dan is my name, don't wear it out.

Thursday Thoughts

2012-01-05T11:19:00.000-05:00

This week has been...interesting. I don't really like to say I have ups and downs because I really don't. I'm not one to think of life as a "roller coaster" or any other picturesque description. I suppose if I were forced to put some sort of adjective on it...scratch that, I don't have one that fits. This is my first week back in the office after the Holidays. It has been a great couple of weeks. Time with family is always good. It is just as good to be back in the office. One thing that has been neat past couple of days is that I have been streaming PASSION 2012 on my computer while working on different things. It is amazing how God speaks even through something just barely audible playing occasionally through my head phones. There has been some neat conversations with different people trying to figure out this following Jesus thing but there has also been some very difficult talks with friends who are going through the unimaginable. Top that off with a new dog in the house (don't ask), first holiday season without the old man, the family weekly schedule and things have been...well....interesting. One thing that has been a constant lately is that I continue trying to keep everything in the proper perspective. I read last night 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 and it is a good "prospective keeper"-
Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.

What if you lived like this.....

2009-08-03T14:32:00.004-04:00

OK. So this week has not started out very encouraging. Just when we were getting ready to put Julie's car into the shop for a fix up before vacation, my car had a geriatric temperature aggrandizement episode yesterday.....it overheated. Not a big deal, but it may be the heater core. Not positive on my diagnosis but that's the way car things happen to me. It's always the big one. So long story short, my car will be in the automotive hospital tomorrow morning. Exciting I know. As riveting as this story is, that is not what is really on my mind. My thought are currently about the effect of having one of our two cars break down has had on our family. What should have been a relaxing Sunday evening turned out to be a calendar duel to try to figure out how we are going to get everyone where they need to be when they need to be there. This should not be a problem. So this is the thought that I have been marinating on: What if we lived our lives like we only had one car? Think about it. How much different would our daily schedule look if we only had one car? What if we only did the things that we could accomplish with the use of only one car? For us, things might change dramatically. Here are a few possibilities: 1) We might actually be at home on occasion. Sometimes we go.....because we can. 2) Our kids might not be in team sports all year round. 3) We would see more money. Less gas, less repairs, and less insurance. 4) We might get to know people better because we would have the need to hitch a ride with them on occasion. 5) We would get more exercise. Maybe we could walk the 1/2 mile to Kroger's instead of driving. 6) We would have more room in the garage. 8) We probably wouldn't be able to make every church activity. Maybe we could have some church activities in our neighborhood.
I think you get the picture. Definitely something to think about. So what about you? What if you lived life like you only had one car?

by HIS wounds

2009-04-11T00:10:00.002-04:00

Friday @ 11:35pm

2009-04-10T23:24:00.002-04:00

What an odd title for a post. Friday @ 11:35pm? Weird huh? It's not a title that lends itself to much creative thought. The only thing that I can really say is that 11:35pm is about the time that I usually finish my nightly (or almost nightly)study and prayer. Many thoughts are still floating around in this big ol' head of mine tonight. First of all, it has been a good week. Church stuff is good. Our church has had several events this week dealing with and leading up to Easter. It has been particularly good to attend them and not have an active role in the programs themselves. It has been neat to simply load up the family together and... participate. We have been having good talks on the ride there and home. I really love getting the chance to talk about spiritual things with the kids. My daughter has really been asking a lot of questions about heaven and what happens when we die. It is a lot of fun. The only thing, she really wants to believe that our dearly departed family dog will be in heaven. I have had many conversations (and I mean many) with her about dogs in heaven. I think that she asks me so many times about the dog subject in hopes that I will say something different than I have before. Yes, I have told her that heaven is not for animals. I know that many of you are wondering why I would tell a four year old such a harsh statement. Well, all I can say is that when those questions come up, I try to take the opportunity to lay some groundwork for the future. To me, heaven is not like Santa's workshop at the north pole and I want them to know that.
This was also the week of spring break. Julie is awesome with finding things to do with the kids to make the week special even if we don't have the means to go on a big vacation. Yesterday, I was off so we splurged and spent the day at an indoor waterpark. It was great but I am still water logged. I think we will do that again next winter. We got a great deal by getting tickets online.
Tomorrow is Saturday and we are doing a whole family prayer walk at church. I have to do a landscaping job most of the day tomorrow so we probably will not get there until the evening but I am looking forward to it all the same.
The next couple of weeks are going to be crazy. As always, things kind of come in clumps. Nothing major, just a few things out of the ordinary. Should be fun.

this song makes me hungry.

2009-03-18T10:03:00.003-04:00

NUMBERS

2009-02-09T13:01:00.005-05:00

Politics aside, I have been amazed at the numbers that have been thrown around lately in the media. Think about this number.
ONE TRILLION: 1,000,000,000,000 (yes, that's twelve zeros)
It's hard to put one trillion into perspective so here are a few examples that might help. If at the birth of Jesus Christ, you began to spend one million dollars each and every day, you would STILL NOT have spent one trillion ($1,000,000,000,000.00) dollars. Hard to imagine? How about this one. With one trillion dollars ($1,000,000,000,000.00), you could buy every every man, woman, and child in the United States a gold season pass to Kings Island......each year... for the next 32 years. With one trillion dollars ($1,000,000,000,000.00), you could buy a 1995, loaded Jeep Grand Cherokee (with only 150,000 miles) for EVERY man, woman, and child in the United States. It really boggles my mind but if that didn't bring this whole one trillion thing into perspective for you, think about this one: With one trillion dollars, you could buy the world a Coke (insert old Coca-Cola commercial song here). In fact, you could buy every single person in the entire word (world population estimated in January 2009) not one, but one hundred and ten, 20 ounce bottles of Coke each. How would you like to have those Coke Reward Points?

Sleeping Disorder

2009-01-24T01:31:00.003-05:00

I think that I am suffering from a sleeping disorder. It is currently 1:33am on Saturday morning and I am not sleepy. This has been going on for about eight days now. I stay up until about 2:00am and then get up at about 7:00-7:30am. The strange thing is, I'm not really that tired in the morning and I seem to function fine through the day. I am currently watching an episode 48 Hours. It is about someone who killed someone else for life insurance money. People are nuts. I will say that I have made the most of my "extra" hours. I'm not just sitting up watching infomercials. I am still spending time doing some personal Bible study as well as reading the first of several books for a study I am doing with a group of fellow student ministers. I have tried getting some exercise to help get me back to a normal sleep schedule but it hasn't helped yet. I have taken a run a couple of days in a row. I'm a little sore, but not ready to sleep.
We had D-group tonight. It went OK. Hang on a second....they are doing a forensic reconstruction of a face from a skull......................................................................ok, I'm back. Wow that stuff is crazy. Anyway, I'm not sure what to think about my "sleep disorder". I did look up sleeping disorders on the Internet and from what I gather, I don't have much to worry about. Eventually, I will "correct" and fall back into a normal sleeping schedule. As long as I am not talking goofy or seeing things, I should be ok.
A funny thing happened at dinner tonight. We decided to go out for dinner to celebrate the kids report cards (both the boys received almost all A's...they do not get that from me). Mio's Pizza just opened up by our house so we thought we would give it a try. It was packed. When our pizza came, the waitress informed me that the cooks were still trying to "get some of the kinks out" and went on to say that they made our pizza... without the sauce. They did bring us some sauce on the side so things worked out. It was actually pretty good with the sauce on the side. They also gave us another pizza with sauce actually on it to take home. Good deal. We'll go there again.
Well it's 2:03am, time to hit the hay. I'll keep you posted on how it goes.

(Insert clever saying about it being a long time since last post here)

2009-01-19T19:50:00.002-05:00

Man. It has been a few days (weeks) since my last post. Christmas was good. The celebration of the new year was good. Between you and me, I'm glad that the holidays are over. It just seems like a lot of "stuff" goes on. Lot's of running around. I will say that it was really cool to have some vacation time to spend with the family between Christmas and New Year's. We had a great time. We played ton's of board games. Kaitin always cheats (she get's it from her mother). We went to see a movie (Bed Time Stories). It was an experience. We went to see it at a theatre in Blanchester. If you don't know, Blanchester is about 14 miles east of Milford. Very small town but it does have it's own theatre. It was only $1.50 each to see the movie. Very cheap. The only drawback is that you have to deal with a screen that is as big as some home televisions are now in a room that only seats about thirty. Good times. We also took a trip to The Beach water park for their "Holiday Fest" thing. That was fun. Riding a sled down a water slide with no water was an experience. Kaitlin loved it. I think that we rode it four times in a row. The petting zoo they had there was a big hit with all of the family. I have a great picture of Julie being attacked by a goat. I need to remember to post that later. I almost peed my paints. We took a carriage ride there as well. That was stupid. People (supposedly in character) got on your wagon thing and tried to convince you that "Black Bart" was going to come and cause trouble (never happened). At one point, there was a poor girl standing at one part of the route dressed in pioneer clothes. Of course this was over top of her sweat pants and tennis shoes. Disney it wasn't.
What else is going on? Oh, Jacob got a part in a children's theatre production of Annie. He is the dog catcher. I know, it doesn't sound like much but he has rehearsals three nights a week. It is a lot of pressure on a ten year old. He is really working hard. We are very proud. Home life is good. Nathan loves watching football and college basketball. I am so proud. Kaitlin...hmmm.....she is nuts. We are so proud. I think that everyone is getting back into the swing of being back in school.
Church life is good. It feels like everything is really cranking up towards some neat things. I'm not sure what they are, but I know that it's good stuff. Student ministry is fun as always. There are good things happening, yet every day, I see more "opportunities" to improve and learn.
Me?.....I'm good. It seems like God is really placing some interesting people and situations in my life right now. For the last couple of months, I have been setting aside some extra time for study. It has really been rich. It feels good to let God "beat you up" on a regular basis. It's kind of like the "good burn" you get from a workout. Not that I have been working out much lately, but from what I remember, it's a similar feeling. Another good thing about me is that I finished (except for a towel rack and T.P. holder) the kids bathroom. What an experience. I guess it turned out OK (man I hate Bob Vila).
Well, that's about it for now. I'm sure that I will have more profound things to say soon.

THE RESULT OF NETWORK NEWS

2008-12-16T09:07:00.004-05:00

IT'S GOOD TO BLUBBER AT LEAST ONCE A WEEK

2008-12-09T15:27:00.002-05:00

Click HERE to blubber like a baby. You have been warned.

A PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT FOR ALL MEN

2008-12-08T13:21:00.000-05:00

What's going on...November 19th, 2008

2008-11-19T11:35:00.003-05:00

I wish that I had something profound or remotely funny to write about...but I don't. So I decided to waste your time by simply writing about what's been going on. First of all, Julie put up our Christmas tree...LAST WEEK. I have learned over the years not to question her about this because Julie always has her reasons, about everything. It doesn't always make sense to me but that doesn't seem to matter. So I just let the whole Christmas decorating thing go. She is ordinarily a "day after Thanksgiving" decorator but this year she has gone into "we won't be here the day after Thanksgiving" mode (we are going down to Florida on vacation this week)so...up went the decorations....last week.
I am still working on the renovation of the kids bathroom upstairs. So far so good, it is just taking me an eternity. It is just about a complete gutting and redo. Not too much fun. I think one reason that it is taking so long is that our family schedule has been crazy, something just about every night. The other problem (and probably the biggest delay) is that I think to much about every step. Every nail, every screw, every piece of drywall, every tile; I try to make sure that it's right. You would not know that by looking at the finished product, but it's true. The good news is, the hard part is done. I should finish with just a couple of days more worth of work.
So what else? Oh, tomorrow we leave on vacation. Just about every Thanksgiving, we head down to south west Florida to spend a week with Jul's mom and dad at their place on Marco Island. It's always fun and very relaxing. The only rough part....is getting there. Traveling with three kids is truly a test of patience. I usually fail. We have had many adventures over the years and just when I think that I have seen every travel related incident, I am taught a lesson. I think this year, I'm just going to expect one. When you expect everything to go perfect, you're setting yourself up for a migraine. It may be a missed flight, explosive vomiting, a lost toy, a sudden ear infection, a one mile run to the connecting gate, or just about anything and everything else. This year, I'm just going to expect it, embrace it, and then take pictures of it. Anyway, it's good to get away with the family. I don't deserve the opportunity to spend a solid week with them. I am blessed.
So to whomever may read this, have a great Thanksgiving. I'll be sure to share with you stories of our vacation adventure when we return.

Remember:
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
"Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus".

Don't just give thanks on Thursday, live with an attitude of gratitude. Be thankful even when the turkey is dry, when the cable goes out during the game, when you get stuck at the kid table, or even when your beautiful child is throwing up in the middle of the airport (I hope that one doesn't happen again).

Blog at you later,
"Soon to be warm in sunny Florida"-Dan

Taking a few moments to remember....

