Thankful!

Hello, friends! 

Happy Thanksgiving, friends! I'll be in California next week but I wanted to do a little something for Thanksgiving this week, noting all the things I'm thankful for from 2024. 

Anyone who knows me will tell you that I'm not exactly what you would call a "reflective" person. I don't spend a lot of time thinking about the past or focusing on things that have already happened. I have much more fun thinking about the future and the things that could be. So, exercises like this are sometimes hard for me. What am I thankful for from the past year? I have no idea. I can't even remember what happened last week, much less what happened in January. Still, these kinds of exercises are good for me, so here we go! 

- I'm thankful for our pets. Gus is perfect in every way, especially since we changed his substate and his enclosure doesn't smell as bad as it used to smell. Phoebe is still very much a puppy but she's growing and learning and we get along pretty well. 

- I'm thankful for our kids having friends. Our kids are pretty popular and I'm OK with that. Ezra has his friends from scouts and soccer (#GoBlackWidows) and is often being invited to playdates. Thaliea has her friends too, including a relatively new best friend and enjoys playing after school. Even JoJo has his buddies from preschool and daycare. He's even starting to remember names! It's so good to see our kiddos being social and enjoying community. 

- I'm thankful for Bellevue University. My first few years out here in Omaha, my student ministry interaction was pretty minimal. I would help at a student conference if I could or I would meet with a student or two, but it wasn't anything sustained. The past few years, and this year especially, I've been really involved with Bellevue University and it's been great. I don't actually spend a ton of time with the students but just the fact that there's a chapter that is growing with great student leaders is a huge blessing. 

- I'm thankful for my parents making it to 70. Honestly, I don't have a great concept of what counts as "old age." 70 seems old but then again, there are people in the highest levels of government who are older than my parents. I think I'm influenced at least a little bit by the fact that at least 2 of my 4 grandparents (maybe 3?) died before turning 70, so I always figured that 70 was a good goal to hit. I'm sure my kids agree. 

- I'm thankful for opportunities to preach. Bridge is a great church and I'm so glad that I get to be a part of it. I'm also glad that they've trusted me enough to allow me to use my gift of preaching. There's a joke at our church that I get assigned all the hard sermons (see last week's post about politics) but the truth is that I really love the chance to share God's word. 

I'm sure if I thought about it more, I could make up a whole list of things I'm thankful for. There really are a lot of things, including my health, curling, and of course, Megan. This is just a small sampling so I can get the thankfulness juices flowing. I'm also super thankful for you, dear reader. When I started this blog all those years ago, it was because I wanted to keep people up to date on ministry happenings. It never stayed that way and I've been able to share about other aspects of life and the goodness of God. For that opportunity, and the fact that people actually want to hear about what's going on, I am truly thankful. 

Have an excellent day! 

~Adam

Preaching on Politics!

Hello, friends! 

As I'm processing the results of yesterday's election, I keep going back to the sermons I preached a few weeks back for our church. The first was on the importance of the Church being involved in the political process. The second was about how we as the Church should interact with our political "enemies." Even though the election is over, I think these sermons still hold relevance. I hope they bless you in the same way it blessed me to prepare and preach them. 

Have an excellent day! 

~Adam

Onward to Minneapolis!!!

Hello, friends! 

Last week, on account of parent-teacher conferences (the kids are doing great in school, by the way), we had a 4 day weekend. We decided that the best way to spend that time was to head to Minneapolis to visit Megan's sister and her family. We hadn't been back to Minneapolis in a while (we're pretty sure that Megan was pregnant with Jonah when we last visited) so we were long past due.

Friends, when I tell you that we had a trip, we had a trip! Here are a few highlights: 

- Visiting with ministry partners, both on the way into Minneapolis, on our way our of Minneapolis, and even while we were in Minneapolis, while my sister-in-law's kids were still in school. Did we get photos with any of them? Of course not! We were having too much fun. =0). 

