I Miss This Guy

..., but he's been having plenty of fun in St. Charles. Kara sent me these pictures today:

Before getting in the pool

And cleaning up after the pool

I've enjoyed my conference very much, but am ready to be back with my family.

Quote(s) of the day (from Robert Gelinas):

"When God is like oxygen, prayer is like breathing."

Also, he worked to make the point that Jesus was fully human, even to the point that he had a rear end (he got there by a good story from his church, not just choosing that as a strange example). Then he said, "Jesus had a derriere. If we could just grasp that..."

He realized what he said and had trouble recovering.

Renovare Day 2

It's kind of surreal: between Dallas Willard, Eugene Peterson, Richard Foster, Randy Frazee, and John Ortberg, I've probably read or re-read a book by one of them 50 times, and they're all here. Especially with Dallas- I quote him a lot to other people who've never read his books, and probably never will, but people here leading the sessions quote him more than I do! I'm not alone!

That has been one of the most encouraging things about being here: the realization that my convictions about what is truly the church's business (and what isn't), and what our priorities should be (and what they shouldn't be), are passionately shared by thousands of other Christian leaders across the country. There are hundreds of other people here whose lives and ministries have been revolutionized by a vision of spiritual formation and discipleship just as mine have been, and that's what I'm most thankful for.

Quote of the day:

Eugene Peterson: "Steroids may help you hit home runs faster in baseball, but there are no steroids for holiness."

My First Father's Day

I'm a bit sad that my first Father's Day is also the first day of Ethan's life that I haven't seen him. I am in San Antonio for Renovare's International Conference, and Kara and Ethan are in St. Louis visiting her family. (They've been there since Friday, but the other two days I've been able to see him on Skype. At least today I got to talk to him on the phone while traveling. He didn't say much, but did sneeze and cough into the phone, so I knew he was there.)

I knew I would have a hard time being away from that little guy for the first time, and dropping them off at the airport was even tougher than I thought. It's good that I'm so crazy about my wife and son, though. They continue to make my heart very full.

If I have to be away from them, this is the place to be. I got to hear Eugene Peterson tonight, and still to come are Dallas Willard, Richard Foster, John Ortberg and others- all of whom I really respect and none of whom I've ever got to hear in person before. (Some of you who know me well know how big a deal it is for me to hear Dallas. He walked into my seminar this afternoon and sat a few rows behind me- I couldn't text Kara fast enough.)

Since I'm here by myself and have yet to see anyone I know, the ol' blog will be my friend...

In the Words of Willie Nelson:

"Well hello there. My it's been a long long time..."

Yes, we do still have a blog, and the intention to make it come back to life.

As you can see here, Ethan is much bigger than when we last posted. Kara has been keeping photos updated on Facebook. You can see a couple of her albums through the links below:

Ethan Week by Week

Ruidoso Vacation 2009

What's so funny?

We have heard Ethan laugh a few times out loud -- but just isolated short laughs. This afternoon he started laughing while he was in his swing, for no apparent reason. I had the camera right next to me so I was able to capture it. I hope the swinging motion doesn't make anyone sick. I just wish I knew what he was thinking about!

Four Months

Ethan is now almost five months old (January 29th) but I have once again fallen behind in the blog, so I thought I would do a four month post. Here is how he has grown:

Birth -- Height: 19 1/2", Weight: 7 lbs., 5 oz.
1 week -- Height: 20 1/4", Weight: 6 lbs., 12 oz.
2 weeks -- Weight: 7 lbs., 6 oz.
1 month -- Height: 23" (95th percentile), Weight: 9 lbs., 7 oz. (50th percentile)
2 months -- Height: 24" (90th percentile), Weight: 11 lbs., 7 oz. (60th percentile)
4 months -- Height: 26 1/2" (95th percentile), Weight: 13 lbs., 13 oz. (25th percentile)

The pediatrician said Ethan is "perfect and healthy." That is good news! His low weight percentile is just due to the fact that he is stretching out instead of filling out.

He should start filling out more because he is now eating real food. The same day as his appointment, he had his first taste of cereal. We had been warned that babies generally don't like the taste or texture of cereal so they will spit it out but to keep trying it for a few days. Ethan gobbled it up from the first bite. I think he has been hungry! He had his mouth hanging open like a baby bird, waiting for more!Yesterday, he tried green beans for the first time. He loved them!

Here are a few other of my favorite pictures from the last month:

Only in Texas...

As most of you know, Texans are very proud of their state and this pride is displayed everywhere -- flags, attire, bumper stickers, key chains, star decorations, you name it! Christmas is no exception. Instead of traditional Christmas lights, a house near us proudly displayed the Texas flag made out of red, white and blue lights across the roof. This is a bad picture but the best one I have.
I must admit, I have made fun of this pride in the past but now as a Texas resident--

Our Christmas tree.

The front of the house.The living room.

"If you can't beat 'em, join 'em!"