daddy4ms

Today, I took the four kids to the zoo. We had a great time! Bethany was enjoying a Beth Moore conference in McPherson so she was not with us. The weather was perfect as it was just the right temperature. The zoo was not very busy at all. We enjoyed our first tram tour. As we walked around, it was fun to see what different animal was most exciting to each child. Molly loves pretty much everything, but really likes the "big turtle" as she calls it. Mackenzie and Megan love the gorillas. Mitchell's favorite as always was the jungle or rain forest whatever you call it. I was really impressed with the new babies (zebra, giraffe, and vampire bat). It was hard to see the baby bat, but he (or she) was eating from a dish. As we ate supper tonight, we talked about was everyone's favorite animal that God had created. I told them that as I walked around today, I was reminded about how creative and awesome our God is. Just to see the differences of all the animals r...

So, I had an idea for family worship on Thursday night. We were getting ready to talk about the Beatitudes during family worship after we had just completed several weeks talking about the 10 Commandments. I thought it would be fun and more meaningful for us to head to Mt. Hesston to read from the Sermon on the Mount. We loaded the whole family and headed to King Park. We were able to get everyone up Mt. Hesston without a stop at the playground. The kids kept asking, why are we here? Then I opened my Bible and read Matthew 5 which includes the Beatitudes. The significance? It starts out Jesus went up on the mountainside and Mt. Hesston is the closest thing we have to a mountain in town. We briefly talked about some of the attitudes Jesus wants us to have based on these verses. However, I would say that this was not our most successful times of family worship. Mitchell gets to to the top of the hill and decides he has to go to the bathroom. He then "begins to fall...

What prayer has God answered for you today? It is important that we share with our children the little ways that God answers our prayers every day. Hopefully, we don't just pray when it is a "big" thing. By sharing these answered prayers, our children learn to trust and seek God in all things, not just the more difficult and large situations in life I have seen many prayers answered in the last day. But I am going to share one from last night. I have been preparing to implement a new ministry to our 5 th and 6 th graders at our church. I had shared the new ministry with many people, but last night was the parent's meeting to explain the change and introduce them to the new curriculum. I had a polished presentation ready with a brief video to show from the Grapple website. It really needs to be seen to understand what it includes. I had been on the site most of the day. I had everything ready before the meeting began. After my other meeting ended, I had ab...

I haven't posted my highs for a few weeks. Here they are from the past week: Day with the kids before school started on Monday Excited kids for their first day of school PMC Men discussion Pastor's Staff Meeting on Wednesday Parent's Night at school Reading at Lincoln Perk Trip to Lincoln Perk on Saturday with Mitchell Celebration Saturday Lunch with the Buhrman's Supper at our home with leaders from the children's ministry

I don't know where I first heard the term, "daddy dates." But I know I have heard it from Chap Clark, Voddie Baucham , Mark Driscoll , and many more. The idea is that dads need to spend time with their kids one on one. Find something they enjoy and go and enjoy it together. It does not have to be expensive or extremely long. The important thing is that you give your undivided attention to your child. In my home, I take the oldest three to games. In the fall, we enjoy the beautiful outside for football and in the winter the excitement of basketball (I enjoy watching basketball more). My kids are starting to enjoy sports, but really go more for the stop at the concession stand. That is OK with me because we are spending time together. I also have started taking them along to work at times and my favorite stop-Lincoln Perk. No, they don't drink coffee, but they really like the muffins. The girls have also enjoyed gelato and Hello Kitty Blenders. The key is t...

Starting in September, I am starting three different dad's groups. These groups will all cover the same information. As I have been praying and thinking about these groups, I came up with a list of 12 Challenges for each week that we are meeting together. These challenges are intended for us as dads to lead our families spiritually. My hope is that these challenges will help us be the dads God wants us to be. I decided I would post them here for your information. They are based on what I believe Deuteronomy 6 teaches us. Here they are: Read Deuteronomy 6 this week. How do these verses challenge you as a father? Pray with your wife and kids several times this week (Meals and bed times do not count). Share your favorite Bible verse with you kids and tell them why it is your favorite. Watch a movie or TV show together as a family and use discernment based on God's Word to evaluate or critique it. Read Ephesians 6:1-4. How do these verses affect your parenting? Talk with yo...

Are you feeling like you need some wisdom today? Have some hard decisions to make? Not sure what to do? Check out the book of Proverbs. I have read this book many times before, but had an "aha" moment today as I read the opening verses. The subtitle says, "Prologue: Purpose and Theme" Proverbs 1:1-7 says "The proverbs of Solomon son of David, king of Israel: for attaining wisdom and discipline; for understanding words of insight; for acquiring a disciplined and prudent life, doing what is right and and just and fair; for giving prudence to the simple, knowledge and discretion to the young--let the wise listen and add to their learning, and let the discerning get guidance--for understanding proverbs and parables, the sayings and riddles of the wise. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline." All of these things that we want and seek out are found in God's Word. This prologue reminded me of the im...

For our family devotions the night before school began, Bethany had a great idea. We did our usual piano music and Bible verses. Then we asked each kid what they were most looking forward to during this year at school. I talked with them about the importance of Loving God-Loving Others at school and we talked about Colossians 3:17 and how that can impact their words and actions at school. We then had each one of them share one of their worries about the school year. They were all pretty excited, but each one came up with one. We then talked about giving it to God and sang "I Cast All My Cares Upon You." Molly then picked The B-I-B-L-E to sing. We then went around the circle and prayed for their teachers, classmates, and administration. We prayed for a good year and for them to learn a lot. It was a great way to start the school year. My wife is full of good ideas!