- Seeing some friends from college who live in the area. Did I get a photo of that one? You betcha! #GoBears 

- Visiting Minnesota's largest candy shop and the site of the world's largest jigsaw puzzle, according to the Guinness Book of World Records. 

- There was family fun too! We made dumplings together and the kids got to ride around the neighborhood, courtesy of my brother-in-law's one wheel. 

- Did I mention that Phoebe came with us? Did I mention that she got sick because she ate a bunch of stuff underneath our car seats while on the way there? Did I mention that we took a nap together and it was glorious?! Because all those things happened! 

- Of course, let's also mention that we got to visit Megan's old stomping grounds at Minnesota State. Her old dorm is now a parking lot, but the clock tower is still there! #GoMavs

- We also took some family photos, but you'll just have to wait for our Christmas card before you see those... =0). 

All in all, it was a great trip. Everyone had fun, everyone was well (enough) behaved, and it was good to see family. We'll be sure to head out there again before another 5 years passes. 

Have an excellent day! 

~Adam 

Adventures in Solo Parenting!

Hello, friends! 

This past week, Megan was in St. Louis leading our new staff cohort in a training on scriptural engagement. Besides being slightly jealous that she got to eat all the delicious things that St. Louis has to offer (she declined to bring me back any White Castle...) it was going to be another adventure in solo parenting! 

Solo parenting isn't anything new to either of us. Sometimes she goes on trips and sometimes I go on trips. The one thing that made this adventure extra exciting was that this was the first time either of us would be solo parenting with a dog (and a tortoise!). This would also be the first time since JoJo started pre-school. 

Honestly, those two facts were big changes. Usually, it'd be a situation where we would pay for an extra day or two at daycare, then I'd drop everyone off in the morning, work all day, then pick everyone up and do the dinner/playtime/bedtime routine. But, since JoJo is in preschool in the morning, we can't do daycare for just the afternoon. Added to that, since I had to let Phoebe out to go to the bathroom every few hours, I couldn't just be out all day. It was a different experience indeed! Here's how it broke down: 

Monday: 

- 8am: Head out and do some Sabbath stuff before Megan heads to the airport

- 10am: Get back to the house to say goodbye to Megan

- 11:30am: Pick up JoJo, go get lunch, and head home to let out Phoebe

- 2pm: Take Phoebe (with JoJo) for a walk

- 2:30pm: Take JoJo to Costco to pick up some groceries

- 3:30pm: Get a call from Megan that Thaliea threw up and needs to come home

- 3:50pm: Pick up Thaliea and Ezra from school

- 4pm: Get home, cook dinner, get Ezra to do his homework, get Thaliea to bed, make sure JoJo is entertained, and let out Phoebe

- 5pm: Eat dinner and playing outside with the boys

- 7pm: Bedtime routine and try to get everyone in bed by 8

Tuesday:

- 6:30am: Wake up to feed Phoebe and find out that she pooped in her kennel overnight

- 8am: Get everyone ready for school/daycare (Thaliea stayed home) and bribe them with McDonald's if we can do it quickly (we do... McGriddles for everyone!!!)

- 9am: Get back home and work from home, occasionally switching off my screen so I can let out Phoebe or get something for Thaliea

- 3:30pm: Pick up JoJo

- 5:30pm: Pick up Ezra from his friend's house (he went there after school)

- 5:45pm: Head to Alpine Inn for dinner with some of the men from our small group (and to feed some raccoons!)

- 8pm: Bedtime for EVERYONE (if only it was that simple)

Wednesday:

- 5am: Wake up with a massive migraine but still let out Phoebe because we CAN'T have a repeat of yesterday

- 6:30pm: Wake up again, migraine is still there, and get ready for the day

- 7:30am: The kids are up and it's time to get ready for school

- 8:30am: Everyone off to school, including JoJo to preschool

- 9am: Go back home and try to get some work done, while occasionally letting out the dog

- 2pm: Pick up JoJo

- 4pm: Pick up Ezra and Thaliea

- 4:30pm: Cook dinner while bribing the children with ice cream if everyone does all their chores and homework

- 6:30pm: IT WORKED! Go get ice cream

- 7:30pm: Let's get everyone to bed! 

