It is amazing how fast time flies by and we are once again at the "most wonderful time of the year!"  So, let me say a week before the actual event (I am about to take a week off with family--my family rocks), Happy Thanksgiving! 

It has been and continues to be a crazy year of ups and downs (mostly downs) in the financial world's local and abroad.  In light of this, many who have lost jobs and suffering financial strain may be thinking "what is there to be thankful for?"  Well...there is plenty to be thankful for this Thanksgiving.  Here comes the response, "How can you answer this question when you have a job?"  And...response, I learned a lot from my Father's job loss when I was teenager.

A little context is needed.  My mom was an elementary school cafeteria manager and my father a purchasing agent. Both of my parents, being raised during the Great Depression (my parents were older than most of my friend's parents--I am thankful for this gift), knew how to get by with little and "make due" with the resources they had. In other words, we did not get caught up in debt situations often and did without things until we could pay for them (my mom was the queen of Layaway programs). This made it difficult to keep up with the Joneses (whoever they are).  Even so, I had a wonderful childhood filled with great memories and plenty of "stuff."  My junior year, my dad lost his job.  This put a dent in the family budget and put a halt on much of my spending patterns--teenagers have always loved to spend.  Around seven years later my father passed away after a long term illness.  So...that's the context.

What did I learn during this time?  In short, while I like the things money can buy (houses, cars, clothes, trips, etc.); these things can be gone in an instant.  The things that last are faith, family and friends. I know it sounds like a greeting card, but it is true.  Oh, one more thing I learned during the time, we seemed to have enough (money and resources) to get by.  And were did the "enough" come from?  Yes, mom's job and dad's unemployment provided the base, but faith, family and friends chipped in as well.  Someone from the church would give me $20 to put gas in the truck and take out my girlfriend, the church paid my way to camp and mission trips (they invested in my faith future) and odd jobs appeared at just the right time (odd is a true description--I even made those can- holding-hard-hat-contraptions that often appear at tail gate events).

Thanksgiving may be filled with unforeseen hardship this year, but look around you and be thankful.  Faith, family and friends are what it is all about. 

Happy Thanksgiving!

Ladies and Gentlemen of Blog World let me present to you Luis and Ray (Lou-Lou and Ray-Ray around RHCC).  These two men are part of our excellent maintenance team that keep all of 24:7 running properly (they even get Jason and I light bulbs for our lamps).  In short, they are great guys whose ministry makes it possible for us to do our jobs with excellence!  Way to go guys (we will always share our coffee with you!). 

By the way, I did say "Ministry." As Luis and Ray demonstrate, every job can be a ministry job.  You don't have to be a full-time minister to go into ministry.  Remember what the Apostle Paul wrote, "Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving." (Colosians 3:23ff)

I wasted two hours today!

Well, they were not totally wasted.  I did enjoy the time I spent working with one of our excellent tech guys.  Nonetheless, the goal we were attempting to attain was not reached. All I wanted to do was combine the various calendars on my computer into one and sync "that" calendar with my phone (if you know how to do this, please don't explain the process to me--the pain would be too great). 

"I know computers and phone sync stuff!" I thought to myself (this is where the wasted time began).

I decided to tinker along and see if I could find a solution to my problem.  I downloaded this and combined that until I was convinced I had solved my problem. 

Wrong!  I ended up deleting my current calendar (with a year's worth of appointments) and the sync I attempted between my phone and computer (I thought this would help--my settings were wrong) resulted in a calendar loss from my phone. In short, I lost everything.  Oopsie! 

I am proud to say that I did not panic and/or throw a pity party.  After a few moments, I found a copy hiding in a deleted items file.  Yeah!  I still don't know how to sync with my phone, but I have somewhat restored my calendar to its original setting.  I was fortunate.

The thing that kills me is the time I wasted because I got into something I had little or no business getting into in the first place. 

Have you ever finished (or survived) something and thought to yourself, "I have just wasted ______ hours of my life!"  I have found this statement surfacing in my own life when experiencing the consequences (like a lost calendar) brought about by my own impatience or stepping into something beyond my expertise.  Like today, a step back would have served me well.  Such action would have allowed me time to gather advice from other "experts" and avoid the pain of calendar loss (being a little dramatic concerning the calendar but I am making a point).