2008-11-11T11:04:00.002-05:00

NOVEMBER???

2008-11-03T22:39:00.003-05:00

November...I find it hard to say it let alone type it. Not that I have speech issues or that I am missing fingers but it's just hard to believe that it is November. I guess what is really messing me up is that I just heard a Christmas song on the radio and IT WAS 70 DEGREES TODAY?!? My mind just doesn't process that kind of imput. Usually, I love to set the clock back but this year, it just doesn't seem right. I'm not done with summer yet let alone fall. This year has just been messed up. With the heavy rains in the spring, then no rain for a couple months, "The Blackout" (not so much for me), and now it's November 3rd and 70 degrees. I'm actually not complaining. I love the warm weather. In fact, it's about to get a lot warmer for the Ponchot clan as we prepare to take our trip south for Thanksgiving (more on that later). Another wierd thing is that it looks like my annual "leaf war" won't be much of a fight this year. There is just not that many left after the wind thing and drought. I think the problem is that my internal clock, thermometer, barometer, or whatever you want to call it is off. The only thing that bothers me now is wondering what the winter will bring. Sixty degrees and sunny, or fifteen to twenty for weeks on end with about six feet of snow. November...it just doesn't seem right.

Your Cultural Enrichment For The Day

2008-10-22T22:02:00.006-04:00

I highly recommend this show. It used to be on Saturday mornings on some public television station but now it is on rfdtv. Good times...good times.

INSIDE DAN'S HEAD

2008-10-14T12:32:00.003-04:00

*I need to find somewhere to live where the weather is just like it is now all year round. 80's during the day, 50's at night.

*I just bought gas for $2.68 an gallon (I remember when it was well under a dollar a gallon...and I used to walk to school in 3' of snow, uphill each way).

*Facebook isn't as cool as it used to be.

*Television ticks me off. 1st, Bob Barker retires, America's Got talent is a scam(go Eli), and the only two dudes I like on the Amazing Race are gone.

*When did my kids get the supernatural ability to outlast me.

*The Bible astounds me.

*Pick up basketball starts this Sunday (I wonder who will get hurt first, probably me).

*Rock Band 2 is one month away.

*My kids are getting too big, too fast.

*My wife is the cooliest.

*October is almost over, so is this post.

A BRIGHT IDEA?

2008-09-11T19:40:00.002-04:00

I think that I just had a good idea. Lately, we have been buying mass amounts of milk. I thought that the kids were feeding every cat in the neighborhood or watering the lawn with but it turns out that they are actually drinking it. It is really getting out of hand. I thought about buying a cow but I have vowed never to have any more pets....but would a cow be a pet....or like a contributing member of the family....oh well, that would be stupid. What would the neighbors think about a cow in the back yard? Okay, so the cow is out. I have a much better plan any way. I noticed that a gallon of vitamin D milk is the same price as 2%(we do the 2% already). So what if I bought a gallon of vitamin D milk, pour half into an empty jug, and then fill both jugs with water. Ta da!!! 2%. I think I'm on to something. It's like buy one get on free!!! I wonder if that would work with with anything else? Orange juice? Maybe toilet paper. Just unroll one, separate the two layers and...Ta Da!!! Two rolls!! Hmmmm?

JESUS IS MY FRIEND

2008-09-10T12:35:00.000-04:00

I NEED YOUR SUPPORT

2008-08-27T09:12:00.005-04:00

This was sent to me this morning. I had no idea. Finally someone that you can get "behind"!!

Good Times At D-Group

2008-08-23T15:23:00.004-04:00

I have never had such a good time at a mall as I did last night. Last night, our D- group met at Kenwood Town Center for a mall-wide scavenger hunt. Now normally I am not much on scavenger hunt type things but this one was great. Jared and Rhonda put it all together and they did a great job. Basically, we met in front of the Cheesecake Factory and split off guys vs. gals. Jared went over the rules and handed out the details and tasks. It was awesome! I won't go into great detail but the hunt even included how and where we bought our dinner. There were probably fifty or so things to get, see, or do. The only problem that the guys had was getting George Wise to quit window shopping and actually do the scavenger hunt. He cracks me up. Anyway, I love being part of our D-group. These people mean so much to me and my family.
Good times.....good times.

MY POOL

2008-08-17T23:49:00.000-04:00

Is Green...I'm ticked.

HEADED SOUTH...THEN SOUTH EAST

2008-08-05T11:46:00.004-04:00

Where has the summer gone. Yes, it has been good but truth be told, summer is winding down. Now I know that a comment like that may strike terror into the minds of children every where but not at our house. Everyone is getting psyched up for a good 'ol family vacation (at least that's what my calender says). This year, we are doing something that we have not done for some time. We are going to the "Redneck Riviera" (aka North Myrtle Beach). Sounds like fun eh? It should be. The whole family loves the beach and our plan is to simply to enjoy the sand, surf, and sun. Family time is always good. A man once told me that the things kids remember most from their childhood are family vacations and Christmas. I guess I would agree to that at some extent although I remember less and less about my childhood (and everything else) as the years go by. Things tend to run together for me, but I digress. The fact of the matter is that Thursday, we are loading into the family truckster and heading in the general direction of S. Carolina. I say general direction because we are taking a side trip to our old homestead in Elizabethton, Tennessee. We are actually making a stop in Gatlinburg first to watch them pull taffy (very Yankee thing to do) and cut out those black silhouette things you dress up and put out in your yard. But our stopping at Gatlinburg is not just entertainment related, we are also doing something very educational for the boys while there (don't tell them, it's a surprise). We're taking them to Cooter's Place. Kind of like a history lesson without the book. We will only be in Gatlinburg for one day so we thought that we would just hit the highlights. Friday, we will drive on to Elizabethton (Julie and I used to live there). It will be fun to take a walk down memory lane but our real reason for the side trip (at least mine) is to eat at all of our (at least my) favorite restaurants. I plan on hitting them all. First and foremost, I'm going to PAL's Sudden Service for a "Sauce Burger". It's one of the finest eateries in the country. Strictly high class. I also plan on going to Pizza Inn and as many other places that I can fit in. As you can see, this leg of the trip is my favorite. After that, (if I'm not too sick) "Redneck Riviera" here we come.

BIBLE LESSONS...IN THE FLESH (or lack thereof)

2008-07-25T09:54:00.006-04:00

Matthew 5:37 "Simply let your yes be yes and your no, no; anything beyond this comes from the evil one". AMEN on that one. This past spring, I was approached by our church softball coach (great guy) and asked if I would play softball. I informed him that I had retired from softball mainly because of my wife does not like my frequent, sports related, visits to the E/R (lip stitches, head injuries, ankle sprains, etc. You know, Go Big or Go Home stuff). He was very understanding and asked if he could put me on the roster anyway, just in case they didn't have enough players to play. As I look back now, THAT was the perfect time for me to use the biblical principle in Matthew 5:37. I should have just said thanks, but no. Instead, I elected to gamble a little. I asked, "How many players do you have"? He informed me that it looked like he would have 15, 16, or17. Good odds. So being the idiot that I am, I told him that I would play if he had a situation in which they would have for forfeit for lack of players. He said great and I went on my merry way. Flash forward to yesterday. The family and I spent my day off at The Beach Waterpark. When we left at 4:30, I had a voice mail. I had gotten "the call". Due to 3 injuries, vacations, and work schedules; we need you to play. Being a man of my word, to the game I went. The game started with a prayer and I was so thankful that the guy who prayed asked God for no injuries. We were up first and I was shocked to hear that I was batting fourth. Fourth? I have not swung a bat in two years....I should be batting 9th. It gets worse. Incredibly, my first time up, I hit a bullet to right field....base hit. I actually got on two times in a row. I'm not sure which one it was but at some point early on, I found myself rounding third and heading for home plate(you're excited, I can tell). The throw home was coming so it was inevitable that I was going to have to slide on that parking lot they call an infield. Down I went and safe I was. After I got up, I looked down and saw this (only caked with dirt and rocks, click the picture, it looks better up close)

Bible lesson...in the flesh.

NATATORIAL IMPACT

2008-07-25T09:27:00.007-04:00

33 teens+9 adults+60 hot dogs+6 cases of soda+assorted baked goods+pool+rock band+camp fire=SOME SERIOUSLY GOOD TIMES.

In case you have no idea what natatorial means, HERE is some help. Last Sunday night, our youth group went on the road to our house for a Natatorial themed gathering. What a great time of fun, food, and fellowship. It was good to mingle with the kids. I saw many new faces and it make me very excited about our upcoming season in the student ministry. Here are some pics.

MY BROTHER RUINED MY LIFE

2008-07-18T10:12:00.005-04:00

Well before my mom freaks out about the title of this, I guess I should explain. Several weeks ago, my brother made a purchase. He bought the video game "Rock Band" for his gaming system. He went on and on about how much fun it was but I really didn't get the fuss. I had played guitar hero before and it was fine but nothing major. I actually find humor in the people who get all worked up about that game and consider themselves a real musician if they can play a Metallica song on a plastic guitar with five buttons. When you can play it on a real one, call me. Well, last Friday, I went over to my brothers house to meet up with them for the fireworks at Miami Meadows Park. We had some time to kill so we played his new game Rock Band. Needless to say, they ended up having to basically drag me to the fireworks. If you have no idea what I am talking about, click HERE for a demonstration of some dudes playing the game. Some might say that that playing some video game with your brother is no big deal but it gets worse. In playing that game at his house, he planted a seed...we now have the game at our house (belated birthday present from Julie). I am addicted. Playing the game myself is fun, but the best part is watching other people struggle with the instruments, especially the drums (Nathan is hilarious). The faces that they make are priceless. I will post a video of the Ponchot family rock band when I get a chance. Now don't get me wrong, we do not play this game all day, every day. The boys play a little during the day and we usually play a song or two together after dinner. The problem is at night. Most people go to bed at ten or eleven o'clock, not me. I start playing at about 11:00pm (everyone else is in bed any way) and then wander off to bed at about 1:00am (2:15am is my latest). I blame my brother...he ruined my life (well, maybe not my life but my sleeping schedule for sure). Rock-On.

GOOD TIMES

2008-07-08T10:18:00.005-04:00

It has been a fun past couple of weeks. Last week, we took a group of teens to the North American Christian (Teen) Convention. What a great time. I really enjoy spending time with our teens. They are great and crack me up constantly. Although we also spent most of our time on the teen side of the convention, it was neat to go over to the main convention and catch up with people I hadn't seen in years. Mostly old college buddies but there was also a slew (I can't believe I just used that word) of others that I have met in different times and places. I was surprised how quickly the names came back to me and the stories started flying. One of the cooliest things about the convention was that it was here in Cincinnati. It was neat because most of our kids have spent very little time downtown. One of the highlights of our time there was a trip to the top of the Carew tower. We all had a big time. There is really something special about seeing the whole city at once from such a beautiful view. I am so blessed to have such a great bunch of teens to spend time with. Special thanks goes out to Didi Back (adult sponsor) who took vacation time to go with us. THANK YOU DIDI!!!

I also had a great 4th of July. The day started out as a bummer (we had to postpone our traditional family/extended family 4th of July picnic until Saturday because of rain) but turned out great in the end. Julie took the boys down to Loveland to walk in the parade for our church while I took Kaitlin to the parade to watch. After the parade, we went with another family to eat some wings. We were able to sit out on the patio and had a perfect view to watch the fireworks from the restaurant. The postponed family picnic turned out great. It was a fun, relaxing time.

Good times...good times.

ATTENTION ALL JR/SR HIGH STUDENTS

2008-07-08T10:14:00.001-04:00

Ever get a song stuck in your head?

2008-06-25T10:33:00.001-04:00

I WILL NOT MISS THIS!

2008-06-23T09:37:00.002-04:00

I NEED MARLIN PERKINS!!!