- 8:45pm: Have a phone call with a ministry partner

Thursday:

- 5am: Did I wake up this time? I assume I did but I really don't know

- 6:30am: Feed the dog. Either I got up the first time or the second time on this one...

- 7:30am: Kids are up and it's time to go!

- 8:15am: Everyone out the door so we can get donuts on the way to school (for those counting at home,that's bribery #3)

- 9am: Back home to play everyone's favorite game, "Work while occasionally letting out the dog!"

- 3:30pm: Pick up JoJo

- 4pm: Pick up Thaliea, Ezra, and Ezra's friend for a playdate

- 5:30pm: Friend heads home and we're off to church small group

- 6:30pm: Tell the kids that if they finish their food, they can have a s'more (#4!)

- 7:30pm: Head home because there's still homework to be done! 

- 8:30pm: Bedtime for the kids

- 9pm: As much cleaning as can get done before Megan gets home, including dishes, laundry, mopping, and cleaning the bathrooms. Many podcast episodes were consumed... 

- 11:30pm: Sleep, blessed sleep

- 12:30am (Friday): Megan comes home and our family is complete again... 

By the numbers, we had 4 briberies, 1 poop emergency, 1 puke emergency, and 7 dog walks, which isn't too bad! Everyone is alive. No one got lost (I'm looking at you, Gus!), and a decent time was had by all... 

Funnily enough, Megan will be out of town for work again next month, so we'll get to do it all over again! Please pray. =0). 

Have an excellent day! 

~Adam 

JoJo Sabbath Rhythms...

Hello, friends! 

Last week I wrote about how becoming a "Dog Dad" has changed some of my daily rhythms. One of the other changes this Fall has been to weekly rhythms, particularly my Sabbath rhythm. This one has some to do with a dog and more to do with a JoJo. 

Both Megan and I take Mondays as a Sabbath. It used to be that we would wake up in the morning, head our separate ways, and be back together for dinner to share about our Sabbath experiences. Of course, that all changed with kids and really changed once they started school. For the past few years, it was one of us taking either the morning or the afternoon and then swapping around lunch time. 

Last year, we tried a new rhythm to try to change the timing a bit. I would get up early and do part of my Sabbath until it was time for the older kids to go to school. Then, Megan would take the older kids to school and JoJo and I would hang out until the early afternoon. Sometimes we'd go to the zoo. Sometimes we'd take the bus to the trampoline park. Sometimes we'd go to the library. Sometimes, we'd just stay at home. Then Megan and I would swap and I'd take the second half of my Sabbath time. It worked out well enough.

However, we had a new wrinkle in the timing of everything when Jonah started pre-school. Added to that, with Phoebe, me getting up earlier to go downstairs and do Sabbath stuff wasn't going to work. Once she heard me, she was going to want to be up. My options were to either get up earlier like it was a work day (not exactly the most restful of options) or get up later and we switch things up. 

The new rhythm seems to be working well. I get up later than I used to (extra sleep? Count me in!) and get the kids (and dog) ready for the day. Megan heads out for her Sabbath as soon as she's up. I take the kids the older kids to school (with JoJo in tow), head home to let out Phoebe one more time, then take JoJo to pre-school. I then have 2 hours to chill before picking up JoJo, grabbing some lunch, and heading home for his "resting time." Megan and I will then switch and I'll have the afternoon.  

Do you know what my favorite part of the new rhythm is? It's not getting up later, although that's great. It's not a more time in the afternoon, although that's also great. It's not even having an extra chunk of time in the late morning while JoJo is at pre-school. It's not the run to Burger King for lunch that JoJo insists we do every week. My favorite part of the day is picking up JoJo from pre-school. 

