Bobby's Fam

2007 Retrospect

The old adage is true, the older you get, the faster time flies. It seems just like yesterday that we were learning how to deal with twins... wait... that was yesterday.

2007 was an amazing year. Here's a month-by-month replay:

1. January: Uhm... can't remember that far back.
2. February: Bryce turned 8
3. March: I went to Vietnam. A trip that changed my life forever (going back in a few months!)
4. April: I turned 31
5. May: Bryce was done with the 2nd grade, Kyla began her daily countdown to kindergarten, and I graduated from the internship at NorthWood
6. June: Bryce had her tonsils out
7. July: We drove to Colorado for a few weeks (a mistake we won't soon make again! Not the Colorado part, the driving part.)
8. August: Kyla FINALLY started kindergarten... and it was everything she ever dreamed it would be!
9. September: Just another month (I'm sure someone was sick... that's the norm around here)
10. October: All 4 girls went trick-or-treating with all our neighbors (our neighbor's dog - a chihuahua - was dressed as a hot dog! It was hilarious!)
11. November: We enjoyed Thanksgiving with the Donnie, Meredith, and the rest of the Featherston crew! What an awesome family! We would be lost without them!
12. December: Christmas, shopping, stress, sickness (again, a monthly norm around here)

I'm not sure I'll have a chance to post again until next year, so I'd just like to say thank you for reading this year. I'm sure I get more out of it than you do, but knowing my random thoughts, rants, and raves have entertained you some makes it all worthwhile. SEE YOU NEXT YEAR!

Tea Partay

Ok, this was too funny not to post!  White rich boys rapping is always funny!

Unleashing Your Greatness (formerly “Copyrighted Material Ahead")

I’ve been toying around with something inside this messed-up brain of mine since I was in high school.  This is mine, and I’m going to write a book about it sometime soon, so no copying, pasting, or stealing.

Why is it that there are some who seem to "have it all" while other seem to have nothing at all?  This is an old questionthat everyone has seemed to ask since the beginning of time.  Some people seem to rise to the top, others sink to the bottom and all the while most people just sit comfortably somewhere in between.  Why is that?  The Tiger Woods’, Michael Jordan’s and Madeleine Albright’s seem to hold some secret power, some magical source that causes them to do no wrong (and still come out smelling like a rose if they DO do wrong).  Something just doesn’t seem fair.  "Fair"?  That’s the cry of all who want what they do not have.  I’ve heard it a million times, "I can’t believe in a God who would do this to a child.  It’s just not fair." 

Fairness, in my opinion, is a lie at best.  Does this mean that God is not fair?  No, it doesn’t.  God has built greatness into the fibre of every human being.  We all have the potential to do great things.  Great things for our family, our friends, and our neighbors both near and far.  God says, "I know the plans I have for you.  To prosper you and not to harm you."  Let me clarify something right here.  Greatness is not monetary gain.  Greatness is two things:  the capacity for love and the capacity to influence.  The great ones with a tremendous capacity for love are often times those with the least (Mother Teresa, Ghandi).  While those with a great capacity to influence tend to be more wealthy and and have less compassion.  But that’s not God’s design, that’s the flaw of man.  Both of these definitions of greatness are not evil, but they were never meant to be two seperate things.  They are to be one in the same.  To love and influence is true greatness.  Can it be done?  The Donald would tell us "no."  I can’t tell you how many sales and management schools I’ve been to that taught me that in order to get ahead you have to be willing to step on the guy next to you.  The old adage, "Nice guys finish last" seems to be the going trend these days both in business and in church. 

So if it is God’s plan not to have two definitions of greatness and he has built greatness into the DNA of everyone who has ever, or will ever live then why is it that most of humanity fails to live up to that potential?  Here’s the key:  You and I feel that we are destined to do more than we are. Everyone in humanity dreams great dreams.  We are all created in the image of God.  We have his emotions, we have his dreams.  He gave us the desire to do more.  To be creative… and create.  But none of us have the key to unlock our own greatness.  You heard me right.  You and I cannot tap our own true potential for love and influence.  God made it this way.  He made it to where we need one another to experience greatness.  We need one another!  It seems everywhere you turn today someone is talking about community.  "online community" "our community"  40 Days of community" it’s everywhere!  The key is to find the right people to put around you that untaps that hidden potential to love and influence.  

I can’t tell you how many times in my 13 years of ministry I’ve heard people say, "If I could just… make this much money… have this house… drive this car… then I’d be happy."  And I’ve seen more than half of those people obtain those things, and then they proceed to either want more, or sit back and grin with pride.  Obtaining things is not what makes one great.  Obtaining people is what makes someone great or not.  So what happens?  We find a group of people who think like us, talk like us, dress like us or vote like us and then we stop making friends for the most part.  If someone new enters our life, we compare them to the rest of our group and if they fit, we accept them.  If not, we deny admittance and close the door.  Instead what we need to do is continually find people with differing lifestyles, political views, educational backgrounds, and fashion trends.  That is when we are challenged to greatness.  Our capacities are stretched.  Then, and only then, we can find the potential that God has built into us.  Others hold your key.  You do not.  This helps keep the pride quotient down.  Those who say they are "self-made men or women" are liars.  Behind them is a team of people who helped raise them up.  Someone who gave them an opportunity, someone who challenged their personal status quo.

Who are you walking with?  Are they challenging you or just being your cheerleaders?  Cheerleaders psych you up but they don’t win the game.  The people on the opposite side of the ball is what makes you better.  But after the challenge, you hug (I’d refrain from the sport analogy slap on the butt) and you walk off the field together. 

Scariest Movie Ever!

Saw?  The Grudge?  No.  There’s a movie that has haunted me my whole life.  There’s a woman scarier than anything alive… or dead. What’s it called?

Poppins

It’s A New Record!!!

The Dallas Cowboys are now 10 and 1, something not ever done in franchise history!  It’s only two more months until superbowl!

What We Call The “News” (revisited)

In my ongoing rant about American media, I’m going to re-show you my favorite music video about my dissatisfaction.  Also, there was a “news story” on FOX News about Bush pardoning two turkey’s and sending them to Disney world to live out the rest of their days… are you kidding me???