2008-06-18T09:57:00.006-04:00

For those of you under thirty, a little clarification is required. Marlin Perkins was a well known zoologist who was best known for his television show, "Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom". He and his partner Jim Fowler, documented many encounters with wild animals. The TV show ran from the late sixties to the mid-eighties. Anyway, enough about the title of this blog. The point is, I have had several...."brushes with nature" over the past couple of weeks that are beginning to give me cause for alarm. The first was last week. I was taking a morning run (or "controlled fall" as it refers to me)at a local park near my home. Things were going well. I had not passed out yet and I was nearing the end. The reason why I run at this particular park is that it has a really cool section of the trail that goes through the woods(no pavement, fallen trees in the path, ect.) Well I come down a steep slope and around a sharp turn and suddenly find myself face to face with a deer standing right in my path. I literally almost lost control of my bowels. I stopped short of a head but with this deer by about four feet. Why does this stuff only happen to me? So there I was (I've always wanted to say that), eye to eye with a big doe. Neither one of us moved. They only thing going through my mind was that video on YouTube when that guy is attacked by the deer, funny then, but not now. All of the sudden, the deer tenses up and......snorts at me, turns, and bounds away. I just stood there for a moment, stunned. I checked my shorts for damage (thankfully none), and went on my way. Crazy huh? But wait, there is more. Last night, I was playing baseball with Nathan in the back yard. It was great. I pitched him a curve ball right over the plate and he crushed it into the back corner of the yard. I run back to get it and find it right in the middle of our huge brush pile. I gingerly step on to the pile to retrieve the ball. As I reached down to pick it up, a baby deer jumps out of the pile a takes off across the yard. Again, a quick shorts check. The next thing I hear is Kaitlin screaming, "Look at that doggie! Look at that doggie! Daddy! That doggie has spots"! The deer is running laps around the yard. Unfortunately, our yard is fenced in and the deer is not quite large enough to jump over so every once in a while it tries to go through the fence. So I spent the next 20 minutes trying to get this deer out of my yard. I go open one gate, it runs to the other. I open the other gate it runs to the back. Nathan thinks this is the coolest thing in the world, he is telling me to catch it so that he can pet it. Kaitlin is also now telling me to "catch the doggie". I'm like yeah right, I've seen the show "When Animals Attack (click that link to see the picture in my mind)! So I keep trying to herd this thing to an open gate. So I'm running back and forth, doing the best I can to keep this stupid deer from ramming the fence when I hear my neighbor yell from his yard "Hey! It's not deer season yet". He was cracking up...I didn't find this amusing at all. Anyway, so finally, I steer the deer to the open gate and out he went. Hopefully not to the park where I run...or maybe...could it be... that these incidents are related...hmmm?

GUITAR LESSONS

2008-06-17T12:12:00.002-04:00

As some of you know, I play the guitar a little. The only problem is that I have never had any formal training. I'm basically self taught. I really want to be able to take my playing to the next level, but I have too many bad habits in my technique that hinder my progress. I have wanted to take lessons for years but really have never had the time or the money to make it happen. That has all changed now. I have now found a way to take lessons based on my time constraints and budget. I am taking them online!!! Here is my first lesson.

AS REQUESTED...

2008-06-16T09:44:00.001-04:00

CICADAS

2008-06-13T10:01:00.004-04:00

CICADAS:
I do not like cicadas, man.
I do not like them, Dan I am.
I do not like them in the trees.
I do not like them on my knees.
I do not like them on my face.
I do not like them any place.
I do not like the way they smell.
I do not like their crunchy shell.
I do not like them on my house.
I do not like them on my spouse.
Not on my chair, not in my hair,
I do not like them anywhere.
I do not like the sound they make.
I do not like to watch them mate.
I do not like cicadas, man.
I do not like them, Dan I am.

MY DAUGHTER HITS THE BIG SCREEN

2008-04-28T12:22:00.005-04:00

This is my daughter Kaitlin kicking off our Sunday night student worship last night.

THE END OF AN ERA

2008-04-22T14:11:00.002-04:00

It is with a heavy heart that I must inform you that the Ponchot family has reached the end of an era. Our family dog of nearly 13 years, Toby, is no longer with us. Yes, the "geriatric arthritic episode" ridden dog is no more. Last Thursday, we had him put down. It was a tough decision but one that needed to be made. He had been suffering for quite a while and it was clearly time. You should know that even though I have often spoken ill against that stupid dog, I do indeed miss him...a little...very little. I did, however, make every effort to make his last day on this earth a good one. It started off with a nice walk on a nature trail. He loved it. He had a great time smelling all the dog droppings, weeds, dead animals, and all the other smells that only a dog could love. He started off strong but began to struggle towards the end (arthritis). The walk was followed by a trip through McDonald's drive through for a double cheeseburger. I really don't know if he enjoyed it or not because he would eat anything (and often did) . All in all, he seemed very content and I'm glad to have had him as our pet. Memorials for Toby may be sent to the Ponchot Pool Resurfacing Fund (more on our pool mess later).

WHAT'S GOING ON?

2008-04-08T10:45:00.013-04:00

I have started to realize a couple of "blogging truths" about myself: #1) When not much is going on, I tend to post very frequently (I'm good at sharing random thoughts). #2) When I have a lot going on, the blogging is the first thing to go. You would think that it would be the opposite. The more going on the more you have to say. Evidently, not for me. Anyway, much has been going on over the last few weeks. Two weeks ago, we held our student overnight retreat. It was really cool. The title for the weekend was RENOVATE and the theme was focused on finding out: who you really are, where you are, and what God wants you to be. It was kind of the wrap up of a series that we have been doing for the winter season in the student ministry. This retreat was different that others we have done in the past. We really tried to make this one personal for the students. Sure they spent time together in worship, in small groups, but also in time alone with God. I really think that the kids got a chance to allow God to do some renovation in their lives.

It was also a great opportunity to spend some hang time with a great group of teens. We had a big time. I am so lucky to serve at a church will such a great group. I truly love them all. As great as our teens are, I also serve with a phenomenal group of adult volunteers. Huge thanks to Doran, Didi, Angi, Tamara, Rhonda, Chip, Jen, John, Aaron, and Julie. You guys are awesome. The only tough thing about the weekend was the lack of sleep. I must be getting old.

Last weekend, another overnight event at church. I had the privilege of taking a group of 3rd-5th graders to an event called Super Start. I don't usually spend a lot of time with that age group but it was a real treat. I used to think that the loudest sound on earth was the sound of a 7th grade girl screaming. I think that I might have to change my opinion. It might be a 4th grade boy. Crazy. Anyway, it was good to be with them and I was so proud of our LCC kids. They really know how to worship. Probably the best things for me about the weekend was that my son, Jacob, was one of the kids that went with us. He is one of the funniest people I know and he really loves the Lord (see video below). Anyway, that is what's going on right now, more later.

BUMMER

2008-03-26T11:55:00.010-04:00

I was so excited. After months of making my office computer do more than it should be able to do, I was on my way to a more suitable replacement. My good buddy Chip was in the process of updating himself and graciously offered to give me his slightly used desktop. Although used to him, it had everything that I needed to make things go much easier for me (more ram, 10xbetter video processor, and on and on). It was going to be great! I picked it up from Chips house last night, place the CPU behind my seat and went on to a coffee meeting at about 7:30pm. I returned home at about 8:30pm, parked in the garage and went inside for the night. I woke up this morning at about 6:30am and went to get in my car. Nothing out of the ordinary except that the garage door had been left open. Not really a huge deal so off I went. When I arrived at the office, I made one trip inside and then went back out to bring in my "new" computer. It was gone. I quickly went back through the previous 12 hours in my mind. It hit me at once. Someone had come into my garage, opened the back door of my car, and taken the computer (along with video editing software I had just purchased...it was so sweet). The police came and filled out a report. Turns out I was number five over the last few days in our area. The policeman said that I was lucky. Most of the other people had car windows broken out. Crazy stuff. Anyway, I guess the moral of the story is: 1) Close your garage door 2)lock your car doors 3)keep lots of lights on 4)get a lap top...you can keep it with you.

MARCH MADNESS?

2008-03-20T12:38:00.004-04:00

Well it's March 20th and to millions of Americans that means one thing, the first round of the Mens NCAA Basketball Tournament. For the last 15 years, it has been one of my favorite things on this earth. I love college basketball. Last week was unbelievable. For those of you you don't know, last week was when all of the conference tournaments were played. I must have watched about 25 games in about four days. I have a problem. What's even worse is that today, the day of the first round, I am scheduled off work. I should be in paradise. But there is something weird about today and I can't seen to put my finger on exactly what it is. There is something wrong with me. Maybe I burned myself out last week, or maybe I feel guilty for wasting so much time last week watching for hours on end. Whatever it is, as I sit here typing this, my beloved wife Julie is in the other room watching my beloved Xavier Musketeers play Georgia. I'm not. Another oddity is that I have not filled out a single bracket. Usually I fill out many. Some online, some in the office, some with friends, but this year.....not one. What is wrong with me? Am I sick? Am I having a pity party because of something else? Am I finally coming to my senses? Have I gone mad? I really don't know. This is a strange phenomenon that I need to research. Well I guess that's it. I'm going off to.....read a book? Weird.

Chips Anyone?

2008-03-18T15:32:00.001-04:00

I HATE SNOW

2008-03-08T18:46:00.000-05:00

I hate snow. Really, I do.

Why I Like Xavier Basketball (part 1)

2008-03-03T10:46:00.005-05:00

If you are a UC fan, watch the whole thing. It might make you feel better.

WEEKEND AT BELIEVE

2008-02-18T09:53:00.011-05:00

What a great weekend! This past Friday, it was my pleasure to take a great group of Jr High kids to an overnight conference called BELIEVE. It was neat on so many levels. First of all, it was cool to spend some time getting to know some of the kids that just started this fall in my ministry. For some of them, it was their first time being in a hotel without their parents. It was funny because they would ask me questions like "Can I really eat this whole bag of candy?" My theory on that is that the quicker that they get hyped up eating their "Sams Club" size bags of pop rocks, candy bars and bubble tape and drinking three bottles of Mountain Dew... the quicker they CRASH. This year was a record. The the guys were asleep by 2:45am. On a more serious note, time in the hotel is also a time for some real relationship building and ministry. All of the guys in my room were great! They cracked me up all night! I think I heard the jingle "F-R-E-E that spells free, credit report dot come baby" about 4,682 times( you now will be singing that all day). The conference itself was really good this year. A little different than past years but really good. The theme was CONNECT, as in connecting to God. Junior high kids are at a point in their life when they really start to take their faith seriously and on a more personal level. The BELIEVE program did a really good job at helping the kids begin to take their connection with God to a deeper level. It was also BIG, they had just under 5,000 6th, 7th, and 8th graders there. My ears are still ringing, not from the music but from the sound of so many Jr High girls (and some boys) screaming at the top of their lungs. You have to experience it to understand. Anyway, the conferenc was great and our kids (and sponsors) were fantastic! I was so proud of them. They were polite, kind, and helpful to each other and to everyone they came in contact with. What a great group. My weekend finished with a great night at IMPACT (sunday night student worship). The night included Frosted Flakes, worship, and cutouts of various teens in our ministry. I was excited to see a few new faces and everyone was in a crazy mood. That's always a good combination. I am now looking forward to the 1st weekend in April for our RENOVATE 2008 WEEKEND. It's really coming together and should be really cool.

"F-R-E-E that spells free, credit report dot com baby" (your welcome).

YOU ARE INVITED!!!

2008-02-08T10:16:00.000-05:00

If you have a computer in your home, this is a must attend. The evening will be divided into two sessions. The first session (at 7:00pm) is designed for kids third grade and above along with their parents. The second session will feature a live demonstration and will include a parental warning. Please make plans to attend!!!

For more information, please contact Brian Richard at brichard@lovedtolove.org

Another Super Sunday

2008-02-04T09:44:00.000-05:00

What a great night! We had food, fun, laughing, some football, and the best part, no commercial interruptions. Have I lost my mind? No commercials? Aren't the commercials the best part? I guess I should clarify. Our student ministry meets on Sunday nights for teen worship. And last night, like many others, we had our normal program. What a great time. Goofing off with the Jr and Sr High folks is always fun and worship was really neat. As part of our worship time last night I showed a clip from the movie "Facing the Giants"(I told you we had football) (clip is below). After the clip we looked at 1 Samuel and the story of David and Goliath. You see we all have "Giants" in our lives. We all have things the we feel are too big to overcome. Our teens (and adult sponsors) then took part in an experience where we idetified our giants and asked God to help us overcome them. Some of the "giants" that were identified were: selfishness,fighting, unpure thoughts, schedules, stealing, nicotine addiction, and many others. Heavy duty stuff. A lot of times we (I said we because me too) give a half hearted effort at facing our "giants" and something really interesting happens.....nothing. We simply sell ourselves short. We defeat ourselves long before we find out that God has given us all the ability to face (AND DEFEAT) our "giants". The movie clip does a great job as an illustration of what God can do for us. I can just see/hear Him on His hands and knees right beside us as we crawl along, pleading with us not to give up, not to quit, and to work through the pain! The problem is we tend to look around, start listening to our bodies and then our "giants" deal a death blow. If we would all just concentrate on God's voice, listen to Him, we could all face our "giants" and start to be the people that God would have us to be. Anyway, it was cool. I must say, I wasn't sure what to think going into last night. All morning yesterday, I literally had parent after parent and student after student tell me that they were not coming to the Sunday night student service. I got the feeling that people thought I was nuts to have a student thing on such a "super" night or that I should have just had a party and watched the game. I'm glad that we did what we did. It was good for me and I think that is was good for everyone else. I had some "giants" that I needed to face and I now know that with God...I can do it...and so can you. In case you were wondering...I was home by the middle of the third quarter. Evidently, I didn't miss anything.

