Overwhelmed

This past week was a good one to be Overwhelmed.

As we all step back into school, work, or whatever our role on the ship of life might be, we faced some Thanksgiving waves that could not only have overwhelmed us, but sank our boat quickly if we were not careful. Let me explain.

Did you get "Overwhelmed by football?" As our family watched one final game on Sunday night, all of us realized that we had sat in front of our flat screen and taken in more football games than humanly possible in a 4 day period. It's unreal how they are all timed so well that you view one right after another and never have to get off of the couch. Just when you think you have a break, ESPN throws in some holiday hoops. It was a never ending stream of good games to see but when is enough a enough?

Were you overwhelmed by "Black Friday?" Just for kicks, our family drove around Branson on Thursday night (just to get out of the house and away from football) to see who was out there waiting. At Walmart, it was a madhouse. They were open and people were lined up in the electronics and toy department like the starting line of White Rock Marathon in Dallas. At Best Buy, people were camped out in make shift tents by the door and sitting in chairs with their winter coats on to stay warm. One family had even parked their RV 10 yards from the front door in anticipation of the 5am sale price on the IPad. Are you for real?

If you weren't disciplined, you might have succumbed to being overwhelmed by food. Were you? Due to the size of turkeys now a days, they can last 3-4 days and if they don't, the sweet potato casserole and the pecan pie do. We might just concede that it will go bad so someone has to eat it and it might as well be us because it is so good.

And the list could go on and on.
Non stop football. Non stop shopping. Non stop eating... are you overwhelmed or what?

Regardless of what happened during your last week, I hope you were overwhelmed by God's goodness in your life and acknowledged that all you have and experience comes from His hand. James 1:17 says "Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow."

Our family is tackling some memory work in James this week and he quickly reminds us of what we truly need to be overwhelmed with in our lives: Him.

God is sovereign and will not change. God desires to give us good things and perfect gifts...we just have to take the time to recognize what we have and how we received them.

Be overwhelmed with thankfulness as your start this week and keep your focus on Christ being the centerpiece of this next month. Don't miss a single opportunity to be overwhelmed by His love for you.

Numbers I am thankful for...

I heard my pastor share in church this weekend a message on the "Thanksgiving Chair." The point of his sermon was stopping to consider what we need to be thankful for, not only just good things, but the difficult things as well.

I wanted to stop and consider what to be thankful for in this past year and I thought numbers would be a good way for me to remind myself. Here is what I am thinking today:

• 896 That's the number of Kwest kids who are already signed up for the summer of 2011. I am excited that God continues to give us that privilege of having a blast with Jr. High kids while we share the gospel
• 60,233 The number of miles that our Camry has on it as of this week. That might seem like a lot but considering our other cars all have close to or over 100k miles, its the best we have in our stable. It was a new addition this past week.
• 25 Thanksgiving day happens then and so does Beth's birthday. It reminds me of how blessed I really am to have her as my wife and how grateful I am for all that the Lord has given me.
• 110 the number of full time folks Kanakuk has assembled to help this place go and that just happens to be the greatest team of all time (who cares about the '72 Dolphins)
• 45 according to the US Dept of Agriculture, that's how many million turkeys will be eaten over the thanksgiving holidays here in the US...glad to know that we contribute to that number and grateful to have some with mash potatoes
• 1,000,000 goal set by my spiritual father Richard Beach by God's grace he would be able to lead to the Lord (it may have just happened too) as we celebrated his passing weeks ago
• 10 number of days I had to wear a huge bandage on my nose when I broke it earlier this year...glad it wasn't any longer
• 12 the amount of weeks last summer that were arguably our greatest in the history of Kanakuk's 84 years
• 100 percentage that God gets credit for as far as everything and anything that happened last year in my life and through Kwest and Kanakuk

I could add many, many, many more. I am so grateful for all of the good, the bad, and the ugly because no matter what comes my way, I know it has purpose and has come through the hands of God. To Him be the glory for it all.

The Final Episode: K-West 2010 K-Life Video Series

Ready for the final episode of the 2010 Summer K-West K-Life Video series?
I'll give you the links to all three episodes.
Who will prevail? Ironman, Avi, and Troy? or Syndrome and Dr. Doofenschneitzel?

Episode 1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XL-DTdmSqr8
Episode 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OAarkN2aAgE
Episode 3: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=azm7hsN4nKc

Year of the Longhorn

I know it is a horrible year for the Texas Longhorn football team and their fans, but it's always good to be a Longhorn. I know that many of you beg to differ, but to each his own. I just wanted you all to know that this summer, we shall have some excellent staff, as usual. I'm excited to tell you that the University of Texas has more applicants this year than in the last 3 years combined. That hopefully means that there will be more staff from the University of Texas than we've had in a long time.
So, please leave your comment below if you are excited with this news!
I'd like to leave you with a verse that often gets mis-represented by the Aggies of Texas A & M.
Psalm 75:10 "... the horns of the righteous will be lifted up."
There's hope and there's a good future for those who live in the fear of the Lord.
and there's always next year for the Longhorns!

Like Father....Like Son

This past summer I shared a story about Jordan Romero, a 13 year old boy who was the youngest to ever climb Mt. Everest. It was amazing to me what a Junior High kid could do when he set his mind to something...thanks to his dad and a team of Sherpas.


Well this week in the news, it appears that a nine year old will soon attempt to break his record. Pemba Dorje Sherpa (smile for all those kwest folks) holds the world record for the fastest climb up Everest and is pictured here with his son Tseten, who is set to make the trek himself. Why? It's amazing what a son can do when he sees the picture lived out in his father.

As I travel around on the movie tour I am always reminded of how real that truth becomes when faith is lived out day to day....especially by a dad who understands. I recently stayed with a family whose kwest age kampers were the most polite, gracious, I'm Third kids I have been around. When you see kids living it out on the home front, you know it's real. I am not surprised though. They have a good example to follow in their home. It's not just talked about...it's lived out.

Jesus was the same way. He constantly looked to His Father for direction and was step for step with Him every moment he walked on the earth. Hard to imagine for me some times, but I do know it's true. I am thankful for His example as a Son living like His Father. It makes a difference in how I lead my sons...

Daily Savings Time

I’m so happy to hear that on Saturday night, we get to set our clocks back and get an extra hour in our schedule! I love maximizing my time, which, I’m beginning to see, isn’t always a good thing. For me, it means that I will wait until the last minute to get to a meeting. Or, I will only allow myself just enough time to leave the house to make it on time to the dentist, with no time to spare. I get a rush (pun intended :) ) out of timing things perfectly, with no wasted time.

My clock is changing.

I now understand a better way to run my schedule. There have been books and articles on this subject; often referred to as “margins”… allowing margins of time in-between our daily events in our schedules. Hurriedness, or lack of margins, opens the door to stress, worry, anger, accidents, and tardiness (which demonstrates disrespect toward others.) Hurriedness disallows opportunities to be obedient to the Holy Spirit. For instance, if I time my trip to the dentist with perfect timing---with no margin of time for something else to happen along the way, then I will not have time to stop and help the lady with the flat tire. Or, I will forego an opportunity to speak with a person in the parking lot whom I know needs to know the love of the Lord!

My time is the Lord’s, and I need to allow time space in my schedule to allow for the unexpected opportunities that the Lord can use me. If I am to hear from the Lord and be moved by the Holy Spirit, I need to not be rushed! Busy-ness often blocks us from being moved and controlled by the Lord. We can hear the Lord much better when we aren’t rushed, can’t we?

Set your clock back, too. Not just this weekend, but EVERY day. We’ll be surprised at how much more rewarding and enjoyable our days become!