Inner Confrontation

Those who are peacemakers will plant seeds of peace and reap a harvest of righteousness.
James 3:18

Just read the verse above… I tweeted it and added "I want to be this type of gardener."

Felt cut through to my heart… When I read that verse this morning I pictured others that I perceive as true peacemakers and I felt so uncomfortable with how little I measure up.

Then I thought through other characteristics/actions I should be showing daily as a Christian… sympathy, care, love, giving, praying… I fall so far short when I see how others lead their lives.

•I'm not a peacemaker, but I need to be (I will be)
•I'm not sympathetic, but I need to be (I will be)
•I'm not caring, but I need to be (I will be)
•I'm not loving, but I need to be (I will be)
•I'm not giving, but I need to be (I will be)
•I'm not praying, but I need to be (I will be)

[My journal entry this morning]


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Sing... Sing A Song...

I didn't watch the debate and I don't care to discuss it, but I saw this picture and it just cracks me up!!! It looks like Romney and Obama are singing to each other. Agree???

Without ANY political bashing or personal attacks... What song are they singing or what musical are they performing in? Be creative with your thinking... This could be interesting :-)

iOS6 Frustrations

I generally don't complain about technology-related changes… operating systems, software, apps, social networking sites… when changes occur I roll with it and always have a positive attitude. My general philosophy with change has become:

•reset
•relearn
•reload
•return

And then iOS6 was released.

Wow… what frustrations I've been having!!!

There are four main issues I've been dealing with; please tell me I'm not the only one:

• More typos / keyboard errors - or did my thumbs get larger overnight?
• Apps are starting up very slow; FB, Twitter, IG, Evernote, and more
• Battery running down more quickly, have to charge at least once a day, sometimes twice.
• Typing delays and/or no response… keyboard will freeze for a fewy seconds while I'm typing, then start back up suddenly maybe entering what I typed while it froze, maybe not.

I'm using an iPhone 4 … my wife is using an iPhone 4S; yes, she is having similar problems, but has also had her phone go black and restart a few times for no reason at all over the past 2 weeks since she update to iOS6.

Now again, I'm usually quick to adapt with technology changes, but these aren't changes, these are technology-screwups by Apple.

Just in this post alone I've probably spent more time back spacing, deleting, repositioning the cursor to correct typos, etc. than in actual typing.

My wife wondered… Could it possibly be because of the larger screen size for iPhone 5? Hmmm sounds strange, but… was iOS6 for iphone created with the iPhone 5 in mind and adapted for the 4 & 4s? Hmmm… sensors on 4 & 4s not matching up accurately with iOS6?

Who knows, but… hopefully the bugs will get worked out soon. If not… maybe an Android phone or something similar isn't looking so bad after all.

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Redeemed (by Big Daddy Weave)

[I love this song… It's just a blessing to me and helpful with where I'm at in my life right now]

Seems like all I could see was the struggle
Haunted by ghosts that lived in my past
Bound up in shackles of all my failures
Wondering how long is this gonna last
Then You look at this prisoner and say to me "son...
Stop fighting a fight it's already been won"

I am redeemed, You set me free
So I'll shake off these heavy chains
Wipe away every stain, now I'm not who I used to be
I am redeemed, I'm redeemed

All my life I have been called unworthy
Named by the voice of my shame and regret
But when I hear You whisper, "Child lift up your head"
I remember, oh God, You're not done with me yet

I am redeemed, You set me free
So I'll shake off these heavy chains
Wipe away every stain, now I'm not who I used to be

Because I don't have to be the old man inside of me
'Cause his day is long dead and gone
Because I've got a new name, a new life, I'm not the same
And a hope that will carry me home

I am redeemed, You set me free
So I'll shake off these heavy chains
Wipe away every stain, 'cause I'm not who I used to be

I am redeemed, You set me free
So I'll shake off these heavy chains
Wipe every stain, yeah, I'm not who I used to be
Oh, God, I'm not who I used to be
Jesus, I'm not who I used to be
'Cause I am redeemed
Thank God, redeemed

Redeemed by Big Daddy Weave
Songwriters: Benji Cowart & Michael Weaver

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A 30-year Late Thank You

Dear Daddy…

Today Andrew and I created a 3-dimensional animal cell… I'm pretty sure I had more fun than he did, but he gave me a lot of thank yous, smiles, and high fives when we were done :-)

While helping him with the project, I couldn't help but think back to my difficulties in biology and botany with Mr Piper and the time you would spend with me learning everything for tests.

I know this is a little late (30-years, to be exact), but thank you for ALL of your help!!!







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Up North On My Mind

It's been two months since we've been home from Wisconsin and I still have it on my mind...

I can't remember having such a deep longing to return so quickly after coming home from our family vacation to Wisconsin. I was anxious to get up there, and I didn't want to leave...

It'll be a couple of years before we make it back up again... Hopefully I'll have the same excitement as I had this year.

The image below pretty much sums up what I picture in my mind when I think of our annual Sexton family vacation:

Yes... Up North is on my mind.

You're Blessed When...

{I don't think I've ever seen The Beatitudes written more beautifully than in The Message version of the Bible.}

You’re blessed when you’re at the end of your rope. With less of you there is more of God and his rule.

You’re blessed when you feel you’ve lost what is most dear to you. Only then can you be embraced by the One most dear to you.

You’re blessed when you’re content with just who you are—no more, no less. That’s the moment you find yourselves proud owners of everything that can’t be bought.