JoJo's preschool has one door in and one door out so there's a bit of a logjam at pickup. The teachers have all the kids sit on a rug and the parents enter single file to pick up their kids. Usually, I can spot JoJo before he spots me, mainly because he's looking longingly at the other kids around him who are getting picked up by his parents. Those 3 seconds when I see him, say, "JoJo!", he turns towards me, and his face lights up because he knows that he wasn't forgotten and that he's going home, is the highlight of my day. To be loved by your kiddo like that, to be seen as safe and to be happy to be seen, is something that I love and will never get tired of it. 

This new rhythm will just be for the year. After this, JoJo will go to elementary school and his rhythm will change again. But for now, we've got a good thing going and I don't mind it one bit. 

Have an excellent day! 

~Adam

Dog Dad Rhythms...

Hello, friends! 

As you know, this summer we got a tortoise as well as a dog. Phoebe the goldendoodle has been with us for just about 2 months and I've been learning about what it means to be a "dog dad." 

See, when we decided to get Gus and Phoebe, I was fairly certain that Megan and the kids were going to dote all over the dog and that Gus and I would spend a lot of time hanging out by ourselves. Honestly, I was totally fine with that. I'm not antagonistic towards dogs, I'm just not a traditional "dog person." 

The thing that changed things was morning rhythms. Since having kids, I've found myself to be more of a morning person. I like to get up early and do my morning routine (hang out with Jesus, practice Mandarin, exercise, extend my Wordle streak, start work) before the kids are up and the day starts. Pre-dog, I would get up around 5:30 (sometimes I'd let myself sleep in until 6:30), head down to our basement, and come back up around 7ish when I heard the kids (read: JoJo... always JoJo) come out of their rooms. It was a nice rhythms. 

You know what you can't do? You can't sneak past a hungry dog. I learned this when I tried to keep my rhythm but heard the very distinctive whine of a hungry dog who had to go to the bathroom. Of course, I don't want an accident so I let out the dog. But then the dog is awake and my whole morning routine is out the window. 

So, I've had to adjust. There are a few things I've learned how to do to get back my rhythm. 

- Get up earlier. I learned that if Phoebe is awake when the sun is up, she's up. HOWEVER, if I let her out to go to the bathroom when it's still dark outside, she'll go back to sleep when she's done her business. So, now I'm up at 5 when it's still dark and she'll sleep until about 6:30 or so.  

- Give up on work. Getting Phoebe out of her kennel, waiting for her to go to the bathroom, and feeding her take up just enough time for me to not be able to get substantial work done. It's OK. I've come to terms with it. 

- Get better at doing things one handed. My number one job when I'm up with Phoebe in the morning is to make sure that she doesn't make enough noise to wake up anyone else in the family. This is obviously easier said than done, especially since she's recently been convinced that the dog she sees on our TV screen (read: her reflection) is her mortal enemy who must be barked at in order to show dominance. The solution I've found, is belly rubs. If I keep scratching her, she stays chill. That means everything else needs to be done one-handed. 

Phoebe and I have worked out a nice little rhythm in the mornings. Honestly, she's a pretty chill dog until the kids get up and she tries to eat their clothes as they're wearing them. This Dog Dad life isn't one that I would have necessarily chosen for myself, but we've worked out something nice and I don't mind where we are. 

Have an excellent day! 

~Adam

Gus' Big Adventure!

Hello, friends!

There are a lot of great things about having a pet. The unconditional love is great. Most pets are super cute. Really, it's mostly good stuff. However, there is one thing that makes having a "free range" pet difficult... there's always a chance they'll run away. 

Gus had quite the adventure last week. Tortoises are naturally exploratory animals. They love to walk around and find just the right spot to dig a little hole and burrow in for a nap. Honestly, it's pretty fun to watch. Because we have him in a relatively small enclosure inside (it's not tiny but I'm sure he wouldn't mind more space...) while the weather is nice, we've been letting him roam around outside for 15-30 minutes once or twice a day. He'll usually make his way towards the back of our yard and hole up until it's time to go back inside. You can tell he's not the happiest about going back inside because he never kicks his legs when we're holding him to take him outside but he's ALWAYS kicking his legs to try to escape our grip when we take him back inside.  

