allow one parent in the room at night, lest you think I am the worst dad ever) and I have come home for some rest.  We have had some fantastic nurses tending to her, and we trust that God has been watching over her.

Random thoughts....

1.  Absolutley love the new David Crowder Band song featured on Passion '05--it is entitled HERE IS OUR KING.

2.  Time in the hospital has afforded much reading time, so I've been pouring over NT Wright's What Saint Paul Really Said--it has been absolutely fascinating.  I think much of my gravitation even toward the song listed above, is this completely foreign concept of Kingdom and Kingship.  Wright has done a masterful job of painting Jesus in this Kingdom language--in such a way that it has begun to resonate more deeply with me.  To begin to grasp that the inauguration of the Kingdom is the heart-beat of the Gospel, and not saving my soul has been wonderfully inspiring.  Not to dismiss the beauty of "soul-saving", but to see how that fits within the larger framework of the KINGDOM is phenomenal. 

3.  I am going on one hour of sleep.  I need to go to bed.

Peace.

Willing the ONE THING.

So it has been awhile since I have posted anything. I have no good excuses, but I have several things on my mind. I guess I could tell you about the Adult Equipping Center class I’m teaching at Orangewood. I could also tell you about our “confession” night with the high school students last Wednesday which was absolutely amazing. I could also tell you how Heather and I have been up since 3 am because little Sydnie has been vomiting since then. But what is really on my mind is a recent teaching I heard entitled “Willing the One Thing.”

In a way only Rob Bell can, he crafted a teaching focusing on how Jesus went about his “business” so to speak. Jesus would often leave good things. Good opportunities. Needy People. He would leave because he knew there was ONE THING driving him. He must get to Jerusalem. He must suffer and die. He must. He must. He must. And so the Savior of humankind would turn his back on the lesser things for the greater.

Jesus was also highly intentional in his relationships. He knew he couldn’t be intimately close with the multitudes. In fact he couldn’t even be intimately close with all 12. He chose 3. He invested in 3. In doing so, he turned his back at times to the other 9. Once again the “main thing” stayed the main thing.

All of this caused me to ponder for the better part of yesterday what is the “one thing” in my life? Do I know yet? Will I ever know. Am I willing to “will the one thing”? I think so. Problem is I’m not always sure what that one thing is. Sure, I could give the cop-out answer and respond with “Jesus is the one thing”, but is that really what He’s getting at? Doubtful. It seems that the people that have had the most impact for the cause of the Kingdom were men and women who knew what they were supposed to pursue and then they chased with reckless abandon. They willed the one thing in their life.

There are plenty of things that spark my interest. Plenty of things that currently give me peace. Things that give me happiness. But if I’m honest, the ONE THING is rather elusive at the moment.

We forgot the camera

Another first for Miss Sydnie Ann...she had her first kayaking adventure out on Lake Virginia this morning.  Beautiful day.  Nice breeze.  She sat on my lap as I paddled and she kept an eye out for her mommy in the bright yellow kayak.  She absolutely loved it.  Our little granola baby is coming along quite nicely.  Wish I had pics to share...oh well.

hard to believe...Sydnie's One!

Though this post is a bit out-dated,  I wanted to write nonetheless.  Last Saturday we celebrated Sydnie's first birthday!  The year has flown by.  She is such a joy and is increasingly more and more fun.  We had a wondeful little birthday gathering for her with family.  Heather made cupcakes.  Sydnie got way more gifts than a child should get--beauty of the first grand-baby.  Anyway, I've posted some pics under photo albums to your left if you are inclined to check out all the festivities.  Peace.

David Wilcox

There is nothing quite like good, live music.   And when this music happens to be  David Wilcox, and not only once, but twice in two days, things are more than good.  David performed a free, one hour show at Valencia Community College yesterday afternoon.  Tonight Heather and I have tickets for a sold-out, 75 person show in St. Augustine.  We can't wait to go.  If you are not familiar with David Wilcox you should get yourself familiar.  His music sings to my soul. You can get his stuff anywhere, but most recently at the itunes music store (shameless plug).  Anyway, his lyrics are profound, his guitar style is incredibly creative (open tunings, etc.).  If you ever get the chance to see him live drop everything and make it happen.  He is a phenomenal performer, storyteller and all around great, live act. 

As an aside, what is it about live music that is so mesmerizing and impactful?  As I sat there and listened to songs I'd heard a hundred times, or even a few new ones, it was like it tapped into something deep within me.  It's as if there are streams of emotions that have not flown in a long time and yet somehow get released and bring life and ideas and creativity.  To sit there and have an hour go by in the blink of an eye was a truly remarkable experience.  I felt life.  I felt encouraged.  Ultimately I was grateful that the stories he sings about tap into something bigger, a larger story that I get to participate in.  Connecting with THE STORY makes my soul sing.