Monday, November 24, 2008

"Howdy, Pilgrims"















With Thanksgiving only 3 days away, I thought it best to make a list of things I am thankful and grateful for this year. With all due respect to David Letterman, here's my top ten:

I am thankful for...

10. ... the opportunity God gave to me to go to the mission field and to serve him; Dominican Republic in February, and Galveston, TX in October.

9. ... God's hand in the health, safety and education of my children.

8. ... fellowship with God's people.

7. ... the way God provides for my family.

6. ... that even if I believe at times my family and Sam's are insane, I know the would be there in one word to help us out.

5. ... for the beauty God created in the beginning.

4. ... for music.

3. ... for the opportunity God has blessed me with to be the father of four wonderfully, uniquely and purposefully made children.

2. ... God has given me a wife who perfectly fits together to me, completes me,
understands me, and loves me.

1. ... that despite my selfishness, God gives His mercy and grace abundantly.

Thursday, November 20, 2008

"The Weekend Get Away"


I have written before concerning child #3.. the Lukenstein. I have complained concerning his stubbornness and strong-willed nature. I have often told of those extra prayers I set aside for him.

Well, this past weekend, Luke and I spent two nights in the hospital due to his severe dehydration. Poor kid starts out with a cold and ends up lacking about 1.5 liters of fluid. His potassium was extremely low. And with that, he had the most explosive intestinal bug, if you know that I mean.

He in essence was reduced to about 2/5ths of himself. Scary? Alarming? Yes. As bad as it could have been or as bad as others have experienced or are experiencing now? Probably not.
But it certainly has readjusted my thinking.

He is better now. He was back to being Lukenstein about 24 hours after coming home from the hospital. This is a good thing. I certainly to appreciate the way God has wired him a little more than I did Saturday night.

Tuesday, November 11, 2008


11 points. Biggest deer my father has ever shot.






It is now trending colder in these parts where I live. Indian summer is more than a week gone by. Winter is on the horizon. And it is now only 16 days until Thanksgiving.

A few weekends ago, I decided to travel out to the local retail establishment to find our family a few decorative turkeys or pilgrims or some other Thanksgiving decorations to dress the house up.
It was 2 days removed from Halloween, and I figured the time was ripe to get such house attire.
But to my dismay (really my disgust) Christmas was the items of the day. A run toward the retail giant was already sprung, leaving Thanksgiving as an after thought.

Jumping from Halloween to Christmas is really pathetic. Don't get me wrong, I'm totally a Christmas decorating freak and love my lights and yard creations. But to totally wipe away the holiday that is so important at the end of November is in my estimation... ridiculous.

"I will praise God's name in song
and glorify him with thanksgiving. " Psalm 69:30 NIV

It is another attempt in our secular humanistic society to wipe the name of God from this nation... this world. I guess the thought of this generation is and continues to be: "if we completely ignore it, it will, at some point, become irrelevant.

Don't miss out on the opportunity to celebrate with thanksgiving this Thanksgiving all that God has blessed you with.

Friday, November 7, 2008


Sweet. Innocent. SO cute. Adorable. Determined.
All words that I've heard people use to describe the one that I would describe as, "hard-headed, strong-willed, rough, calculated, Lukenstein."

I'm not saying he's a holy terror. I'm just saying he marches to the beat of a different drum. His cadence doesn't match the rest of the bands.

This doesn't mean I love him any less than my other 3 children. It just means I spend a few extra moments on my knees for this one.

One word to the wise, if you ever meet him and he's holding that light saber, be advised, he likes to use it.