As my oldest kids get ready to return to school tomorrow, I am wondering about all they will learn this year at school. I also ponder how they will learn in Sunday School, Hide N Seek, and yes, at home. It is so amazing how kids are like sponges when it comes to learning. So, what about me? As my kids are being shaped in school, church, and home, what is my plan for learning this year? I remember in seminary hearing that even after graduation, we must seek to be lifelong learners. I don't know who coined the term, but it has stuck with me. We will never achieve all there is to know. Therefore, I need to have a plan or I will do nothing. I have one conference I plan to attend in September called the D6 Conference that will be a part of this process. I am continuing to read several books on marriage and parenting. I plan to be a part of a Sunday School class, lead a small group, and spend lots of time in prayer and Bible reading. I hope to get at least two day retreats to S...

Tonight, we watched "The Pirates Who Don't Do Anything" as a family movie. It was really good. It kept the interest of my 9 year old as well as my 2 year old. I highly recommend it to families to watch together. The theme of the movie is being a hero. Three unlikely heroes are chosen and keep making excuses for why they cannot be heroes. "They are not good looking, strong, smart, etc." Without ruining the ending, they discover that being a hero is about "doing what is right," not any of the things mentioned above. As Pastor Steve preached today, we need to look at this in light of God's Word. What does God say about being a hero? Here are a few Scriptures to get us thinking: 1 Samuel 16:7 says, "Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart." Take heart God is not concerned with the sa...

As I was reading the Bible this morning, I came across the following verses from Psalm 145: 1-4. "I will exalt you, my God the King; I will praise your name for ever and ever. Every day I will praise you and extol your name for ever and ever. Great is the Lord and most worthy of praise; his greatness no one can fathom. One generation will commend your works to another; they will tell of your mighty acts." As we get ready for football season, I am reminded how we are quick to scream and shout and clap and jump up and down for our favorite team. I am convicted that I sometimes show more excitement on my favorite roller coaster, concert, or sporting event than I do for worshipping God. So, today I want to give God a standing ovation for the many great things He has done throughout history and in my life. Here is my list: He created the world! It is not evolution, it not by chance. It was our awesome and creative God who did it all. Think about it as you look at the sky,...

Right now, my desk is piled high with things to get done before fall activities begin. School starts for Hesston students next Tuesday. Our training for teachers begins Wednesday for Hide N Seek and then we kick off the year with a cookout on August 26 th . Our new Sunday School teachers begin this Sunday as it is Promotion Sunday. I can now officially say that we have all of our positions filled. Praise God! As a new pastor, I did not want to make a lot of changes in my first year. However, one area that I was praying for direction was the ministry to 5 th /6 th graders. At GracePoint Community Church (where I served as youth pastor in Colorado), I started a ministry specifically for this age group about 6 years ago. It was a lot of fun. I started seeing a need for something for this group at Hesston MB. I prayed and prayed and then God starting confirming the need for a change. I was planning a change in 2010, but people kept coming up and asking for ideas for somethin...

As I am reflecting on the past week, I thought I would share some recent memories from my vacation, but also other memories from the past. Just a reminder that time spent with family is always a blessing even if it can be a little stressful at times. Here are some of my Branson memories: My mom screaming when she saw the Lamb Chop Balloon (about 10 years ago) Water Slide in the hills near Silver Dollar City-our family loved it and was sad when they took it out(about 20 years ago) Eating at the fancy restaurant ( Candlewood Inn-I think) and embarrassing my dad because we played in the water that we were supposed to use to wash our hands (about 25 years ago) My sister screaming when a goat ate her dress (about 30 years ago) Mom falling down the stairs-she was not hurt (several vacations over the last 33 years) Water Chute on the strip where we have gone many times over the last 20 years Bumper Cars with Aunt Kay Jean at The Track and go-carts with Uncle Robert (about 20 years ago) M...

Well, I am in Yates Center at my parent's house. We left Branson today around 2:30 p.m. The kids did well again on the car ride. Molly slept for almost an hour and a half. My pick for lunch was one of my favorites: Chick-Fil-A. We left last Sunday to drive to Tennessee. We drove for 9 hours and the kids were great. We stopped in Poplar Bluff, MO for the night and finished the trip to TN on Monday morning. We had a great time seeing Judy, Steve, Katie (as the girls called her), Brandon, Bryan, Grandaddy Red, & Meemaw. They were great hosts. The kids swam in the pool, enjoyed breakfast at McDonald's (Grandaddy's idea and treat), riding 4 wheelers, and just playing together. We left TN on Wednesday morning and drove to Branson. We arrived in Branson in time to eat and get a movie for the night. On Thursday, we headed to Silver Dollar City. All of the kids had a great time. We saw two shows: JEERK & Veggie Tales (Molly kept telling me to clap). I rode all ...

Tomorrow, we leave for vacation. I am excited for a break, but most of all excited for some family fun and memories. So, I will not be updating my blog for a week. Here is our vacation itinerary: Sunday, Aug. 2 nd -Leave Hesston following church and drive to hotel in Poplar Bluff, MO Monday, Aug. 3rd-Leave Poplar Bluff and drive rest of way to Paris, TN Tuesday, Aug. 4 th -Paris, TN Wednesday, Aug. 5 th -Paris, TN and then drive to Branson , MO Thursday, Aug. 6 th - Branson -Silver Dollar City & Big Chute Friday, Aug. 7 th - Branson -Silver Dollar City & The Track/Mini-golf Saturday, Aug. 8 th - Branson and drive to Yates Center, KS for evening Sunday, Aug. 9 th -Church in Iola , KS and lunch at Kay Jean's and evening in Yates Center Monday, Aug. 10 th -Drive back to Hesston