Family

Well, the last of the family visits for a while ended today, and I must say, the one thing that I miss most living in Kansas is being near to family.  While it was good to see all three sets of grandparents, and one set of Aunt/Uncle/Cousins, it was bittersweet knowing that the next time that we will likely see them, Isaac will be 3 months old.  Though they will see pictures of him as he gets older, maybe even see him on Skype via webcam occasionally, it just won’t quite be the same.

This is when it is hard to follow the call God has given us.  We love our church home here at Grace and I love serving as worship director, but I do miss being surrounded by family.  I guess that’s probably because our whole lives growing up we were surrounded by family.  Even when Eric and then Mom moved up to the Des Moines area, I was still around Aunts and Uncles and Cousins and church family.  Then when I married Jodie, all of her family was there too.  Despite feeling welcomed here in Manhattan, it just feels lonely sometimes!

Well, this is getting depressing.  My whole purpose here was to just write and say how wonderful it was to see everybody over the last couple of weeks.  Of course, if you are family, and you didn’t come down, remember, you’re always welcome, and there are even some that I would be happy to sing a Selah duet in church with if they decided to visit us sometime…… :-D

So, until then, keep checking out pictures of Isaac on www.psalm127mom.com (we’re not posting a whole lot of pictures on Facebook.  I have issues with their privacy policies, and frankly, it creeps me out a bit that though you can “remove” pictures from your profile, you cannot remove them Facebook’s server).  Also, if you are family, and have Skype, let me know and you can see Isaac sometime!

The Year Ahead

I find it fairly appropriate that as midnight came and went last night, I was literally at the changing table with a verydirty diaper.  As I look ahead at 2010, I see a year with a focus on learning to raise our son, Isaac.  I’m sure there will be missteps and successes, but as I was looking at my 15 month old nephew, I was thinking that Isaac will be not too terribly much smaller a year from now.  In the next year, we’ll have seen his first steps and heard his first words (probably).  We’ll see his personality grow and develop, and he’ll start learning hymns .

On the work front, I’m looking forward to the intern that is coming to work with me in a week (whoa, I so need to get the office ready this week!).  Because of that, the Easter cantata will be a whole lot of work, but hopefully a clear picture of the Easter story for those who don’t know Christ.  Also, the Easter service might be a special service, and in our spare time we’ll be working on the hymnal that I’m planning on publishing for Grace this year.  Also, I’ll be continuing the blogging and trying to get out and connect with folks in the community.

I still have a stack of books to read from last year, but since Jodie and I haven’t turned the TV on since we brought Isaac home, and we’re cancelling the cable, I think I might actually get through some of the stack.  I will of course post reviews as I finish.  There will I’m sure be whole hours of new and old worship music to listen through and I will let you know as they come out.

Above all though, I pray that I might draw nearer to God in this year, that I might worship Him as He would have me worship Him, and know Him, as He would have me know Him.  I hope that’s your prayer for the coming year too!  Praise Him for His mercies, for they are new every day!

The Year Behind

I can’t believe that tomorrow is already 2010.  2009 seems to have just flown by so quickly that I’m not sure where it all went.  I thought I’d hit some of the high and low points of the year and maybe talk about what I learned.  I don’t know really, I’m kind of hoping this post will write itself.  I’m going to do as it comes to me.

As I look back on last year’s resolutions that happened to fall on the New Year, I missed every single point I had… Yep, just read through them, didn’t accomplish a single goal I had.  They were all good goals; I just don’t know where the time went.

At church, some of the biggies were the Worship Philosophy, the Easter Cantata, my first sermon, and the combined church picnic.  All went well, and overall, I really began to hit my stride at Grace this year.  That’s not to say I’m where I’d like to be with all aspects of my job, but looking back at 2009, we were able to accomplish a lot, and I pray Christ was exalted in all we did.

In my personal life, we lost Grandma this year.  Since I didn’t really know Grandpa, or any grandparents on my dad’s side, it was really tough to lose that generation.  We were able to spend the last couple of days with her, and then celebrate her life.  I never thought I’d witness a discussion mid-funeral about whether the Sywassinks were German or Dutch, but it turns out that all our lives we thought it was German, but it’s actually Dutch.

On the up side, we added to our family a couple of weeks ago.  Isaac Stanley was born on the 11th of December.  We’re trying to figure out this whole parenting thing, but it’s amazing how this little boy has touched and changed our lives.  Tomorrow’s the year ahead post will essentially write itself with looking ahead at year one of his life.

