A Gaelic Saturday Evening and Sunday morning with the kids

What a fun and blessed weekend I had. I spent Saturday shopping with my wife and we actually purchased clothes for me. Are you amazed? I sure was. Anyhow, besides getting some new threads, I so enjoyed being back home and spending the day with my beautiful wife.

Saturday night we met Ben & Mandy and Chad & Sharon at Molly Brannigans for an Irish dinner. Nobody had the Shepards Pie. Oh believe me, I wanted it because I had it the last time we were there and let me just say that it is to die for. I opted to try something different and had the Guiness Stew in a Sourdough Bread Bowl. It was awesome! After dinner we all headed over to the Chandler Center of Performing Arts and saw Gaelic Storm for an evening of Irish jigs and Celtic Music and irreverent humor. I was impressed to say the least and really enjoyed it. We also got to know Chad and Sharon better too. Great peeps.

Patty and I signed up to teach the 1st through 5th graders once a month or so during childrens church on Sunday mornings. Well this morning was our first time and I was so blessed to be a part of it. The subject was Christ in Me and we used an illustration using work gloves. The gloves don't do the work, but when you put your hands in them they do. Just like all we can do is because of Christ living in us. The kids were awesome, attentive, and very good at participating. I wasn't sure I would enjoy the age group but it turned out that I really really enjoyed them. And they blessed me too.

I get to head back to work tomorrow and we have drop-in Center and Youth tomorrow night. It will be great to see the Youth and hang with them again.

I'll be heading out for a couple of work trips. One in a week and a half or so and another at the end of the month. Then on May 7-10th we'll be heading to Anaheim for a Vineyard Leadership Conference. Pinay, if you're reading this, let me know if you will be in California on either side of those dates. Patty and I would love to be able to take a couple of extra days to drive up to see you since we'll be in California. I will email you too.

June 10th-15th will be our Youth Camp at UCYC up in Prescott. I will be going with the kids for a fun filled week up in the Pines and am excited about it.

Patty and I were talking this afternoon about taking time one on one with our youth. So maybe once a week or every other week I will take a guy and Patty will take a girl and we'll just take them out to eat, or for ice cream, or whatever and really get to know them one on one. I believe it is important. Not to be a parent figure to them, although some may have an absent parent. But just to mentor them and find out how they're really doing. We'll see how it goes.

I still have to blog about that one chapter in Dan Gilliams book that really touched me. I am struggling in a certain area with my daughter and have to just keep praying for her and also for myself in how I react to situations. You'll know exactly what I mean when I blog about it. It also will show you how I rebelled against my parents, God, and even my wife. But through their faithful prayers, I turned to the only one who could give me true healing.

Be blessed and be moved by God's love!