In life, we could all use a little more step back time.  Step Back time is that moment in which we pause to catch a breath and regroup before pressing forward.  

When your spouse says something argumentative and you begin to feel the tension rise--it's step back time!

When your teenager smarts off at you (for the third time today)--it's step back time!

When your parent begins the lecture phase of a conversation without listening to your point of view--it's step back time!

When tempted by (fill in the blank)--it's step back time!

When facing a tough decision--it's step back time!

You get the picture.  So, the next time you feel the blood pressure rising, take a step back. It could help you save much more than time.

"Oh Canada!"

This past weekend I traveled to Canada to speak at a youth conference, men's breakfast, preach a sermon and conduct a  ParenTeen seminar.  Yep, it was busy!

I had a great time meeting new people and seeing a part of North America that I had not seen before.  I also had some new experiences in travel--I travel a lot.

Here we go...my first plane was struck by lightning and eventually removed from the flight line, we landed in Minneapolis, MN with a cross wind of over 45 miles an hour (fun to say the least) and my flight back to DFW was delayed almost five hours putting me back in Texas around 1 a.m.  Oh, and the girl behind me puked in one of those "puke bags." 

Travel issues can bring up all kinds of anxiety, fear and anger in people.  My family, I am blessed, is rather casual (sometimes too casual when pushing the time limit on check in). We have a tendency to see delays and such as adventures and excuses to spend money at airport restaurants; others--not so much.  People will gripe, yell, moan, use bad language (unfortunately I have witnessed this more than once--yeah adult role models!), and generally bring the joy level down when something does not go as planned.  Last weekend was no exception--here comes the experiment.

They had just announced another delay and a few in the crowd began their downer "routine."  However, the guy next to me was really enjoying the football game being played on the TV screens.  I decided to talk to him about the game and comment on an instant replay.  Yep, before long, both of our moods where lighter and patient with the delay.  Soon after, a few other people began to laugh with us about the delay and how early it would be when we actually made it back to DFW.  Social Experiment #2 was a success!  A little positive infusion in to a negative situation does make a difference (again, that whole salt and light discussion of Jesus is coming to mind)

Disclaimer:  Before you think I am a total saint of travel goodness, I too have had those "I can not believe this" moments (without the bad language) at airports in which I did not talk to the people around me, sat and pouted.

Our Fall Retreat is over and it was awesome!

Adults and students alike appreciated the challenging lessons brought by Pat Bills (way to go Pastor Pat--new preacher of the Highland Oaks church of christ) and enjoyed the times of worship and learning activities together. 

It was a blast! 

Exhausting, but a blast!

Setting up what I am about to say, let me be clear.  First and foremost, it is God who creates truly powerful retreat weekends.  We are simply vessels of that power.  Without God, even the most creative retreat planning falls short (thanks, I feel better). 

With that in mind, our staff pulls out all the bells and whistles for retreats.  Although our imaginations are often limited by budget (we could not pull off the glider rides), we do pretty well at making things "pop" so we can help create the best experience possible.  This weekend was no different.  We had video, music, glider competitions, a gauntlet experience (easier seen than explained) and even made real rockets that were launched at the concluding gathering.  All that and...it was the unprogrammed moments that God used the most. 

When I started out in youth ministry I was way too stressed about the logistics and creative elements involved in retreat planning.  Even though I still plan retreats with the same creative passion, I am not at all offended and actually have come to expect God to use the "planned" activities as spring board moments for his "planned" and "scheduled" work in the lives of teenagers and adult sponsors.  This knowledge actually takes the stress out of retreat planning and adds a sense of expectation and excitement that God is going to show up and do more than we have "asked or imagined" (borrowed that phrase from the apostle Paul).   

Now for the Youth Ministry Tid Bit. If you are a Youth worker or volunteer reading this blog, please continue to be as creative as possible when planning a retreat weekend.  Students and adults are giving you a weekend of their life. Do something with it!  Even so, this may seem rather contradictory, relax a little and don't take your abilities too seriously.  Bath all of your planning in prayer and humbly ask God to take your creative, programmatic offering and do something awesome with it.  Remember, if God doesn't show up nothing is going to happen anyway.