In a more random list, I didn’t read as much as I wanted this year, but did chew through some books.  The pastoral staff went to the BASICS pastor’s conference in May, and since then I’ve been a trifle obsessed with Getty music, but the church tolerates it well!  Jodie and I did get to go to the National Worship Leader’s Conference in July, and I can honestly say that I’m still grappling with some of the things that I learned there, and I look forward to returning again either this year or next.

As I alluded to earlier, I do have some regret about 2009.  There was just so much that I wanted to do that just didn’t get done.  I’m sure you have regrets as you look back too.  Below, I’ve posted a wonderful video from Igniter Media talking about regrets.  Despite that, I know that I’m on a journey pressing toward the goal, and sometimes I move along speedily, and sometimes God has to drag me a bit, but I know that my Lord is always with me and always bringing me along.  So, goodbye 2009.  I hope you had a blessed year, I know that I’ve been blessed far more than I ever deserve!

http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=2613815&server=vimeo.com&show_title=1&show_byline=1&show_portrait=0&color=ffffff&fullscreen=1

The Best Laid Plans of Mice and Men...

Let me deal with the first half first.  We’ve inexplicably lost our mouse.  It really ought to be somewhere, but until we find it, we’re stuck using touch pads.  (that fills the part about mice )

So, Sunday night, I was really fired up about today.  I planned to finally get a good full day in at the office, and had a long list of things to do.  First, I must find my desk, second, Dr. Bob gave me a book by A.W. Tozer on worship I wanted to chew through today (review to come when I’ve finished), and there’s a whole long list of stuff that I want to get started on at work.

My plans were well set, until the 4 am feeding (I think, it might have been the midnight one).  What happened?  I woke up dizzy (well actually, apparently I woke up with vertigo).  So, I drank some juice and had a late snack, fed Isaac and went back to sleep.  I woke up later still dizzy.  Matter of fact, the world has yet to cease spinning (Jodie takes this point to remind me that the world does not in fact revolve around me, and I tell her that apparently it does).  Two meals, a nap and several bottles of water later, I was at the doctor’s office trying to explain to him that I felt dizzy, but no I didn’t have a headache, no earache, etc.  I was actually starting to feel stupid, when he held up a finger and asked me to follow it.  I tried, I really did.  And then he had me stand up, put my arms out in front of me and close my eyes.  I’m actually kind of proud I didn’t fall.  So, after prescribing me some anti-dizziness medicine, he let me know he really would like me to get a “head scan” and we’d see what’s wrong.  Yay, an opportunity to come face to face with my fear of getting stuck in a tube!

Anyway, after my appointment, Jodie’s scheduled appointment, Isaac’s appointment to get a weight check (BTW, after two weeks of nothing, he’s finally starting to gain weight), many feedings, and another attempt at a nap (the meds cause drowsiness), I’ve managed to make it to the end of the day with only one or two things checked off my list.  Looking back on the day though, I did get some extra Bible reading done this afternoon.  Since I was dizzy and couldn’t drive Jodie to the doctor, I got some extra cuddle time with Isaac, and was forced to sit down for a day.

I’m not going to super-spiritualize this, but I do think that sometimes our Father knows when we must be forced to take a break.  Not that that doesn’t stop us from planning our days, but be ready for those plans to change, or even be upended entirely.  Have a blessed day, and hopefully tomorrow I can get that cd review done, and that book read, and that desk cleaned……. 

Traditions

Sometimes when I look at what I do, I feel like a surprising amount of my time is dealing with tradition.  Sometimes I’m striving to not break some traditions of the church, or sometimes, I’m striving to break traditions that either aren’t Biblically accurate, or have become idols to the church.  I’m not a big observer of traditions in my personal life.  Matter of fact, I can’t think of many.  The traditions we kept growing up have largely become less relevant as we’ve grown up and started our own families.

The main season where traditions seem to creep in is Christmas.  The joy of starting our family is that Jodie and I are starting our own Christmas traditions.  We’ve talked about some like doing three gifts on Christmas morning, each tied to the wise men and the gifts they brought to Jesus.  Of course, Isaac obviously isn’t ready to open gifts, so that one is a future tradition.

What I wanted to talk about is the Christmas Eve tradition that we’re starting this year.  We had a really nice dinner together to celebrate the year, the blessings of family, and our Savior.  We followed up with singing through the music for the Christmas Eve service that was cancelled this year.  I look forward with great anticipation to the day when Isaac is old enough to sing along, or even one day play the hymns on the piano as his family sings along.  It may sound odd, but I find it difficult to work music into the daily grind here at home.  I wonder if it’s because I spend every day thinking about worship music for the coming Sunday, the following week, and anything larger that I’m working on.  So this is a chance to share the gifts God has given both of us together.