Great Moments In High School Athletics (part one)

2008-01-30T09:06:00.000-05:00

Getting To Know You 2008 vol.1

2008-01-28T12:43:00.000-05:00

THE DOG STORY FROM LAST TUESDAY

2008-01-16T13:38:00.000-05:00

I am writing this for no other reason than to finish a story that I was telling to a couple of friends at church this last week. If you find this story offensive...I'm sorry. Remember that the thoughts conveyed on this blog are my own alone. Also, if you are one of my kids, stop reading this and go do your home work, clean your room or something. To start the story, I'm going to give a little background. I have a wonderful family that includes a wife, a boy, another boy and a little girl. They are the "wind beneath my wings". You know...when you think about that statement...What is that supposed to mean....wings?....I don't have wings....anyway, they are great so back to the story. Along with my wonderful family, I have...a dog. His name is Toby and he is a black lab. Toby is eleven years old. I guess some would call him a good family dog and he has been good with people over the years but that fact of the matter is...he has been a lot of trouble to me. Over the last eleven years, he has eaten shoes, leather jackets, wreaths (long story), entire loafs of bread, steaks (and other people food), toys, balls, and just about anything else that you can think of. He also sheds, tracks in mud, digs for moles, swims in our pool (yes, dogs shed in the pool), sleeps in our bed (wife's fault), is deaf (big problems) and is always under my feet at the worst times. On top of that, over his long (and I mean long) life (he's like 80 in dog years), Toby has cost me literally thousands in vet and food bills. With all that...I'm ready for him to go to doggy heaven(I don't really believe that pets go to heaven but it is a nice way to say that I want him to die). Anyway, last Tuesday, I thought that I had my wish. We were eating dinner and Toby was in our sun room (you can't have him in the room while food is out or it's gone). After dinner I went down into the family room to relax. A couple of minutes later, Julie (the wife) came to me and said, "you need to come into the sun room, Toby is in some kind of distress". Immediately, a smile broke over my face, Julie knew what I was thinking and she urged me not to show my feelings in front of the kids. Into the sun room I went (I was skipping). The scene was indeed sad. Toby could not stand up and his back legs seemed "locked" underneath him. He was also shaking terribly. I felt sorry for him. I may want him to move on but I don't want him to suffer in any way. So I called the vet. Of course, our vet was closed but they connected me to the Emergency Vet Hospital on red bank road (I have been there a few times, very expensive but they do great work). Of course they told me to bring him in as soon as possible. So I picked him up (85lbs of squirming crying dog) and put him in my car. It was pouring down rain on the way down but I was going to get him there as soon as I could. All the way there, he didn't make a sound...he just laid silent in the back seat. While he was laying there, I was preparing myself for what was coming. What was I going to say to the vet if the news was bad? What was I going to tell the kids? No smile on my face anymore. This was truly sad. I got there and went right in to tell them that I was here and probably needed something or someone to help get him out of the car. The lady at the desk replied, "Really? You would be surprised at what the ride here can do." What was she talking about? Ride here? Didn't she understand that my stupid dog was on his death bed? She then pointed out the window to my car. Toby was no longer laying quietly in the back dying but was sitting up in the driver seat fogging up the windshield. I trudged out to the car (still raining) and opened the door. Toby hopped down and walked right into the hospital. Now...I was mad. He had got me...again. The vet said that he had some kind of "geriatric arthritic episode". WHAT? But I was ready....I had my talk all planned out...GERIATRIC ARTHRITIC EPISODE? The vet even commented on how healthy he was for his age....gee thanks. Anyway, so $120.00 later, me and my geriatric dog went home to break the good news to the family...Toby is going to be a round for a loooong time.

How's Your New Years Resolution Going?

2008-01-11T09:04:00.000-05:00

So.....Did you make a new years resolution? If you did, you are not alone. Millions of people each year begin the year with a promise to do something (or not do something) that they did (or didn't do) the previous year. Some resolutions are very "high and lofty" and outward focused like, "This year I am going to be nicer to people" or "This year I resolve to make the world a better place". You know, the nice sounding, unmeasurable types. Others go the route of self improvement. They might be education related "I'm going to learn a foreign language", or hygiene related ; "I going to quite picking my nose". But the one that trumps them all is the resolution to lose weight. Maybe you made that one for this year. If you did, I'm here to help!!!
Take a look below at the latest weight loss tool that is sweeping the nation!!!

MY NEW BEST FRIEND

2007-12-03T09:39:00.001-05:00

I would like to introduce you to my new best friend. I know that you might think that referring to a plumbing fixture as my best friend might might seem a little odd but believe me, it's true. You see when you spend such a large amount of quality time with a fixture such as this, you kind of form a bond. This weekend, my family got a visit from the stomach flu. It was a bad one. It started Friday night when I was holding my sweet little girl in my arms while she proceeded to throw up all over me. Nice, I know. She continued all through the night and into Saturday morning. This is also the weekend that Julie had a six hour class on Saturday and then a four hour woman's dinner thing after that. I was holding it all together until Nathan (my middle child) started Saturday evening. Oh what fun! So my little girl was hanging on me while I was introducing Nathan to our new "family friend". I must say that Nathan was a trooper about it and was very good at getting to our "friends house" in time. Kaitlin...not so much. It was getting to be about 8:30pm when I noticed that I had not really eaten anything all day. Why wasn't I even hungry (a rarity for me)? A few hours later, I got my answer. I was literally up all night. At about 3:30am Sunday morning (while I was taking a few moments away from my friend), I realized that I had big problem. Our Worship Arts Minister at our church(Jared) is off this week and I was supposed to lead three worship services for him. I started to think of my options Lead remotely from the bathroom? Port-o-let on the stage? It was then that I drifted off to sleep for a couple of hours. When I woke up, I decided to just try to make it happen, so into the shower and off to church. The ride to church was rough. I was starting to think that this wasn't such a good idea. When I got to my office I broke down and called Jared with my sob story. To make a long (and gross) story short, Jared (whom to me is the "Citizen of The Day), said no problem, he would cover for me. So back home I went to spend some more quality time with my new "best friend". I think that we are now pretty much through the woods. Thanks to everyone that helped out in my absence and allowed me to rest. Don't forget to wash your hands after reading this, I don't what to be responsible for introducing you to a new "friend".

PONCHOT THANKSGIVING

2007-11-27T09:15:00.001-05:00

Sorry for the long time since my last post but our family has just returned from down south. As we do most years, the Ponchot family (Dan, Julie, Jacob, Nathan, and Kaitlin) spent our "Traditional" Thanksgiving with Julie's mom and dad down in Florida. What a great week! We have never had such perfect weather. Thanksgiving day was a balmy 80 degrees and we spent most of it down on the beach. (above is the view from the back deck of our condo) The kids really enjoyed the ocean. They spent hours splashing around and making sand castles. Is was really nice to see them playing together so well for so long. Usually when they are together for extended periods of time, it ends up sounding like world war III. It is definitely safe to say that a good time was had by all. I think that my favorite thing about our trip was just spending time with Julie and the kids. God has blessed me with a great family. I really don't deserve them. But I guess that's how God works, He gives us many things that we don't deserve. How awesome!!! Anyway, enough of the sappy stuff. To sum it all up, we had a great vacation. I basically did nothing but sit on the beach, eat, golf (Thanks Bud and Peggy), and be with the family. Here are some more pictures.

CAUGHT IN THE ACT

2007-11-14T14:19:00.000-05:00

Yesterday.....I was caught in the act. I have been in turmoil today trying to decide weather or not to share the events of yesterday with the blog world and until this time, I was pretty sure I would take this major embarrassment with me to my grave. So in the interest in the greater good of all mankind, here it goes. Yesterday, I was driving to lunch when I got caught at a stop light here in town. Minding my own business I hear a horn make a short blast to my left. Next to me was a police officer with his window down trying to get my attention. Being the fine outstanding citizen that I am, I quickly rolled down my window. The officer said, "You know, I could give you a ticket for that". Immediately, I started to freak out. I checked my seat belt. It was on and secure. I checked the volume on my radio, fine. I did a quick check of windows, but everything seemed fine. So I glanced back to the officer and said, "Excuse me?". Again, he said (now laughing) "You know, I could give you a ticket for that". Now I was totally at a loss so I replied "A ticket....for what?" By now this fine officer was really cracking up and said, " I could give you a ticket for picking your nose like that in public". Evidently, I had mindlessly been doing some serious mining of mineral resources (booger nuggets). I must say that I really don't embarrass that easily, but this was a whole new level for me. By this time, the guy was laughing pretty hard so I started to chuckle myself. What else can you do when you are caught in the act.
So enough of my embarrassing moments, what about you? Leave a comment on this post revealing one of your most embarrassing moments. I will be good to finally get it off of your chest(and it might make me feel better about myself by laughing at you).

COMING SOON TO LCC STUDENT MINISTRY!

2007-11-12T09:04:00.000-05:00

Decompressing Dan

2007-10-26T08:48:00.001-04:00

Every once in a while, I have to go somewhere to... decompress. Now many people often feel this need and so they decompress in their own ways. Some go to movies(too expensive), some go golfing (not something that helps me decompress but actually puts me into a mini-rage), some people scrapbook(hmmmm.....no), some people sleep(boring), and others just veg out in front of the TV (I can't sit still that long). While all of those ways are fine to me(except the scrapbook thing), I prefer the simpler things. I like doing things that do not involve a lot of deep thinking, that involve the possibility that someone might get injured (ask Brad about that one), and that involve getting so filthy dirty that you basically throw away the clothes that you are wearing when you are finished. Riding four wheelers gets the job done. Yesterday, me and Hosehead(Brad) went four wheeling. Brad's dad owns a couple and was nice enough to let us borrow them. What a great time. I was especially excited to go because of all of the rain the past few days. Mud+Four Wheeler=Fun. Believe it or not, the ground was fairly dry. I must admit that I was a little disappointed. Trailing through Brad's G-Ma's woods was fun but where was the mud? Eventually... we found it(see picture above). It was good to decompress.

IT SEEMED LIKE A GOOD IDEA AT THE TIME

2007-10-12T12:41:00.000-04:00

It seemed like a good idea at the time. How many times in your life have you said this? I can attest that I have said it many times myself. There was the time when I was about twelve, me and a friend thought that a six foot long board would make for a good ramp to jump our bikes off of. We also thought that it was a good idea to start stacking a few railroad ties to make the ramp higher. It worked out okay until we got about seven ties stacked up. Think about it. A six foot long ramp that went about six feet high. When I hit the ramp I went up about twelve feet. The only things I really remember is hitting the ground (still on my bike) and my left pedal breaking off. It seemed like a good idea at the time (I have a nice scar on my left knee that is proof of this). Another was when a group of college friends and I (Julie was there too) decided to enter an unmarked cave in the hills of northeastern Tennessee. The entrance to the cave was in the back of this farmers field. This thing went on forever. We trudged through waist deep water, through small openings on our hands and knees, up small inclines and down others. Of course, it was very dark. At one point, however, the fearless leader of the group said "You may want to stay close to the right against the wall for a little bit". I did as I was told but when I looked to my left with my flashlight, I noticed that we were walking on about a twelve inch wide ledge with about a thirty foot drop off to the side. Again, it seemed like a good idea at the time. I must admit, it has been a while since I have had one of those "It seemed like a good idea at the time" moments....until last week. To make a long story short, last week, I received a call from an old friend. He told me that the Putt-Putt place in Milford was closing down and that the owner wanted to give me something that I might be able to use in my ministry
(I had known the owner for years). My friend went on to tell me that if I wanted, I could have the "Bank shot Basketball" court. I immediately said "OF COURSE".

***BELOW IS A PICTURE TO EXPLAIN BANK SHOT BASKETBALL-THINK PUTT-PUTT WITH A BASKETBALL AND HOOP***

I was so excited! Think of the possibilities of having such a piece of recreation equipment. What could it mean for Loveland Christian Church? What could it mean for my family? My mind was racing. It was then my friend informed me that since I wanted it, it needed to be out of there by the next day. No Problem. I joyfully went off to claim my prize.

After about four hours into taking these stinking awkward things off of their mountings (two ladders, five guys (who hate me now), and about twenty cuts from the fiberglass), I had a realization. Where am I going to put 19 fiberglass backboards with rims? All I can say is that now, when people ask Julie for directions to our house, all she says is, "It's the house with the big pile of fiberglass junk in the side yard that my stupid husband has no clue what to do with".

It seemed like a good idea at the time.

