A Slower Pace

One of my favorite Christian groups, Casting Crowns, not only has a fairly new album out, but they also have a great spiritual video series available for free viewing on Youtube. Here is the first one — go check it out.

Mark Hall (on the video) also recently wrote a great book called “Your Own Jesus”. If you are ready for a challenging, “take it to the next level” read on your walk with Jesus, go get this book and plow into it. It is a convicting book, but it will rattle your spiritual world and healthily challenge and grow you.

…..Dan at aslowerpace dot net

I spent a lot of this last weekend in the garage. It has been a continuation of last month where one of my wife’s b-day presents was for me to clean the garage. Well, I have been continuing that momentum and taking it even further. The whole garage isn’t clean, but 2/3 of it is and we can park her truck and my car in there. Additionally, I have been able to quickly locate any of the various tools used for the myriad of home/garage projects. And my discipline in returning them has stuck and the garage is as clean and usable today as it was when I began the project a month ago. For me, that is a record.

So yesterday, I took a break from continued work on the last section of garage, and instead focused on changing the oil in my wife’s truck and my car. Also, seizing the opportunity, I brought D out so he could help me wrench on the vehicles and learn to exercise some of his Y chromosome.

I went into the finer points of the engine. I explained the role of oil in the engine. We even did a little experiment where he rubbed his hands together quickly. This created friction which created heat he could feel. I then had him do the same thing after I poured some vegetable oil on his palms. He rubbed even quicker but could not produce friction enough to generate any heat. I then explained how metal rubbing against metal is not good and produces lots of friction and heat and that the oil we were putting into the engine prevents that and lubricates the many moving parts.

I then let him jack up my car (which we didn’t need to do with my wife’s truck). I explained how we had to safely find the jack points and then lift the car with the floor jack. I also asked him how such a little boy could lift up the heavy car all by himself. He pointed to the jack and I explained that the jack worked by using physics. We did a couple of experiments with the jack so he could see the difference in leverage, where he put his hands on the jack lever, and distance and frequency of the pumps.

With the car finally up, I told him that this was the most important part of the day — positioning the jack stands to that we could work under the vehicle safely. I told him that even though the car was up on the jack, that we had to use jack stands if we ever went underneath the car. It was ok to just use the jack alone if we were just changing a tire, but if we put any part of our body underneath the car, we had to use jack stands. That made sense to him and we should never have to find out the hard way.

I then showed him my vehicle maintenance log and pointed out all the past maintenance activities. I also highlighted how I had written down common, frequently used tool sizes. For example, my car that we were working on required a 9/16 socket for the oil drain bolt. We went over to the tool box and I had him select the correct socket and wrench. We proceeded back over to the car and got underneath while he positioned the oil pan and I loosened the drain bolt. He watched the oil come out and slowly decrease to a drip. He updated me on the progress as I retrieved the oil filter and positioned paper towels accordingly. With the last drip, drip, drip, I tightened the oil drain bolt, screwed off the filter, and put on the new one. I then gave him a quick lesson on the weights of oil – 5W-30, 15W-40, 30W, 20W-50 – all of which I had in stock. I told him that my car was special and required a special type of oil – synthetic Mobil 1 5W-30. He grabbed the funnel and we poured the golden juice into the motor. He commented that he could tell it was new oil because of the gold color and that used oil was jet black.

The job done, we celebrated with a pair of throw back Dr Peppers with real sugar that we poured in glass bottles to enjoy.

The heat got to him though (along with the donuts from church) and he retreated inside while I began work on my wife’s truck. However, soon enough he was back out with me and underneath her truck as we changed her oil.

It was a nice time with my son doing guy stuff and I am glad I could impart some garage knowledge down to him. Even though it was hot and humid, it was what makes a good garage memory.

…..Dan at aslowerpace dot net

As I stated a week ago in my prayer request post, I have been totally slacking at my blog maintenance and post generation. There is lots going on and I have been trying to focus on my family and my “to do” list. Unfortunately, the blog is not one of my top 10 priorities and lately it has showed. We’ll see what will happen in the next few weeks or months. I like to set a goal of posting daily. However, that can be unrealistic given all of the other higher priorities I am trying to balance. I think I might relieve myself of that goal and rather post spontaneously as the ideas or writings come to me. Again, we’ll see how that goes.

And right now as I sit at the computer, I have way more thoughts than time to get them entered.

First, is another prayer request. However, these are prayers of thanksgiving. You see, since my last post a lot has happened to Chris — he is the young jogger who was hit by the van. Let me give you an update and a miracle story.

Last Sunday progressed from us praying for a random person who we didn’t know to praying for a young man from my daughter’s hybrid homeschool who she knows, I have never seen prayer networks come alive for a believer. From our friends who were immediate responders to the homeschool consortium network to the Emmaus community to prayer request statuses on Facebook, the prayer channels came alive and truly had an impact to Chris’s injuries and recovery.

Immediately, we found out that there was no paralysis even though he had broken his neck. Next were brain swelling and bleeding concerns that put him into urgent surgery. Those concerns evaporated and I am convinced it was through prayer. Next was Chris getting up and walking on Tuesday — we’re talking 48 hours after a fragile 160 pound body was assaulted by a 3500 pound van. And that was followed by CHRIS LEAVING THE HOSPITAL ON THURSDAY WITH AN EXPECTED FULL RECOVERY!!!!! How amazing is that?!?!?!? I attribute it all to the power of prayer and how that day unfolded bringing many, many believers to their knees for a young disciple of Christ.

If you read that post last Sunday and put Chris in your prayers — thank you and know that your spiritual petition had a positive impact. If you did not read my post or are just reading this now, know that prayer works and it is critical for your walk with Christ.