It is time for another observation from my nephew's Marine Corps graduation.  Before the observation, let's review a lesson that is easily identifiable in scripture. Here it is: The decisions you make in life influence other people and the way they make decisions.

Examples of the impact made by not-so-good decision moments from a few Bible character greats:

Abraham's decision to trust in Egypt's resources during the famine in Canaan effected the decision Lot made to live in the land "like Egypt," Sodom.

David's decision to sin with Bathsheba brought a host of problems upon his house and the people of Israel. Consequently, the effects of David's decision lead to another decision by Absolum (his own son) to rebel against his father's rule.

Peter's decision to pull away from new gentile christians and hang with his jewish "brethren" lead others to descriminate against gentile believers.

Examples of the impact made by good decision moments from a few Bible character greats:

Abraham's decision to trust the LORD with the life of his only son led to the entire world being blessed by Jesus and leading countless others to follow the LORD in similar fashion.

David's decision to repent of his sin with Bathsheba marked the beginning of healing to his family's dysfunction and restored confidence in Israel's throne. His actions serve as a model for all those who have fallen into sin and desire to restore their relationship with the LORD and other people.

Peter's decision to accept Paul's correction and work towards a full acceptance of gentile believers has blessed all believers who are not of Jewish origin and continues to serve as an example of how vigilant the church should be in protecting the diversity of all her members.

The point is clear.  Positively or negatively, the decisions we make do effect others.  Now, back to the Corps.

Below is a picture of my son standing in parade rest position with his cousin Kevin. The picture was rather spontaneous and resulted from a simple request, "Hey Braeden, stand at parade rest with me and take a picture."  Without a thought, Braeden imitated what he saw Kevin doing and it was done.  Picture snapped! 

Christian (adult and teenager) someone is watching your lead and will do whatever they see you do or do whatever you say, without a thought!  Let's all take that responsibility seriously! 

"It is going to be emotional" was the warning Mike Washburn gave me concerning the Marine Corps Graduation. And...it was.

My nephew PFC Kevin Buchanan graduated this past Friday from Marine Corps basic.  The ceremony was filled with all kinds of tradition and left the participants (marine and families alike) with a feeling that something special had just happened.  I will be talking more about our trip to San Diego in the coming days.  But for now, let me leave you with one little observation from the weekend.

Family and friends were invited on the Marine Corps Recruiting Depot (MCRD) base during Family Day and Graduation Day festivities.  A diverse group of people had assembled to honor their marine.  The diversity encompassed a number of social, ethnic, economic and even national groups. 

Here is the cool part. 

Outside of "church," this was the best mannered and respectful group of people I have been in the company of in a long time.  People used manners, language was kept in check, and respect was given to all in attendance. Yes, on Family Day, the new marines had to behave themselves because they were still being watched by their Drill Instructors--that was expected.  It was the conduct of the crowd that caught my attention. 

Why did everyone step up their behavior?  They were briefed by the Corps and told that this was a special occasion and that everyone deserves to have their marine and family honored. So, respect and courtesy would be the order of the day.  Well--it worked and it was awesome!  People opened doors, said "please" and "thank you," and generally acted  better than what you find in the local mall or sporting event.

I am not advocating marine corps boot camp for all of society (it is a thought).  However, how great would it be, if on the base(s) in which you are in command (family, school, athletics, church, etc.) an order of respect and courtesy would be issued as the standard for the day?

So, go ahead, call a meeting and raise the standard of conduct. You will like the way it improves the overall attitude of everyone.   

Again, more will be said of this awesome weekend later.  For now, here is a picture of my family with our new marine.

Exploding Bubble Gum!

Jason,the High school Youth Minister at 24:7,bought hundreds (if not thousands) of  gumballs to go into his bubble gum bank. Quickly Jason realized that the product he purchased was too large to fit into his machine.  As a result, because one man can only eat so much gum, Jason has been searching for ways to use the oversized gumballs.  He has used them as prizes, shared them with every "drop-in" and "appointment" office guest, used them in office pranks (my office has been rather colorful at times--that is what a gumball covered office floor provides)...and...he has used gumballs as weapons.