Thoughts on The Renaissance

2007-10-01T09:48:00.000-04:00

In my time at college, part of my education involved a two year block of study called Humanities. It's hard to explain but think of world history, literature, philosophy, fine arts, and composition all rolled into one killer course. There were books to read(from Homer to Sophocles to Augustine to Erasmus to Shakespeare, Keats, Shelley, and on and on)lectures to hear, papers to write, and slide shows to watch depicting the art style of the period we were covering. I must say, back then, I really didn't see the point of all of the ramblings of the professors, endless reading, and the hours of viewing "works of art"....until now. This past weekend, my family made a trek back in history "Brought alive again" to a place called "The Ohio Renaissance Festival". Please understand, I am definitely NOT an expert the Renaissance period. I am frankly surprised that I can even spell it. I think that Renaissance is french for rebirth or something like that. To my recollection, some famous artist of that time were people like Michelangelo, daVinci, and Botticelli (or something like that). That's the depth of my memory but there we were all the same...The Ohio Renaissance Festival. Overall, we had a great time. The food was great ( I highly recommend the soup in a bread bowl)! There were shops everywhere. Wooden swords, clothing from the time, wooden swords, sticks, wooden swords, suits of armor, wooden swords....I think that you get the picture. The place was huge and there were many things to do. There were different shows that ran throughout the day and we were able to take in a couple. One was called, "The Mud Show". It was pretty funny. The one I really wanted to see(and by the size of the crowd, so did everyone else) was a real live joust with horses and everything. We went early to get a good seat. It took a long time to get to the jousting (lots of ceremony and the like). There was an announcer in the middle of the arena on this huge black horse that was trying to get the crowd all hyped up (probably 1,000+ people). The guy basically divided the crowd in two and each side was to cheer for their rider. He evidently picked me out of the the 1,000 people there to chastise for not cheering enough. He stopped the whole thing and pointed right at me and said "YOU!!! YES YOU!!! (he went on to describe me so that everyone knew who the slacker was) WHY DOEST THOU NOT CHEER FOR YOUR KNIGHT?" Needless to say, I cheered after that. Finally, the knights were going to make their first pass (can you feel the excitement?). The one dude dealt a direct blow and knocked the other off of his horse. Game over. All of that for one pass. Oh well. The funniest thing about the whole day was watching the people. Some people really take this whole renaissance thing seriously but at different levels:

Level One (spent 100's of $ on outfit, real sword)- They wore the whole outfit, shoes included. They even spoke with an accent. They drink their beverage (never carbonated) from a real, wooden, mug. These people would never be caught eating a frozen banana(they evidently had them during the renaissance you know).

Level Two (bought a cool outfit but no shoes and fake sword)- From far away they look like level one until you see work boots and wooden sword. These people do however, drink their Pepsi from a brown colored, plastic mug.

Level Three (bought part of an outfit while there, no wooden sword, but a walking stick)-They may have a horned Viking hat or a cloak on over their blue jeans. They Drink from a Pepsi paper cup but do like to eat the turkey leg thing.

Level Four (these people are confused)- A level four person dresses like Harry Potter or Captain Jack Sparrow or might even wear something from Star Wars . They are not really sure about the whole Renaissance thing. They like to eat frozen bananas.

Just a short note, please do not be offended if you are a level one, two, or three person. I think that you are great. If you are a level four person...you need help.

Overall, I guess I would recommend a visit to the Ohio Renaissance Festival. We did have fun, but spent a few bucks. It was also nice to put my education in the Renaissance period to good use (ha ha). Best of all, we can now mark another item off of..."The List"(see previous post).

This post is titled: "Dan Does Not Really Feel Like Writing Today So He Is Just Going To Post An Old Video"

2007-09-24T10:12:00.000-04:00

RENOVATE: Night Number One

2007-09-17T16:05:00.000-04:00

Last night...was cool. I case you haven't heard, last night, our student ministry at LCC, kicked off a new season long series entitled RENOVATE. It was also the first official night of IMPACT (our Sunday night student "thingy") in our new schedule format. I must say that in the hours prior to starting, I wasn't sure what was going to happen. I'm glad it wasn't up to me. God did some really cool things. We started off with our Jr High students and all I can say is that I had a blast. They were so much fun to be with and they really responded to our talk about renovation. After that, we had our combined Jr/Sr. High worship. I must admit, I had to do a double take when I walked through the doors to the worship center. There were teens every where. It was good to see several new faces and other faces that I haven't seen much in the last month or so. Worship time was good. Our kids really know how to honor God. Our Senior high talk time was great. Again, it was good to be with them. We had some good discussion and there were times of humor as well as deep contemplation. I think this new series is going to change some people (me included). Can't wait for next week!

Excitement Abounds!

2007-09-10T09:59:00.000-04:00

I have not been this excited since High School Musical 2 came out (insert sarcastic laugh here). I can't sleep, I can't eat (yeah right), and frankly, I can't sit still (nothing new there). Why? I thought that you would never ask! This Sunday, the LCC student ministry is kicking off our fall IMPACT season. This year, we are doing a season long series entitled RENOVATE. It is also the first week of our new schedule.

6:30-7:30pm Jr High Only (6th-8th Grades)

7:10-7:40pm Combined Worship (All Grades)

7:45-8:30pm Senior High Only (9th-12th Grades)

If you have no idea of what IMPACT is, I will try to fill you in. IMPACT (Illustrations, Music, Prayer, and Christ Teachings) is our student Bible Study, fellowship, and worship service. Basically, anything goes (that's Biblical). The best way for me to explain IMPACT to you is for you to check it out for yourself. If you have any questions or need more information, please email me at http://dponchot@lovedtolove.org.

Since you are reading this, I feel that you and I have formed a bond that allows me to ask something of you, trust me, it's not money. I would like to ask you to pray for the student ministry. Pray for our students, our sponsors, and our staff. Pray that God's truths will be heard every week this fall. Pray that programming and schedules will not replace the moving of the Holy Spirit. Got it?? I will pause for a moment for you to pray right now....(insert your prayer here).....AMEN! THANKS!!! I really believe that God is going to do some cool stuff this year and that students lives will be changed. Excitement abounds!!!

The List.....

2007-09-07T08:57:00.000-04:00

As we approach the time of year when deciduous trees drop their leaves, when kids are back in school, when the air is crisp and clear (except in southern Ohio), and when the local stores have had their Halloween items out for a full two months, it can only mean one thing. Summer is over. As I look back to what was the "Ponchot Family Summer", I am drawn to a mysterious writing that I have never actually seen with my own eyes, but it's effect on our family has been profound. It's called...the List. You see last spring, my lovely (and wise) wife Julie, put together "The List". The "List" was simply a gathering of all the things that she thought that we should do during the summer as a family. Usually, summer flies by without making a sound except for maybe a weeks vacation. Not this year. I think she is on to something. The "List" contained many items. Some were very simple, like buying an ice cream from the ice cream truck. Others were more involved, like a three day camping experience. The "List" also included trips to parks, trips to farms, going to a drive-in movie (I hadn't done that in years), having kid movie night at home, and many others. You might think that it made for a highly regimented , scheduled summer but it wasn't like that at all. I don't even think that we made it through the entire "List" (especially since I have never been privy to read it) but I do know we gave it a run. All I can say is that this summer was great! I highly recommend that you hire my wife next spring to help you make your own "List"(just kidding). I will add a short word of caution to all guys, the "List" was not all fun and games. There were also some home projects on the "List". Be ye warned. Uh Oh....something just occurred to me...is she working on...the fall... "List"?

Wednesday Morning: Spam, Opossum, and Dark Roast Coffee

2007-09-05T09:21:00.000-04:00

I love Wednesday mornings! Every Wednesday, I have the opportunity to meet the chairman of our Elders for coffee and conversation. I know that to a lot of you that may seem a little weird. Meeting the "boss" fun? It's actually the highlight of my weekday mornings. I have told other youth ministers about meeting with chairman of the Elders for coffee and its always the same reply, "So what did you do?". I then tell them that I have met with him every Wednesday morning for the last few years and the look of astonishment is priceless. The truth of the matter is that meeting with him has really helped me in my ministry here at LCC. A lot of the spiritually impactful things that we have done in our ministry have come from one of our Wednesday morning talks. I look to him for advice not only in my ministry, but also in just about every aspect of my life. Now don't get me wrong, the talk is not always high brow and intellectual, far from it. In fact, we often change topics of conversation minute by minute. It can go from insights on the ministry of Jesus to what's on sale at Bass Pro shops to how to cook opossum to any other off the wall concept. One thing that you also need to know about the chairman of our elders, he is a Half-Price Book Store "junkie". This year alone, he has probably given me about ten books. Some are very spiritual in nature (maybe a book about Biblical truths), some are not. My favorite is a book titled "SPAM- A Biography". I really never know what we are going to talk about. Probably the best part of the Wednesday morning though is spending some time in prayer. It is a great mid-week pick me up. I am so glad to be at a church where I can be so open with all of our leadership, especially "The Chairman". God has truly blesses our church leadership with some awesome people. Well, I hope that this look into what is known as the Dan Ponchot Wednesday Morning Experience was insightful to you. Hopefully it might explain why I am a little goofy at about 9:30am on Wednesdays. A few cups of dark roast has that effect on me.

15 YEARS AGO TODAY...

2007-08-29T09:33:00.001-04:00

Fifteen years ago today:
A first class stamp was $0.29, the song/record of the year was Tears in Heaven by Eric Clapton, the top sitcom on television was Roseanne, a gallon of gas cost $1.47, George H.W. Bush was in the White House, the first web sites were being created on the new Internet, hurricane Andrew just hit south Florida killing 23, and the super Nintendo was the big gaming system. I know, thanks for the history lesson.

While those events are huge in the day that was August 29th, 1992, none can compare to the big event of that day. You see, 15 years ago today, Julie Horan agreed to become my wife. Over the years, when people have asked me how long I have been married, I often joke, "ten(or whatever it really was)but it feels like thirty" (ha ha). The truth be told, today, as we celebrate 15 years of wedded bliss, it seems like yesterday. In fact, to look at my wife Julie, it could have been yesterday. Even after shuffling from Tennessee to Ohio, job changes, house changes, three kids, and two (stupid) dogs, the girl hasn't changed. She looks the same, smiles the same, and even acts the same. Even her easily recognizable "Julie" laugh is the same (I can hear it a mile away). Being around Julie, I feel like I'm still a goofy teenager (no offense to all of my goofy LCC teenagers), at least until I look in the mirror or get on a scale.

I hear people talk all the time about "soul mates", "the love of my life", and things like to refer to their significant other. To me, those phrases pale in comparison to what my wife of 15 years means to me. You see, 15 years ago today, God gave me the second greatest gift ever. He gave me Julie

Someone is watching you.

2007-08-28T09:55:00.000-04:00

Now don't take the title of this simple blog to mean something weird. I am not going to ask "Have you checked the children?" or "Do you want to see something really scary?" or any thing else that is related to some cheesy horror movie. In the course of my ministry, I have used the phrase "someone is watching you" many times to illustrate that people watch us, and what we do as Christians, to see how a person of God is supposed to act. True statement but recently in my life, I have noticed that the "Someone is watching you" thing has gone to a whole new level. Not only are people watching me but some people are mimicking me. Mainly, my kids. Sometimes, I look at these wonderful children and I see....me. Nothing that Hollywood could produce in the horror movie genre could frighten me as much as watching my kids act, talk, and eat the same way that I do. My oldest son has a great sense of humor (not from me) and often does (and says)the goofiest things. I tell my wife "I don't know where he comes up with this stuff" and she says..."He's just like YOU". My middle child, Nathan, hates to lose, AT ANYTHING! Again, my wife informs me that he is competitive... just like me. My youngest (a three year old female terror), likes to sing random songs...just like me.
I must admit to you that sometimes when people tell me that my kids are like me in this way or that, a small sense of pride comes to my mind. It's fun to hear that my kid eats his peanut butter and jelly...just like me or he has a goofy sense of humor...just like me or she sings random songs...just like me but what I really would like hear someday is....Man your kid's love Jesus....just like you.

LCC CRIBS

2007-08-20T10:13:00.000-04:00

We did this video and laughed the whole time during the shoot and the editing. Evidently it is more humorous to the participants than to the general public.