If you ever have any prayer requests, please forward them to me. I would be honored to add them to my prayer list.

…..Dan at aslowerpace dot net

I have been slacking in my blog posts. It’s not like stuff hasn’t been going on — the posts are mostly just stuck in my head right now waiting to make their way down my arms, across my fingers and into the keyboard for y’all to read.

However, this post could not wait.

I received a call early this afternoon from good friends and neighbors of ours down the street. They had just come from church in Jeffersontown and were the 3rd or 4th people that came across a young man who was jogging and was hit head on by a mini-van by Ruckreigel and Taylorsville roads. He had severe trauma to the head and was bleeding profusely. My friends helped out where they could until emergency personnel arrived. The driver didn’t speak English and wasn’t able to communicate much.

I am also finding out through another prayer network that the young man just graduated from the Christian home school that my oldest daughter attends. He has swelling and bleeding on the brain and his neck is broken. There is no paralysis right now (thank the Lord) but he is in critical condition.

Please put him in your prayers. He needs prayers for peace, comfort, healing, pain management, hope and love. Please pray for those medical experts that will be working over him. Please pray for the van driver. And please pray for his family who will have to watch their son go through this not knowing the outcome.

While this is a tragic and critical situation, I am hopeful.

…..Dan at aslowerpace dot net

If God is your co-pilot –
switch seats!

This morning I met up with some of my fellow brothers in Christ for our now routine early Tuesday morning Bible study at the coffee shop. While we meet early at zero-dark-hundred (military speak for butt early), it gets my butt out of bed, gets me early to work and, more importantly, is a consistent Bible study in that it will never get cancelled due to sports practices, Scouts, date nights, movies, concerts or any of the other after work activities that make it so hard to stay rooted in a Bible study group. I have learned that consistency and persistence are very important ingredients in my walk with Jesus.

As we progressed with the study of the book of Acts, in chapter 8 there is a story where Philip was moved by the Holy Spirit to go speak with a servant of the Ethiopian queen. He shared the good news of Christ with him and baptized him. He very likely was one of the first African Christians. And all this from him being moved and listening to the Holy Spirit. At that point, one of my buddies shared a recent event this week where he was moved by the Holy Spirit. I have struggled in the past with sharing these stories when I perform these acts of service. However, I gladly boast of them when performed by my fellow brothers in Christ.

My friend was running errands this past weekend when he felt prompted to stop by the local farmer’s market. He is a chef by trade and he knows where to get all the good stuff. As he was perusing the fresh goods, he spotted a soldier in fatigues. He was going stall to stall talking with each stall owner. He got to the stall my friend was at and asked the stall owner/farmer if he was heading towards the Elizabethtown area after the market close. So far no vendors were going that way (about 45 minutes away). It seems that the soldier had an argument with his girlfriend and was booted out of her place with no way back to base. He had to get back before the end of his leave or he would be AWOL. My friend recognized the need and stepped in to serve in love. He offered to give the soldier a ride all the way back to base right then. The soldier took him up on it and he was able to get to where he was going.

While we don’t all have time to drive someone almost 2 hours out of our way, we all need to tune our hearts to the Holy Spirit and be prepared when called to serve. I am proud of my friend and highlight him successfully being the hands and feet of Jesus.

…..Dan at aslowerpace dot net

With all the festivities that occurred here on the property yesterday — swimming, BBQing, trailer rides, trampoline jumping, cornhole, food, fireworks, conversation, and good folks — I really needed a day to just rest and recover. Today was that day. I slept in, got up for a nice breakfast and my devotions, took a nap, played Connect 4 with K (who beat me), played Legos with D, played checkers, grilled some chicken for dinner and generally just lazed around. I am so thankful I had the day off work.

Today really was a much slower pace off the slower pace.

…..Dan at aslowerpace dot net

Our family had a great time celebrating our nation’s birthday today. Hopefully, in another post I will go off on how lucky we are, as Americans, to live in this great land. However, right now I will just highlight the amazing fireworks show I saw. This vid (which is not mine) is a small portion of the Slappy McSploder’s Fireworks Extravaganza show.

…..Dan at aslowerpace dot net

I took off a bit early from work so I could take K and D to the new Toy Story 3 movie. If you are even remotely thinking about going I highly encourage you. You won’t be disappointed. It’s Pixar after all and they have a great track record.

Later this evening, the kids wanted me to take them back to blackberry heaven on the 4 wheeler. I declined and instead, we all walked down there. This time we brought bowls and resisted the temptation to plop the berries into our mouths. Instead we started filling the bowls with the intent to make jam or cobbler out of them.

Yum!

…..Dan at aslowerpace dot net

This evening I was tooling around on the 4 wheeler when the kids saw me and wanted a ride. So D rode in front of me and K hopped on the back and we began riding all around the property. We had lots of fun crossing the creek, riding beside the growing corn, standing on the 4 wheeler to pick mulberries and stumbling across a large patch of wild blackberries. The farmers this year have said that it was going to be a great summer for blackberries because it was a “blackberry winter”. Now I don’t know what conditions that means but I do know they are right. Blackberries are just now starting to come into their own and it looks like they have legs to go a while.

And because blackberries are on prickly canes and challenging for smaller hands and arms to reach, I used my 4 wheeler to ride the kids right up to the spots that were teaming with blackberries. They called it “blackberry heaven” and picked the fat, dark berries and plopped them into their mouths. It was like a drive up blackberry stand as we idled from cane to cane picking off the berries and eating them right there. What a great time in the country.

Oh, and goodbye June.

…..Dan at aslowerpace dot net