And finally we read the Christmas story from Luke.  I know that all kinds of families out there read “Twas the Night Before Christmas,” but considering that we’re not going to teach Isaac that Santa is real (something about teaching him about a being who supposedly can read thoughts, travel quickly and perform miracles, only to tell him years later that we were actually lying to him about the whole thing seems to set up confusion when we talk about God and Jesus, Who actually are real!), we’d rather focus on why we just spent the last three months celebrating this holiday, Christmas (Jodie starts up the Christmas music in early October).

I hope that you’ve found your special Christmas traditions in your home, and I pray you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

http://www.youtube.com/v/gRdfX7ut8gw&hl=en_US&fs=1&rel=0

(Sorry, I couldn't help myself!)

New Year's Resolutions

I don’t do new years resolutions.  Jodie and I were talking today, and I don’t really get all that excited about the new year.  I think it’s because, up until this year, I’ve always been in school.  That means, for me, the year ends around memorial day, and starts in August.  Well, anyway, I’ve made some resolutions this year that happen to fall on new years.  Yes, that’s right, I have been resolutely deciding I need to do some things, and what better time to start than with the new year.  So here goes.

I hereby resolve to:

1. 
   
   1. 
      
      Begin a scheduled daily devotional.
      
      
      
      
      • When I was a band director, I lived on a schedule.  I got up at the same time every day.  I took my shower at the same time.  I drove the same distance to school.  I had the same daily schedule.  And so on, and so on.  Now, I don’t have a schedule.  I get up when I get up.  I go to sleep when I go to sleep.  I work at least a certain number of hours each week, but those hours are somewhat loose between different rehearsals and meetings and stuff.  The result?  My devotional life is haphazard.  Sometimes I do it in the morning, sometimes the afternoon, sometimes the evening.  Sometimes I read through a book of the Bible, sometimes a random chapter.
      
      
      • 
        
        So, at 6:00, every morning, I’m going to be working though the Bible on the schedule included in D.A. Carson’s, For the Love of God.  I’m going to journal as I go, and spend time in prayer.  Two times in my life, I had a schedule like this.  First, when I was a camp counselor at East Iowa Bible Camp after my sophomore year.  This was actually the first time that I read and prayed through the Bible, and my walk was so matured that summer.  The second time was one of my bachelor years.  I got into the habit of journalling through, and again, my walk was greatly deepened.  So, since Jodie works at 6 on Mondays and Wednesdays, that’s going to be my regular time.
        
        
        
        
        • 
          
          Schedule of Seasons (I have to watch DVD seasons to distract myself from the fact that I despise working out):
          
          
          
          
          1. Stargate Atlantis
          
          
          2. Star Trek
          
          
          3. Star Trek: The Next Generation
          
          
          4. Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
          
          
          5. Star Trek: Voyager
          
          
          6. Stargate SG1
          
          
          7. Babylon 5
          
          
        
        
        
        
      
      
      
      
   
   
   2. 
      
      Walk daily and eat healthy.
      
      
      
      
      • 35 pounds.  That’s what I’ve put on since moving to Manhattan.  Apparently, not marching or being on my feet every day eight or more hours a day has made a HUGE difference in my weight control.  Pitiful, huh?
      
      
      • So, at 7:00 every morning, I will be on the treadmill walking.  Two years ago, I walked daily and lost 30 pounds.  If I wouldn’t have fallen down the stairs and hurt my foot (and gotten out of the habit), I think I might have possibly made it much lower.  In conjunction with this, I’m going to cut pop, and start eating healthy.  I hate salad, but for lunch, Jodie and I are going to start eating salads, because they’re good for us.  No more eating of the whole pizza with loads of cheese and hamburger.  No more munching on chips.
      
      
      
      
   
   
   3. 
      
      Call Mom once a week.
      
      
      
      
      • Obvious
      
      
      
      
   
   
   4. 
      
      Meet people outside of the church.
      
      
      
      
      • I used to teach in a public school, where I wasn’t allowed to share my faith openly with the students.  I knew a lot of people not in the Body of Christ though.  Then I moved to Manhattan to work at Grace.  Moving to Grace has been such a blessing.  The thing is though, the people I interact with are members of the Body of Christ.  Jesus commands us to share our Faith.  With who?
      
      
      • This is a hard one.  I am not by nature a social person.  Jodie and I have talked about it, and I think I’m going to join community chorale.  This will be a start, but I need to continue to think about how I can get out and meet people.
      
      
      
      
   
   

There you go, my "new years resolutions."  What about you guys?

(editorial note, see this post about the miserable results)