New Series For This Season Of IMPACT

2007-08-03T15:07:00.001-04:00

TIRED

2007-08-01T06:25:00.000-04:00

I'm tired. For the past 10-14 days it seems that things have been going nonstop. Last week, I had the pleasure (no kidding, a pleasure) to take a group of senior high youth to summer conference in Carbondale, Il. What a great time! If you have never taken a group of teens to a week long conference, I highly recommend it. I do, however, recommend that you take along a great group of adult sponsors to help out (as I always do). Our kids were great. It is truly awesome to see how they are maturing in their faith. The tendency at these conferences is for teens to respond out of emotion and the heat of the moment and get all fired up every night. While that's not all bad, it usually doesn't last. This year was different. Everyone in our group really seemed to be contemplating what they heard, saw, and felt every night. There was a lot of heavy duty soul searching going on and I think that some of them are still working through it. It seems that most of the time, people (teens and adults alike) go to high impact, emotionally charged, events like these and go crazy about Jesus while they are there but when they return home...reality sets in. I've seen kids (and adults) return from an events like summer conferences, men's retreats, woman's retreats, and revivals and then drop off the face of the earth. I simply never see them in church again. That is why it was so encouraging to see our teens really working everything out. It's really cool to see.
Another highlight of that week was that I had a heart attack. Don't freak out, it's not what you think (at least not yet). We had an afternoon off from conference so we went to a mall and decided to grab lunch at the food court. I glanced over the menus of the various eating establishments and quickly found the place that suited my fancy. Burger joint. Now this fine eating establishment had several kinds of burgers: Single, double, double with bacon, all of the ordinary fair. What I decided on, however, was their signature hamburger, THE "HEART ATTACK". I was made to consume a burger like this. (WARNING!!! Content of this hamburger not suitable for all readers) It had two patties with cheese on each. On top of that, they piled up shaved gyro meat about two inches high. On top of that was placed three really greasy pieces of bacon. All of this on a bun (already soaked with grease when I got it) along with all the fix ins' including that gyro sauce stuff. Good times. I actually felt my blood thicken as I ate.

This week, the craziness continues. It's vacation bible school week here at LCC. I used to think that the most ear piercing sound in the world was a seventh grade girl screaming, I may have thought wrong. The new winner might just be a couple of hundred kids during song time at VBS. They crack me up. To add to my craziness, for the last two days, I have been doing a painting job for my father-in-law. I HATE TO PAINT (especially at two o'clock in the morning)! Especially since it was a rush job that had to be done by this morning and as of last night at 11:30pm...it was done.
Like I have said...I'm tired but rest is on the way. Next Monday, me and the fam are going camping for a couple of days. It will be good to spend some time with them and I am looking forward to it.

So allow me to recap:
SUMMER CONFERENCE = Fun and encouraging
HEART ATTACKS(burgers of course) = $4.59 and a culinary experience that is unforgettable
VACATION BIBLE SCHOOL = Ear piercing but mucho funo
PAINTING ON A DEADLINE = STINKS but profitable
VACATION WITH FAMILY = Can't wait

THIS SUNDAY NIGHT AT IMPACT

2007-06-27T14:39:00.000-04:00

MIDDLER CAMP 2007

2007-06-25T12:56:00.001-04:00

I'm still tired. Last week, I took part in what has become a yearly gig for me. I served as a counselor at a week of church camp for some crazy (yet awesome) 3rd, 4th, and 5th graders. Yes, this age group is a little younger than what I am used to, but it was fun all the same. The amount of energy that these kids have is unbelievable. It's hard to explain life at church camp. It's kind of a continuous cycle of eating, walking, Bible study, laughing, swimming, eating, teaching, lining up, not sleeping, walking, tooting (I can't say the F#RT word, my mom may read this), praying, eating, singing, dancing, lining up, eating, Bible study, teaching...I think that you get the picture. Usually the week at camp flies by for me. This year, it didn't. I'm not sure why but the entire week just seemed to be a constant struggle. First of all, my right hip was out of socket most of the week. This causes great pain when I walk for a long time and and as mentioned above, walking is big at camp. They even had a chiropractor come to camp to adjust me but it didn't last long. Second of all, we had a lot of technical issues with computers, projectors, and sound equipment. Nothing went right. While none of those problems in themselves were really a big deal, together, they made for a long week. But I think that the biggest reason that week was such a struggle was just the emotional roller coaster that God decided I needed to ride.

ROLLER COASTER UPS:
The ups on my "emotional roller coaster" ride were awesome. One of which was spending time with "Hosehead" (Brad, my nephew). He makes me laugh so much that my face starts to hurt. He is truly a joy to be around and it is exciting to bounce my ideas off of him to see what he thinks. It doesn't seem to matter where we are or what we are doing, something funny is always happening. Another "Up" for the week was working with the teen counselors from our youth group here at LCC. I was so proud of them in that they honestly made the week about the kids and not about themselves. I knew they all had a heart for serving God, but it was just cool to see it in action. I hope they all understand the difference that they made in the lives of those kids at camp. Our teens were also fun to play pranks on. Shaving cream in the shoes was fine but my favorite was plastic wrapping one of our teen guys in his bed. It was so worth staying up until 3:30am to do it. He was so mad when he woke up. It took him like five minutes to get out. I crack myself up. Many other cool "UP" things happened but none would top what happened on Friday. You see Friday, my oldest son Jacob was baptized into Christ (thus the picture). I have never been so proud. What even made the moment more special to me was that he chose to be baptized not in the pool (like everyone else), but wanted to go "old school" and have it done in the lake. Yes, I know it doesn't really matter but I thought that it was cool all the same.
ROLLER COASTER DOWNS:
I guess it's not really fair to say that I had down moments. It would probably be more accurate to say that I had some "heavy" moments. Most of these "heavy" moments revolve around some of the kids that were in my group at camp. It's really amazing how close you can get to some kids that you only know for a few days. The more I joked with them, kidded with them, and simply cared for them, the more they opened up to talk. Eventually, I found myself being crushed in hearing some of the stuff that they deal with everyday at home. It was really hard to hear. Even though it was good to be able to share some scriptures with them and pray about each of their situations, I still struggled with...knowing. Really it wasn't the knowing what was happening thing that messed me up, (I have seen/heard stuff like that before) it was the knowing that at the end of the week, many of them were going right back into the life that they had left a few days earlier. I can only pray that God encouraged and strengthened them through their week at camp. It might have been through a song, a lesson, a word from a teen, a burping contest, or just about anything else that goes on at camp. My only hope is that the campers heard the message loud and clear....I know I did.

THIS WEEK AT IMPACT

2007-05-14T15:40:00.000-04:00

HINDI PART II

2007-04-29T17:44:00.000-04:00

थिस इस रेअल्ल्य क्रेच्किंग मे उप। सो मान्य पीपुल रेअल्ल्य वांट तो क्नोव वहत ई ऍम व्रितिंग। ई गुएस्स ठाट सोम परसों विल फिगुरे थिस आउट सूनेर ओर लेटर। थें मय फुं विल बे ओवर। बर्ड एस्तेप इस स्टील अ होसेहेअद।

पास,

डी.ए.प.

BLOG IN HINDI

2007-04-27T09:52:00.000-04:00

वेल्कोमे तो मय ब्लोग इन हिंदी। जुस्त सो ठाट यू अल क्नोव, तेरे इस अ फेतुरे नोव ओं ब्लॉगर ठाट अल्लोव्स यू तो राइट इन हिंदी। ई हवे नो आईडिया वहत गूढ़ थिस विल दो बुत इत इस रेअल्ल्य कूल। ई होप ठाट सोमोने विल रीड थिस ऎंड ऎंड लेट मे क्नोव ठाट थेय कैन रीड इत। थे ओनली थिंग ठाट ई रेअल्ल्य वांट तो सय इस ठाट बर्ड इस अ होसेहेअद।

पास,

डी.ए.प.

CORN INDIANA

2007-04-05T09:41:00.000-04:00

**WARNING-WHAT YOU ARE ABOUT TO READ COULD PUT YOUR LIFE AT RISK**
There is a place in this great country of ours in which the laws of logic do not exist. This place is known to very few "outsiders". In fact, thousands of people drive through there every day not even noticing that something is very...odd. Even now when I think about it, I get this strange feeling that I have witnessed something that I shouldn't have. I feel like I am being watched. I will not tell you exactly where it is because residents there may be reading this and would certainly come after me to keep me "quiet". All I can tell you is that this parallel universe does exist and it is in the area of interstate 65 between Indianapolis and Chicago. I simply refer to it as "Corn", Indiana. You see in Corn, things are different. There seems to exist this "secret society" of people that do things a little bit....different. To call them backwards wouldn't really explain their practices in life there. I will try to explain (although it really is illogical). In Corn, one of the ways they survive is to sell things. They attract tourist using flashy signs depicting cows eating ice cream and huge wheels of cheese. The tourist are lured like moths to a light bulb by promises of a cheese factory tour, home made ice cream and fancy barns to make you feel like you are down on the farm. In fact, this is where the weirdness begins as last week, Brad and I were also lured into the clutches of this magical place of high butter fat ice cream, cows, big cheeses, and of course a working cheese factory.
"You're really not going to stop here are you? We should leave now. You are an idiot". I should have heeded those words (except the idiot part, he is such a hosehead) from Brad. I still hear them in my dreams. We searched for Ice cream (and a bathroom) for what seemed like minutes. We located a huge barn that I was sure would house a bathroom but the only entry door would require us to pay money to go on some kind of indoctrination program to Corn (or it could have been a dairy tour). We walked around the outside of that huge barn trying to find a bathroom and then we saw a promising sign that let to.... the cheese factory. Surely where there is cheese, there is a toilet. I was right. The cheese factory barn was stunning. Huge blocks and wheels of every kind of cheese that you could imagine. It was a beautiful sight. I almost cried. In the back of the cheese store was a huge window where you could watch them make the cheese. As we pressed our faces against the window to watch the cheese making magic, the first of the oddities of Corn Indiana struck us. They do not actually make cheese at the working cheese factory. There before us was a room gleaming in stainless steel and cheese machines that I can't explain but..... and this is a huge but...no people, no cheese. So observation about Corn number one: They do not actually make cheese at the "working cheese factory". The craziness of Corn continues as we entered the line for the "home made" ice cream. There, in front of us, was the counter to purchase ice cream. First oddity of buying ice cream in "Corn": There were no signs to label any ice cream, prices, or anything else about purchasing ice cream. Second oddity of buying ice cream in "Corn": Not one else in the whole place seemed to be buying ice cream (again.... those words of Brad "We should leave now"). By now, my heart was beating very fast. I didn't know what to do next, but I knew that I had to make contact with the Corninian ice cream chick in order to get ice cream, so I asked her a simple question. How do you sell your ice cream here? Her answer still defies what is logical to me. Her answer was that they sell a single and a double. Sounded simple enough to me so I asked how big was a single. She answered, "A SINGLE is TWO scoops and a DOUBLE is FOUR scoops. I know that I must have just stood there dumbfounded by this Corninian math. A "single" is "two" scoops? This secret society obviously has there own math system. I was stunned for a couple of minutes and I'm not sure what happened (I think that I kind of passed out). All of the sudden, Brad and I were walking... no... fast walking, out of the cheese factory (that does not actuallymake cheese)/ice cream place (that sells a single that is two scoops).
I hope that you take the warning at the top of this writing seriously. I think that Brad and I have uncovered the Corninians and their plans to take their beliefs to the rest of the world. I myself, have survived an attack on my life where they tried to poison me with a tainted cheese coney. So let these words burn into your mind. Beware if you you ever take interstate 65 north to Chicago or you too could find yourself right in the middle of.....Corn.

THE UNEXPLAINED

2007-03-24T12:33:00.000-04:00

There are some things in life that you just can't explain. I realize that some things don't need to be explained to us and that's okay. But you should know that at any given moment, I am continuously rolling around in this over sized head of mine many of these "things" that are beyond explanation. Some are very deep and spiritual, some are not. But it's always something that really bugs me. This last winter, it was "Why is it that when it rains, thousands of earthworms come out of their comfy earthen homes and commit mass suicide on blacktop and concrete surfaces?" I have since found out the answer (thanks bro) and will share it with you at a later date (and it's not that they are drowning). I find that other people around me are also troubled by this nagging need to explain things. One such person is very upset by the fact that the "Dollar INN" motel chain does not cost a dollar a night but in fact cost many more dollars in exchange for one night of lodging. Why? I say all of this only to let you know that lately I have been perplexed by the following question: "Why do I have an almost irresistible craving for "Pal's" food? It really defies logic. I know that people in this part of the country have no idea what Pal's is so I have included a picture above. The picture says it all. In northeast Tennessee, there are Pal's Sudden Service restaurants everywhere. I think that I have been to most but the question remains; what is it about Pal's that attracts me so? Is it the stylish exterior of the establishment? Is it the "frenchy fries"? Is it the huge sweet iced tea for $0.79 or is it the "Sauce Burger" (taste and you will understand)? The answer is....I don't know. What I do know is that I MUST find out. So in the interest of science and goodwill to all mankind, I can think of only one way to explain this one mystery of many....ROAD TRIP. Yes, in the interest of science, me and my highly trained team of experts are going straight to the source. We're going to Pal's. We will be leaving soon for a no nonsense trip to northeast Tennessee for the sole purpose of eating at Pal's. So that our report will be unbiased, we are not going for any other reason. We will drive there (5hours), eat at Pal's, and return in hopes of answering the unexplained. Again, I do this for the sole purpose of answering the unexplained and the good of all mankind everywhere. Our team will report our findings in a future post.