As you can see, gumballs explode! Oh, not spontaneously, but when thrown against solid objects such as a wall or desk they explode and leave all kinds of shrapnel (tiny pieces). 

A beautiful candy turned into a weapon of pain?  Yep--and it hurts!

A beautiful candy that adds color to an often dull, grey world shattered into tiny pieces of white?  Yep--and it hurts! (I am being a little dramatic here)

Here comes the point. How often do we use our words, which are able to bring comfort and add color to an often dull, grey world, as weapons that leave tiny pieces of painful memories?  Let's remember what Paul said,

Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. Eph.4:29

This is something both teenager and adult need to remember.

I want to use this blog spot to periodically let you in on the results of various "social experiments" I conduct.  These are not scientifically varifiable types of research activities. They are usually random hunches that I choose to react to in the moment (yes--the result of acting on such hunches is often fraught with social dangers).

Experiment #1

I had one piece of school supplies left to buy.  I had spent the previous afternoon in a 1 and 1/2 hour search for an extra-long pencil box--I came home empty handed (I am humored by how specific school supplies lists are becoming).  Yesterday, I walked into the store I knew had to have the extra-long pencil box on their shelves.  Success!  I grabbed one of the remaining three extra-long pencil box containers and started towards the check out line.   This moment marked the beginning of my "experiment."

No joke--there were at least 5 people in each check out line. And each line-stander had at least 20 items to buy.  I had one extra-long pencil box.  The opportunity for a social experiment developed fast.  People were frustrated (I could relate-one extra-long pencil box) and guarded their items and place in line with grouchy dilligence.  The random hunch reaction was launched--I smiled and chatted with the person standing in front of me about the line situation (yes, I talked to someone standing in line with me).

The Result?  They smiled, laughed and we both started ribbing a young lady who asked us to save her place in line so she could exchange an item (she did get her place back and enjoyed the humor).  The experiment carried on outside the store as I smiled and chatted with those walking into the crowded store.  Here is what I learned from this experiment:

A smile and chat lowered the anxious feelings of both those receiving the smile and chat and the one delivering the smile and chat (me). 

Try it and see what happens! 

Oh, I bet this will also work in families and groups of people when tension is high (don't ask me how I know this).

Wow! 

I have done this before, but taking a little girl to school for the first time is a lot harder than taking a boy.  Maybe it is the extra protection a dad feels toward their daughters. Regardless, it was different.

Later in the morning, while fulfilling my duties as a Watch D.O.G. (totally cool program that gets Dads into the school), I saw my daughter exploring the halls of her school with her awesome teacher (he really is a great teacher) and new classmates.  She blew a kiss at me.  I caught the kiss and smiled.  Then, almost instantly, I knew she was going to be alright and was ready for school. 

Many of you dads have probably shared such a moment in the past or just had one this week as you took your daughters to school.  If so, let me encourage all of you to keep that feeling of protection for your daughters throughout their school career's and life for that matter.  I am not advocating hovering dads who sit on the porch with loaded weapons when boys come a courtin' (humm...could be funny, but probably not a good idea--I reserve the right to change my mind on that one).  I am advocating that dads continually care about who their daughter knows, how she behaves, how she dresses and ,without doubt, know how they want to be treated by a man because the have witnessed the respect and honor their dads have shown their mothers.   

If you excuse me now, I am going home to spend time with two of the most important ladies in my life, my little girl and her wonderful mom. 

Hang On!  Dr. Dave will have a new post within the next day or two!

Welcome to Dr. Dave's first Blog—of his life.

As you can see from this great pic (made on the fly), our new website is up and running.  We will add more as we go along to assure that we make our site the most incredible resource for both teens and adults.  So...look around and enjoy. 

After much cajoling, I have entered the world of blogging.  Check back often as I give my thoughts on life, ministry and walking with the Lord.  I am not saying every blog will change your life, but hopefully will offer some helpful direction.