Copper Mountain

I just finished up three days of snow skiing on Copper Mountain in Colorado. A friend called me and invited me to join him and his son for three days on the slopes. Both of them are wildmen skiiers--ski anywhere under any conditions. Ummm, my goal was to not break a leg--at least not one of mine.

On day one I started with an all day lesson on the green and blue slopes. Day two I was upgraded to a lesson on the blue slopes with a couple of black diamonds thrown in (took some very nice falls--BUT, didn't break my leg or anyone else's--great success).

Today we had absolutely pristine conditions. Groomed trails, stunning vistas, pure air, time with good friends and God. I found myself thanking God over and over again.

Though I'm worn out . . . muscles are screaming (nothing a few Advil can't handle) . . . I am energized. I love the adventure. I love my time "doing life" with great guys. I love my time reflecting on God's goodness.

Marriage recommended reading

We're in the midst of a "marriage" series at RiverTree. We're taking a hard, candid, authentic look at how to build the best imagineable marriages--marriages that honor God.

Here is a list of books that I've read about marriage that I recommend to you:

For those who are single and may be thinking about marriage . . .

Fit To Be Tied by Bill and Lynne Hybels.
Going All The Way by Craig Groeschel.

For those who are already married and want to build a stronger relationship . . .

Sacred Marriage by Gary Thomas.
Just How Married Do You Want To Be? by Jim and Sarah Sumner.

And for those who may be in a struggling marriage . . .

The Power Of A Praying Husband by Stormie OMartian.
The Power Of A Praying Wife by Stormie OMartian.

What do you recommend?

Outliers

Outliers is Malcolm Gladwell's most recent book. You might remember Mr. Gladwell from his best sellers and highly insightful and enjoyable reads The Tipping Point and Blink. Outliers definitely continues in that trend.

In Outliers Gladwell explores what makes companies and individuals wildly successful. Gladwell writes, "It's not enough to ask what successful people are like, in other words. It is only by asking where they are from that we can unravel the logic behind who succeeds and who doesn't."

After examining everything from Korean Airlines to Bill Gates to the Beatles to rice farmers in Guangzhou, Malcolm concludes that, "The people at the very top don't work just harder or even much harder than everyone else. They work much, much harder."

Outliers is worth reading simply for the entertaining stories of success alone. Combine that with great research and application and you have a book filled with meaningful conlusions that encourage the development of our full potential in life.

Pick this one up!

ChildReach

I spent the past several days in South Carolina. I was involved with leading a strategic planning retreat for ChildReach Ministries. ChildReach is a very cool ministry whose vision is to "love the world one child at a time."

Currently, ChildReach runs a home for unwed teen moms in Peru (Hannah's Home), an orphanage in Peru (Hannah's Hope), and a school for children in poverty in Ecuador (Nuevos Amigos). The ministry is growing so rapidly that we gathered to brainstorm about how they could be most effective in all that God is calling them to accomplish. No small task!

For more info on ChildReach check out, www.childreachministries.org.

Consumed interviews

At RiverTree we just finished a teaching series called Consumed. The question we've been wrestling with is: "Am I a consumer or am I consumed by the things of God?" This past weekend we closed things out with two amazing interviews. First, we interviewed a young man named Richmond Wandera. Richmond is from Uganda and his story is nothing short of AWESOME! Our second interview is with Rob Lane. Rob's story is filled with practical encouragement for how we can live with "enough."

Take time to watch these!!!

Richmond Wandera interview
http://vimeo.com/3176176

Rob Lane interview
http://vimeo.com/3179697

To sponsor a child go to www.compassion.com.

To join the Junky Car Club go to www.junkycarclub.com.

My prayer for today

My prayer for today:

God, change my fear into faith, hate into love, egoism into humility, anxiety and worry into serenity, complacency into action, denial into acceptance, self-seeking into submission, jealousy into trust, selfishness into service, resentment into forgiveness, despair into hope and loneliness into community.

In Jesus' name,
Amen.

Pie, pie, pie!

I've been on this wierd pie making kick lately. Probably has something to do with the weather. If I can't golf . . .

So I've made sweet potato pie, brown sugar pie, chocolate pie and my new favorite recipe: Kentucky Pie.

This is a family recipe that my mom passed on. It's been one of our favorites and good to now have in the next generation.

Kentucky Pie

1 stick butter
2 cups sugar
1 Tbspn cornstarch
3 eggs
1 cup evaporated milk
1 tspn vanilla extract

Melt butter over medium heat, stir in sugar and cornstarch. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each one. Add milk and vanilla, stir well. Pour into 9" pie crust. Bake at 350 for 50-60 minutes. Refrigerate for one hour before serving.

Enjoy!

Where "little" go?

My sister-in-law, Jeanna, recently changed the screen saver image on her computer.

Her son, Oscar, is a little over two years old now. Her new screen saver is a picture of Oscar when he was just 10 months old. When Jeanna showed Oscar his ten month photo on her computer she explained to him that the picture was of him when he was little.

Oscar's response? "Where 'little' go?"

There's a question for us all!

Our recently adopted son, Elijah, is now ten months old. our daughter, Tabitha, is ten years old.

"Where 'little' go?"