TOO MANY GIANT PIXIE STICKS....I THINK

2007-03-12T11:46:00.000-04:00

I'm not sure what caused it. I usually don't dream too much. It could have been a case of "March Madness" (I'm out of control, just ask Julie) or it could have been that my dinner last night consisted of Coke Zero and giant pixie sticks (one of my youth sponsors gave them to me, they are nearly three feet long). Either case, I had a wild dream last night. In my dream I was seven or eight years old. My whole family was there (Mom, Dad,Brother,Sister,Sister). It was Saturday morning and we were doing what we always did on saturday morning. My mom was making pancakes (I woke up smelling them this morning, wierd), my dad was drinking coffee and reading something, and my siblings and I were fighting over whose day it was to pick what shows to watch (Big family. No cable. We had a schedule). My brother wanted to watch Superfiends, I wanted to watch Buggs Bunny, and I don't really remember what my older sister wanted to watch but I think it was like an after school special or something like that. We ended up watching "The Uncle Al Show" (as pictured above). Some of you will not know what I am talking about but hang in there. I was doing the twist, going down in the cave to see the wizard, and all the other Uncle Al stuff right along with the kids on TV. This dream was so realistic I even remember the Uncle Al prayer song,"I love you God for this my day, I love You in my work and play, I think of You in every way, thank you God for this my day, thank you God for this my day.. Amen". Sounds very warm and fuzzy, right? It was until it got really wierd. Let me explain. On the Uncle Al show, Uncle Al had a dog named Pal. It was basically a dude in a dog suit. So in my dream Uncle Al suddenly get's in a fight with Pal. Al is going crazy and rips the dog's head off. (Sidenote: This is where things get really crazy but this is truly my dream last night) So the fake, big, dog head falls of the dude playing "Pal" and the actor guy turns around and I see the face of the actor as being someone very familiar. It is Brad Estep!! THEN, Brad, Uncle Al, Captain Windy, Lucky the Clown, and all of the kids on the show turn around toward the camera and say/sing, "Hey Dan! You are beautiful my sweet sweet song". In my dream, my whole family starts laughing and telling me how Brad really got me that time. Then...it was over. I woke up in a cold sweat smelling pancakes and wondering to myself about my own sanity. So "march madness" or giant pixie sticks I don't really know. What I DO know is that I will never eat giant pixie sticks, on a spring forward weekend, during march madness ever again. Lesson Learned.

COMING SOON TO IMPACT

2007-03-06T13:12:00.000-05:00

Believe 2007

2007-03-06T09:54:00.000-05:00

MR. CONFUSED

2007-03-02T13:18:00.000-05:00

EVERY MORNING

2007-01-17T18:14:00.000-05:00

COMING SOON TO IMPACT AT LCC!!!

2007-01-16T13:38:00.000-05:00

LONG TIME....NO BLOG

2006-12-19T12:54:00.000-05:00

Wow! Has it really been such a long time since I posted? So...what has been going on with me? Well it seems that Christmas is quickly approaching. I must say, I am am absolutley burnt out on Christmas music. I think that it is primarily because I start hearing Christmas music in the office literally around September (I won't mention the name of who does that). Soon after that, I start caroling group practice followed by the kids starting Christmas choir followed by worship band Christmas music practice followed by five weeks of Christmas music in worship. Basically, I'm done. No more Christmas music. So, on to other subjects. This saturday, i'm heading up to Chicago to pick up hosehead. It will be nice to see him and catch up on what's going on. I'm dubbing this trip the "Brad and Dan's Holiday Home Run". It should be good times. I hope that the greasy hot dog stand is open at 9:00am when I get there. Well enough of this foolishness. I need to get back to work. PURE 2007 is coming up very fast (see www.lovedtolove.org for info and registration) and there is much more to be done.

Merry Christmas,
Dan

You Better Watch Out!

2006-11-15T10:11:00.000-05:00

PURE 2007

2006-11-15T09:59:00.000-05:00

PURE 2007

2006-10-24T14:49:00.000-04:00

PURE 2007

January 12th-13th 2007

Loveland Christian Church

PIANO

2006-10-19T20:37:00.000-04:00

I know that God has blessed us all with different talents. Things that we are all obviously gifted at doing. Some people can juggle, some can walk on their hands, some people can write poetry, some people can fart on command (yes, I know someone that can do it and yes it is a talent), some people can memorize entire books in just a few seconds, and still others can...play the piano. That last one is the one that really bothers me. You see, I would consider myself moderately musically talented. I really enjoy music of all kinds. I play a little guitar, I can tell when people are off key, and I can sing the first line of literally hundreds (if not thousands) of songs. Wierd huh? But I would gladly trade any of that talent or any other talent that I have, to be able to play the piano. It has always been a dream of mine to sit down at a piano and just start playing or to go into a music store at the mall and just amaze everyone around at my piano playing ability. The fact of the matter remains, however, that I just am not made to play piano. I guess my first problem is that I can't even read music (not even every good boy does fine). All those...notes are just are too confusing. I do have friends that play the piano and I ask them what the secret is, they simply say, "I have taken piano lessons since I was six". Well guess what, I'm not six and I would hate to spend the next 20 or 30 years taking lessons just to be able to play Mary Had a Little Lamb. So here I am. Waiting for some kind of miracle cure to come along that can make me play the piano (without lessons or practice of course). I only write this because I believe that there is someone out there that can tell me how to play the piano but without all of the work. There has to be some "secret weapon" that very few people know about. I want to play the piano. Someone...please show me the way.

Fall...STINKS

2006-10-10T14:37:00.000-04:00

Fall...STINKS! Now don't get me wrong. I'm all for the cool clear weather, trick or treating, footbal games, hay rides, and trips to the apple farm (Rouster's Cider on 132 is the best). Those things are cool to me. But the fact of the matter remains that fall (also known as autumn), is the time of the year from late september to late December in which deciduous plants in the northern hemisphere drop their leaves. You see, I hate raking leaves. It may not seem like a big deal to you but you must understand where I live. I live in a subdivision known as "Paxton Woods" (if someone reading this is stalking me and is happy to now know where I live, that's ok, just bring a rake when you come). They didn't name it "Paxton Woods" for no reason. At last count I have about 32 deciduous trees in my relatively small back yard. What it boils down to is that for the next few weeks my life will revolve around removing those leaves. Again, you might say" just leave them there". If only it were that easy. Leaves left unremoved will clog gutters, destroy my pool cover, kill the grass (that might not be a bad thing), and rot our wooden deck. In other words, cause big problems. While some may look at fall with fondness over warm and fuzzy past fall memories, I think...FALL STINKS!!!

A Morning At The Pole

2006-09-27T10:06:00.000-04:00

The morning started early for me today. I got up at 5:50am to start this awesome day. Why so awesome? It's because today was national "See you at the Pole" day. It is the day of the year where students around the United States join together before classes and pray (often around the flag pole) for their school, their friends, and each other. It is truly an awesome sight to see so many students circled up and praying even through the hustle and bustle of the arrival of others and even some rude comments. I started this morning at home praying for all of our students at LCC that would be participating in this student led event. Then, I hit the road. My first stop was Loveland High School and then it was off to Kings. I have tried to be around a couple of schools each year to simply support them in my own prayer while they are in prayer. I must say that it is very emotional time. To see all of these students (without any adult guidance) just....praying. It fills me with a sense of encouragement to whitness this event. It doesn't seem to matter the type of church that they come from or even it they attend a church at all, everyone is welcome to join the group and unite in prayer. But today, I also was filled with a sense of...guilt. You see, being an adult, I am supposed to have it all together, to lead the way spiritually to those who will come after me. Today, I had to ask myself, Would I have the guts to participate in such a public display of my faith at... Meijers, or Home Depot, or even a Reds game? Adults are often very comfortable displaying our faith...on Sundays (if in the right building) but are we living our faith out for all the world to see? This morning, instead of being a person that tries to help lead students to a relationship with Jesus Christ...I was the one being led.

Pictures Mentioned In Previous Blog

2006-09-15T16:49:00.000-04:00

Left: Sign that made Brad Mad
Below: Candy Factory
Lower Left: Brad's Great Timing
Lower Left: The Windy City
Bottom Left: Brad's New Home

Chicago

2006-09-14T20:08:00.000-04:00

Well I guess I should saya a few words about "Brad and Dan's Excellent Chicago Adventure". I think that you all can imagine what being in a little car with Brad for about seven hours (yes we took the scenic route)was like. Mostly it was one studid comment after another followed by laughter folled by flatulets (I'm not quite sure the spelling is right on that word but I can't say fart's here because I think that my mother reads this) followed by video followed by side trips followed by eating followed by laughter followed by...I think that you get the picture. Brad also likes to take pictures of bill boards although most of the pictures that I have are of the mirror of the car, his seatbelt or his shoes (his timing isn't that great). One bill board actually made him kind of angry. He saw one for "Dollar INN" and the price per night was $26.95. He feels like he has a good court case to sue for misrepresentation in advertising (you know, is it one dollar or 26.95?). We also took a side trip to "The Candy Factory". It was pretty cool. They had a 30 foot tall chocolate waterfall and all kinds of wierd candy like a plastic nose that you wear on your face and candy comes out of the nostrils (I bought one of course)and even a 4 inch jaw breaker (I bought on of them as well). All in all the trip lived up to our high standards. Chicago was...huge! I didn't realize how dinky Cincinnati is. I think that Brad is adjusting well. I will try to keep you all posted on his activities. I have included some pictues from our trip as well as well as one picture of Brad's new "home away from home". Please be sure to keep him in you prayers as well as the people that have to live with him for a year.

I thought that he was gone.

2006-09-05T09:40:00.000-04:00

It has been a roller coaster weekend for me emotionally. You see, I have a great family and I love everyone that resides in our home dearly...except one. The story of my relationship with this particular family member is very...complicated. It started out great. I can still remember my wife and I bringing him home in the car. He was so tiny, so innocent, so...cute. It was probably against the law but my wife even held him in her arms all of the way home. As he grew, I would take him everywhere with me. People always stopped and talked to us while we were out and ALWAYS commented on how cute he was. We went on like that for several years but soon after things started to to go terribly wrong. I don't know if it was him or me but things started to change. His behavior became inexcusable. He stopped listening to me, he would be out playing and wouldn't come in for dinner, and his personal hygene problems became an issue. So I decided that drastic measures needed to be taken. I needed to find someone to adopt him before I lost it, before I became violent. We had several different people express interest in him from time to time but no takers. This past weekend, however, I had the perfect candidate who was very interested. I thought I had a deal. I would offer this person $100.00 to take this "problem child" off of my hands. It may seem wrong to you but I felt so excited to get rid of this "thorn" in the side of my family. Things were going well with the negotiations and the candidate left me with a feeling that this deal would be done. I was running around like a crazy man. I bought some toys for his car ride to his new home, gave him a bath, and even brushed his teeth. I gathered his belongings in a bag and had him ready to go and then I waited....and waited....and waited. That is when the roller coaster headed down hill. I soon began to realize that my candidate was not coming back. That I would be forever stuck with this...problem. So after the up's and down's of this weekend, I am left with thoughts of what could have been and I'm still left with this... problem "child". Of course I am talking about my pain in the butt dog, Toby. Although he now smells much better, I thought that he was gone.

It's Always Me

2006-08-18T11:59:00.000-04:00

+ DAN'S HEAD = OUCH!

My Boss....Kaitlin

2006-08-16T11:19:00.000-04:00

If you would ask me if I would consider myself the "head" of my household, I would say...yes(along with my wife of course). Most of the time I try to be the one that has the final say in family matters, that uses the authority that God has given me to help our family in the best way possible. That is all fine and dandy but there is one person who is moving in on my territory...Kaitlin. I have this daughter (who is only two years old) that has thrown the whole chain of command into disarray. The girl has this power over me that leaves me wondering exactly who's the boss. I have come to the conclusion that it is not me, it's her. I have two other children (both boys), that understand their place in our family. They know the rules and follow them... most ot the time. Kaitlin on the other hand, lives to a different set of rules... her rules. I don't know how this happened. I don't know how she does it. This tiny, cute, innocent little girl simply makes me do whatever she wants. If she wants to read a book fifty times in a row, I do it. If she wants me to hold ten of her dolls at once, I do it. If she wants me to get her five different snacks at once (only to eat a single bite of one of them), no problem. Why is she so different? What is this power that she has? I just don't understand it. Where have I gone wrong? A TWO YEAR OLD IS RUNNING MY LIFE! Maybe there is some kind of support group for this kind of problem. Maybe there is still hope that I can regain my position in our family...probably not... at least for about sixteen more years.

Sincerely,
Kaitlin's Personal Assistant

I've got the joy, joy, joy down in my heart?