You’re blessed when you’ve worked up a good appetite for God. He’s food and drink in the best meal you’ll ever eat.

You’re blessed when you care. At the moment of being ‘care–full, ’ you find yourselves cared for.

You’re blessed when you get your inside world—your mind and heart—put right. Then you can see God in the outside world.

You’re blessed when you can show people how to cooperate instead of compete or fight. That’s when you discover who you really are, and your place in God’s family.

You’re blessed when your commitment to God provokes persecution. The persecution drives you even deeper into God’s kingdom.

~Matthew 5:3-10 (The Message)

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Strouthion and Strouthion

Stella is a cockatiel that we adopted last winter… I have to say we've become quite close over the past few months. and this morning was a perfect chance to sit on our front porch with her during my Saturday "porch time." (Her wings are clipped, so no chance of her flying away.)



When Laurie and I first moved into our house, we had five birds living with us…

• white-eyed conure
•2 cockatiels
•mourning dove (rescued several years earlier by Laurie's brother), and
•budgie

About this same time I began bird watching… I developed such a love for our feathered friends.

After our son Andrew was born, things in our house got a little crazy… we fostered an African gray for a little while until a friend adopted him, work became busier for Laurie and I, life got busier… our white-eyed conure died suddenly (which affected me more than I would admit at the time), our budgie died, Savannah was born, job change… soon we asked Laurie's brother if he could take our two cockatiels and mourning dove.

That was hard going from a house full of birds to no birds. But, we knew at that time in our lives, it was necessary. However, we still had one "little birdie" in our house… our son Andrew, his nickname at a very early age.

It was about that time that I started using the name "Strouthion" for different things online…

strouthion: a sparrow
Original Word: στρουθίον, ου, τό
Part of Speech: Noun, Neuter
Transliteration: strouthion
Phonetic Spelling: (stroo-thee'-on)
Short Definition: a small bird, sparrow
Definition: a small bird, sparrow.

We knew there would be a time when birds would come back into our lives. It started with a canary, Buttercup, when Andrew was in first grade.

And now, a few pets later, Stella joined our flock :-)

So for me it was a special time with Stella on our front porch this morning… Strouthion and strouthion.

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Reading Frenzy

Our 10-year old daughter, Savannah, has become quite the reader… it seems we almost always see her with a book in her hands.

When I was Savannah's age, I can't really remember ever having a joy for reading. So it's quite exciting to see it in BOTH of our kids :-)

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Video "Evangelist"

My son Andrew amazes me... his heart for those who do not know Jesus is SO big!!!

He's had it on his heart for awhile to create a video series that will introduce non-Christians to Jesus. The following is his first installment...

I pray he continues to burn with excitement in his desire to share Jesus with others!!! I feel so blessed and I'm so proud to call Andrew my son :-)

Mental Preparation

If you follow me on Facebook or Twitter, you're aware that my wife Laurie and I are training for our first half marathon, the We Care Twin Cities Half Marathon taking place on Saturday, September 29.

A couple years ago I couldn't have imagined I would be preparing for a half marathon… or that I'd be running regularly. And even more so, I never could have imagined I would be enjoying running again… I haven't felt that way since high school, and even then I'm not sure I could have said I enjoyed it.

We are 57 days away from the half marathon… I'm a couple weeks behind where I should be in training due to my right achilles tendon becoming very swollen a few weeks ago. But luckily, two weeks off from running and gel heel wedges have completely healed my achilles problem :-) I'm feeling pretty good where I'm at right now, but wish I wouldn't have lost those couple of weeks.

Tomorrow I'm scheduled for an eight mile run… I can't remember when I've run eight miles, but probably not since the fall of 1983 sometime between August and October (my senior season in cross country at Monmouth High School… GO ZIPPERS!!!)

I've been in this weird "mental preparation" mood today… I keep thinking about the eight mile run tomorrow. But it's not been a bad, negative, or fearful way… More of a "getting prepared" way.

•What should I eat tonight that won't weigh me down in the morning
•How much sleep should I get
•When should I take my ibuprofen in the morning (usually takes 30-minutes to kick in)
•What time am I running
•Breakfast before? Or post run breakfast?
•Should I take a nutrition bar to make sure I'm replenishing
•How often should I drink from my water bottle to make sure it lasts 8 miles
•What's my desired pace
•Shirt or no shirt
•Are my favorite running shorts clean
•Can't forget a washcloth (my wife got me started on that one)
•Charge my phone to 100%
•Use IcyHot on my thigh right before starting
•Raisins… don't forget to eat raisins before running (my new little "gotta have it" food before I run)
•Map out mileage tonight in case iPhone GPS goes whacky again (it has a habit of adding in some some weird jagged patterns or extra loops)
•Usual running location or different one?
•Lots of stretching before; midway if I need to, also
•Shade running or full sun running? (half marathon will be almost all full sun, but Constitution Trail that Laurie and I run on is well shaded)
•Mile to mile plan … pace & time
•Form… not too upright, don't arch your back, lean forward a little, relax, watch arm swinging

Crazy, huh??? Before I went on long runs in high school I NEVER thought through anything… I just did it.
And quite honestly, I'm excited about it… a little nervous, since I haven't gone that far in almost 30 years, but… excited to know I'm doing it!!!

So, lunch is over… time to get back to work weeding and deadheading. And, I'm pretty sure I'll continue mentally preparing myself for my run tomorrow. :-)


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The Wall