On Tuesday afternoon, Gus decided to go for an adventure during his time outside. I had my eyes on him (as normal) so there wasn't any big concern. Based on the surveillance footage from our doorbell camera, there were about 4 minutes when I wasn't watching him because I was talking to Megan and helping get Phoebe inside. During those 4 minutes, he made a break for it and when I went back to look for him, he was gone.  

Usually, he heads to the right, where there is plenty of chain link fence and high rock walls to keep him on our property. He'll try to climb up the rock walls but it's just too steep for him and we can keep tabs on him pretty well. However, the left side of our backyard has no chain link fence and a lower rock wall that is a little less steep. Guess which way he went on Tuesday...

As I was frantically looking around and calling his name (as if he'd actually come to me), I saw that he could have gone one of 3 ways. He could have made a break for the front yard. The gate was closed but maybe he found a hole and was out to explore the world. A second option was that he climbed the rock wall and was heading towards our neighbors. As I was looking around, I discovered a third option: there was a little hole underneath our shed from when we used to have a groundhog in the neighborhood and he could have burrowed under there. 

Megan thought that he was under the shed, so Tuesday night, while she took the kids to scouts, I took everything out of the shed and started tearing up the floorboards. 

Friends, this was a very delicate operation! On the one hand, I wanted to work quickly. On the other hand, I was swinging and axe at the floorboards. If Gus was under there, I didn't want to accidentally cut him in half. I was very tense with each swing. Eventually, it got too dark to see anything and I called it a night. Megan let all our neighbors know we were looking for Gus and I posted on Nextdoor before heading to bed, ready to take the next day off so I could finish the shed job. 

The next morning, before starting demolition again, I went to my neighbor with the fence and asked if I could poke around his backyard to see if I could find Gus. When I went back there, I knew I wouldn't have any luck. The grass was too high and there were too many places for Gus to hide. If he was back there, I wasn't going to find him. I had to hope that he was under the shed. 

I'll pause here and note how geography affects timing. My parents have a tortoise in California. He's an outdoor tortoise and sometimes they don't see him for a few weeks or a few months but they don't worry about it because they know he'll turn up. Why? Because they live in Southern California where it never gets below freezing. Tortoises aren't built for sub-freezing temperatures like we have in Nebraska in the winter. I knew that if we didn't find him Gus by November, our best hope is that he found a new home but what was more likely was that he froze to death. Not a great thought... 

Back to the shed. My friend from scouts offered to come over and help me tear up the rest of the shed floor, so we spent the rest of the morning doing that. We tore up everything but alas, there was no Gus. (we did find a possum skeleton though, so I guess that's something...) As a thank you, I offered to take him to lunch and since we finished right when Jonah finished preschool, He and Megan joined us for lunch. 

We were in the parking lot of the Chick-Fil-A, about to head home when Megan got a notification from our video doorbell. Our neighbor's granddaughter found Gus in their front yard and had brought him home!!! Even though looking in their backyard didn't yield any fruit, apparently telling my neighbor that Gus was missing was what we needed to bring him home! 

After making a fool of myself dancing in a Chick-Fil-A parking lot, we headed home to recover Gus. Both Megan and I gave him a stern talking talking to but we were happy he was home. Once we put him back in his box he started clawing at the walls. It's pretty obvious to me that he'd rather be outside, which makes me conflicted but for now, he's still with us. 

Luke 15 is Jesus telling a 3 parables about how great it is to find what is lost. The most famous of these parables is the Prodigal Son but after finding Gus, I now have a brand new appreciation for the parable of the woman and the lost coin. The woman swept the whole house to find her coin then celebrated with her friends. I tore up a shed floor to find Gus and when we found him, the family went to a pumpkin patch to celebrate. =0). 

Have an excellent day! 

~Adam