2006-08-07T11:36:00.000-04:00

As I read back through some of my previous post, I have noticed something. It seems that I tend to go on and on about my troubles. I go on about how crazy things happen in my life and how things sometimes seem to go wrong. I go on and on about going on and on. So today I am taking a day off of complaining and self pity. Today (and hopefully from here on out), I am going to take ten minutes each day to simply be joyful (and thankful) about my life and the things that God has done in my life. I did my first ten minutes this morning and it was awesome.

Here's the deal, too often I (maybe you, maybe not you), spend a ton of time telling everone who is in ear shot about what a mess my life is and about the latest cotastrophe at the Ponchot house. Truth is, bad things do happen but how it affects us is what's important. Does it throw us into some kind of depression, a week of feeling sorry for ourselves, an ice cream eating frenzy, or do we simply see it as part of living this life on earth and that our troubles really pale in comparison to the good things in our life. Where is our joy? Where is my joy?

This morning in my Bible study I looked at a passage in 1 Peter 1:3ish (message)-"What a God we have! And how fortunate we are to have him, this Father of our Master Jesus! Because Jesus was raised from the dead, we've been given a brand-new life and have everything to live for, including a future in heaven-and the future starts now! God is keeping careful watch over us and the future. The day is coming when you'll have it all, a life healed and whole. I know how great this makes you feel, even though you have to put up with every kind of aggravation in the meantime. Pure gold put in the fire comes out of it proved pure; genuine faith put through this suffering comes out proved genuine." Why is it that some christians are so negative about life when christians should in reality be the happiest people on the planet? We have this defeatest attitude like we are always under the gun and that we are these "poor little Christians". We forget who won the battle. Jesus took care of that a long time ago. I think that what it boils down to (at least for me) is that I sometimes misplace my joy . I simply lose it. I put too much thought into my every day, messy, life when I should be jumping for joy at what God has done for me. I am going to make every effort to keep the ten minute thing going. I think I'm going to like being happy more.
d.e.p.

Death of a "Flip Flop"

2006-08-04T09:40:00.000-04:00

There are few things in my life that are very valuable to me; my relationship with Jesus Christ, my wife, my kids, my ministry, my guitar, and...my flip flops. My relationship with this particular pair of flip flops began over four years ago. I have had many other pairs of flip flops in my life but never have I felt so close to flip flop type footwear as I have this pair. There was nothing very special about this pair of flip flops; they only cost $3.00, I bought them at a bait shop in Tennessee, they are not a name brand, and they were not even close to a fasion statement but I think that all of those qualities in my dearly departed flip flops is what made them so special to me. I feel like a part of me has died, and in a way, I guess it has. What happened to my flip flops you ask? Well the police are still doing an investigation but based on the tear in the side, they think that it was an act of a...(sorry it's still hard to talk about) "flat tire". They still have some more interviews to do but they have told me that they have a "person of interest" in mind that may have commited this terrible flat tire. Here is the description of the person of interest: female, 15-16 yrs old, right footed, dark hair, possibly with the initials D.A., and probably wearing flip flops at the time of the crime. If anyone has any more information on who could have commited this act, please contact me as soon as possible. Well, I had better go. I am going to go out and bury my flip flops. I have a spot picked out right next to my 1986 Air Jordans.

Toilet Troubles

2006-07-31T13:24:00.000-04:00

King Minos of Crete owned the world's first flushing water closet (that's a toilet) over 2800 years ago. The invention did not appear again until 1594, when Sir John Harrington built a "prive in perfection" for his godmother, Queen Elizabeth. Since then, many people have devoted their lives to the perfection of the modern toilet. In 1872, Thomas Crapper, a British plumber, developed a type of flushing toilet that held water for flushing and was much quieter than previous models. The American soldiers stationed in England during World War I who returned to the US used his name as a euphemism for the toilet.
I'm sure that this brief history of the toilet is fascinating to you but the fact remains that toilets are a fantastic inventions. I love toilets...until they break. Which brings me to the subject of this blog. Sunday afternoon, I returned home from church and went into our downstairs bathroom to...I think you get the idea. I look up at the ceiling to find that it is sagging down almost at eye level with water coming down through the middle. What a mess. It turns out that the toilet in the kids bathroom (directly above) had sprung a leak in the tank. I ended up spending all of sunday evening sitting in our kids bathroom repairing a toilet. That is just the beginning of the problems caused by the broken toilet. Now I have to replace the ceiling in the downstairs bathroom. Toilets are great...when they work.

d.e.p.

My Familia

2006-07-28T11:17:00.000-04:00

I have a huge family. Not just my family but my extended family. I have two sisters (one older-one younger) and one brother (older). That may not seen like a lot to some of you until you look at how many nieces and nephews that I have. I currently have nine. They all are really nice and sweet in their own way. I have a very close relationship to some but I am less close to others. Most of them are in the age ranges of four to ten years old. Except for one. He is twenty-one. It cracks me up. At holidays, you should see the picture they always take of all of the grandchildren together. It's all of these cute little kids and then...him. I don't feel much like his uncle but more like his brother. Even though the age difference is still about fifteen years, we are much closer in our level of maturity (or lack there of). He is the one person in my extended family that I feel closest to. I don't know why I am writing about this today. I guess that I just took one of those walks down memory lane and certain people always come towards the front of my mind. He is one of them.

Coke Zero

2006-07-24T14:29:00.000-04:00

I have started to realize that I have a big problem. You see, I suffer from an addiction. An addiction to...Coke Zero. It all started while I was yet a young lad. All of my life I have loved Coca Cola Classic. It is the best soda in the world. Even better than regular Coke is the Coca Cola that they bottle in Mexico. It's made with cane sugar instead of the corn syrup like here in the states. It is awesome. But I digress. The problem with regular coke is that it has a million (ok a lot) calories and that is the last thing that I need (if you have ever seen me in person, you know what I am talking about). So the switch to diet soda began all the while I still had a love for Classic Coke. For a while it was Diet Mountain Dew. Then Diet Dr. Pepper. All of these are okay but my yearning for Coca Cola Classic still remained. I tried Diet Coke but found it to be a very poor substitute for Coke. C2 was next and it tasted better but it still had a lot of calories. Then one day it happened. I stopped at the quickie mart to get a diet Dew or something and that's when I saw it...COKE ZERO. The sign above it said "Like Coke Classic, Zero Calories". You know what, they were right (pretty close anyway). Ever since, I have been a fan of Coke Zero. The problem is, it's getting out of control. I slowed down for a while because of the cost. But recently I found that I can get Coke Zero by fountain at the local Meijer's gas station. It's only $1.09 for a huge cup. People say that drinking too much soda can harm you but I don't seem to care. Is it wrong to drink so much soda (I drink a lot)? I guess I'll try to cut down, right after I finish the one I'm drinking at the moment.

d.e.p.

Pink Paint...The Final Chapter

2006-07-20T23:56:00.000-04:00

It is finished. It was worse than I had ever imagined. My daughters room is now...PINK. I know what you all are saying, "It was painting a room with pink paint. What was the big deal?" As you all may recall, my fear was not the painting itself but going and asking for Strawberry Shortcake pink paint. Here's how it went. So I go to the paint store and start to check out the paint color choices. My plan of action was to kind of lay low so as not to draw too much attention to myself, buy paint, and go home. That didn't last too long. First problem: There are about sixty different shades of pink paint. I truly had no idea. I stared at them all and started to freak out. They all started to look the same. Time was ticking away. I just knew that sooner or later, someone I knew was going to come along and see me looking at pink paint. It was sooner and it was more than one person. No lie, I had four different people whome I hadn't seen in years choose this day and time to reunite. They could tell that I was uncomfortable. They saw the fear in my eyes. So being the great long lost friends of mine, they did what all my other friends do...ridicule me. These four "friends" gave me encouraging words such as; "Pink paint huh? Getting ready for a tea party" and "Oh pink paint, did you see that shade on the Martha Stewart show?", and the remarks went on and on. So I finally get rid of those "great" friends(former friends after all that) and it was down to the task at hand. The paint guy came over and asked me if I needed help. I couldn't tell you his name or even what he looked like. I couldn't look him in the eye. So he asks me "The" question. "What shade are you looking for"? I reply almost in a whisper..."strawberry shortcake pink". He says, "WHAT??". So I them reply, "pink...for my daughters room". Long story short, he gives a little chuckle and leads me to the Disney Paint Color section. He shows me paint colors called "Princess Pink" and "Fairest of them all" pink and "Pretty in Pink" pink and a whole slew of others. What did I decide on you ask? I wont tell. It's done and that's all that matters. All in all this experience has left a feeling inside of me. A feeling inside like I have made a big step towards maturity, true adulthood...or it could just be gas.

Pretty in pink,
d.e.p.

Lightning Strikes!

2006-07-19T09:11:00.000-04:00

WOW!!! I almost had an accident in my pants. Last night we had a monster thunder storm at our house. It sounded as if lightning was striking right in our yard. Turns out, it did. Jacob came into the family room from the living room and said that there was a big orange flash in our front yard. When I went out to check it out, this is what I found. One of the pictures shows how far the inside of the tree blew down the street. Crazy!

Pink Paint...

2006-07-18T09:18:00.000-04:00

It has finally happened. I am finally accepting that I am the father of a female. My first two children being male, I have never come across such a problem as the one I am about to face. I am going to paint something pink... on purpose. Please know that this is a big step for me. I have never painted with pink paint before. I guess that is not all together true. In college, I helped paint a friends car pink as a prank (I wish I still had the pictures), but never before with forethought and care. You see, I am painting my daughter's room pink. Strawberry Shortcake Pink to be exact. Julie is taking the kids to the lake for a couple of days so I have been told that it would be a good time to get some painting done. Now I'm all for home improvement, my favorite place to shop for back to school is Home Depot, but pink paint? What makes it worse is that I actually have to go to the paint store and purchase pink paint. I have been trying to figure out in my mind how to go about this in the most "manly" way possible. Even in my mind, it doesn't look pretty. I imagine me going up to the paint guy and saying "2 Gallons of your best pink paint" and then he says "what shade of pink?" Then I say, "Strawberry Shortcake pink", and then he says, "What is Strawberry Shortcake Pink?". Then I say, "Strawberry Shortcake is a cartoon about a girl who dresses in strawberry laiden attire, that smells like strawberries, that has friends who smell like other fruits, that....". And then, he will give me the look. "The" look. The look that says, "Wow, you're funny", but it won't be funny "ha ha" it will be funny "coo coo". So I'm trying to decide how to avoid that situation all together. Maybe I could get someone else to buy the paint or go to the paint store in disguise. Any suggestions would be helpful. Pink paint...I wonder what will be next...uh oh...Barbie!

d.e.p.

i'm messed up.

2006-07-17T09:33:00.000-04:00

I feel weird today. Not that me feeling weird is anything new. Yesterday was pretty good. Brian's sermon was awesome. Then we had some friends over for lunch and to swim. Good times...good times.
Impact was ok. I just feel like I didn't get it done. I know that God said what He needed to say but I still feel like it wasn't my best effort. It makes me ashamed when I don't give people (especially God) my best effort. So today in my Bible study, I read 2 Timothy chapter two. Wow! Just what I needed to hear. You see in chapter two Paul talks about doing your best for God. Paul says around vs 15 (The Message), "Concentrate on doing your best for God, work you won't be ashamed of, laying out truth plain and simple. Stay clear of pious talk that is only talk. Words are not mere words, you know. If they're not backed up by a Godly life, they accumlulate as poison in the soul". Man, I should have that engraved on my forehead. How many times to we talk just to talk, sing just to sing, and pray just to mark it off of the daily "to do" list? I guess my thoughts, words, life, and actions better be the same huh? Sermon to self (2nd time this week), over.

d.e.p.

Saturday

2006-07-15T11:38:00.000-04:00

Well it's Saturday and VBS is over. I think that it was a good week. My kids really seemed to enjoy it. I STILL smell like vanilla pudding. I was "slimed" last night with vanilla pudding with green food coloring in it. It wasn't that bad except that I got it in my ears and it still feels like it's in there. It was cool to see our teen's from church working with the younger kids all week. They did a great job. One cool thing from last night was that I was able to talk to our missionary for VBS (Chris Irwin) for a while. What a cool guy. I told him that he was one of my hero's. He seemed to not really understand why he would be one of my hero's. Here's the deal. It amazes me when people make such a sacrifice to do what God calls them to do. Here is a guy packing up his whole family and moving to another country, leaving most of the comforts of the good ol' USA to tell others about Jesus. It makes me feel guilty in a way. I have trouble sharing Jesus with my next door neighbor. Now I know that God doesn't call all of us to go to a foreign country to be a missionary but he does call ALL OF US to tell someone what He did for us. Oh well, sermon (to myself) over.

d.e.p.