Michael and I are heart-broken over the lost lives in Haiti. I’m writing this article for accountability and prayer. Our family wants to care for the orphans and widows in Haiti. We are not sure what this looks like yet, but we know our first step is getting our paper work and training done to become a foster family.

I would like to challenge all of us to find a way to help Haiti that fits your family. We’ve opened our home to big sisters before, now we’re feeling the urgency from the Holy Spirit to DO SOMETHING. I hope we have the pleasure of being used by God in this way. We are looking for direction and are open to many possibilities. I think it’s hard to even ask for prayers for us when they are needed for survival in Haiti- but as you are praying for Haiti- pray for clear direction and movement of supplies and care. God is good – even in disaster! I pray we can live a life worthy of our calling.

What is God challenging you with for 2010. I’ve been challenged in two powerful ways, watch and find out.

I’m in Atlanta this morning getting ready for the second day of our Renew 2.0 conference at our old friend’s church, Conyers First Baptist.  Fox News this morning actually did a story on a “quarter-life crisis”!  Seriously, it’s enough that we have a mid-life crisis, but now socialiogists are saying kids in their 20’s are having quarter-life crises!  Stop it!

There’s even a website for young people suffering the effects of a quarter-life crisis (http://www.quarterlifecrisis.com):

QLC FAQs
• Q: What is a quarterlife crisis?
• A: The quarterlife crisis, or QLC, is essentially a period of anxiety, uncertainty and inner turmoil that often accompanies the transition to adulthood.

• Q: Who coined the phrase “quarterlife crisis?”
• A: Abby Wilner, co-author of Quarterlife Crisis and Quarterlifer’s Companion, coined the phrase in 1997 after she graduated from college, moved back home, and couldn’t figure out what to do with her life.

• Q: What makes the QLC unique for twentysomethings today?
• A: Essentially, it is taking longer to become an adult today based on traditional markers such as financial independence and starting a family. The average American job hops 8 times before the age of 32, the average college graduate accrues $20,000 in education loan debt, and the average age to get married is now 27.

Here’s my advice for 20-somethings, grow up.  The site talks about how these young kids are feeling it is taking longer to grow up, who’s fault is that?  Maybe they should spend less time focusing on a quarter-life crisis and more time choosing to mature.  I do not want this to sound harsh, but since I’m feeling the need to write those words, I must be feeling like I’m being too harsh.  But the story really caught me off guard this morning.

It just feels like society is looking for labels and things to blame for our own choices in life.  We all need to take control over our lives and make the kind of decisions that improves our lives and the lives of others.  What do you think?

I was trying to help my youngest child, David, with his spelling and I just thought that the bonus words were slightly more difficult than his level.

Our next book is titled, A Simple Solution to a Happy Marriage, and we will be previewing the book for you for the next six weeks! Each week on Tuesday and Thursday we will post a new chapter from our book coming out with Focus on the Family. Our hope is that you find the posts helpful to increasing your marital satisfaction and we also hope you help us make the book even better. So any feedback or comments you leave will be greatly appreciated.

We want this book to rock your marriage. One of my initial titles was, The Greatest Advice No One Wants to Hear, but that title got eliminated because Amy and the publisher thought it was too negative. But the point is still true. This book has the chance to radically change your marriage for the better – if you allow it to!

How great is a diet that allows you to start off with eating as much fat and crud as you possibly can in a two day period!  The days were very fun.  I had all my favorite things of the past like Chic-fil-a chicken minis, BBQ, and at dinner I pounded down one of my favorite pasta dishes of all time – the Pasta Da Vinci at the Cheesecake Factory.  I though these two days would be filled with fun and old memories.  But one of the things that really got me thinking was that the two fat loading days of this diet were really no different than any other day for the last 2 years!  I got a tad discouraged thinking about just how out-of-control my eating had gotten.

It’s funny to me that previously, before this two-day binge, I had not been bothered by how much I was eating.  I was bothered to be overweight, but that did not stop me from eating enormous amounts of food.  My strategy was to sneak around and try to eat as much as I could. I’d stop at gas stations, doughnut places, restaurants, etc. just to feed my ridiculous “need” for food.  I tried to be sneaky about it, which, really makes me laugh because there’s no real “sneaky” way to hide 87 pounds of extra weight!  But my mind was convinced that I was doing a good job, and so I pressed on.

There is a very real biblical application here, at least it just dawned on me.  One of the things Jesus asks of us is to reveal our wounds and brokenness to him.  Jesus wants access to our inner most struggle and pain.  So we have to drag that stuff out in to the light.  Satan wants us to keep our pain and suffering secret, because in the darkness of our soul, Satan can wreak havoc over our lives.  These past two days of fat loading were the first days in a long time that I was completely open and honest with Amy about what I was eating.  There were no secrets or sneaking around.  It was right out there in her face and the face of my small community.  Everybody knew that I was gorging myself and this felt different to me.

It was like I finally dragged out my unhealthy eating habit in to the light and Jesus took one look and said, “My son, I know your pain and I’m so sorry you’re suffering like this.”  I get tears to my eyes even writing this down.  My eating was out in the open for all to see, especially Jesus.  I didn’t like it.  My fat loading days were not as fun as I thought they were going to be.  In fact, by the afternoon of the second day, I did not want to keep eating.  It was like something inside of me died to food and I just wanted to eat something healthy.  I actually started looking forward to starting the healthy eating portion of the diet!  What a miracle that was!

All we wanted to do was get from the Subway station at Bowling Green to the free Staten Island Ferry so we could see the Statue of Liberty.  As we headed across Battery Park we got held up by three guys as they began their show.  Their acrobats and dancing were incredible, but the finale was even better! That’s when the kids get involved, but you’ll have to check it out (if you don’t want to watch the whole thing, because they’re not you’re kids, just skip toward the end and you’ll see the final stunt):

This might feel weird, and I’ve read a couple of different posts out there in the blogosphere sharing how weird it feels to them, but I think it’s a great idea:

One of the most important documents you may want to store and share in Google Health is an “advance directive.” An advance directive allows you to determine your end-of-life wishes so that your family and doctor can honor them if you get sick and are unable to communicate. The decision to sign an advance directive is an important and personal one, and Google Health now makes it a little bit easier. Google Health is now working with a leading advance directive provider, Caring Connections, that provides a free, downloadable form customized for all 50 states. To complete your form, download it, print it out, complete it, scan it, and upload it to Google Health. Once you’ve uploaded the signed form, Google Health makes it easy to share it with your caregiver.

Google health seems like a pretty cool service and I think it forces us to talk and think about the end of our life.  Since we industrialized and moved in to cities and suburbia, we have been moving death farther and farther away from us.  This is not a good idea.  Did you know that the parlor room in your house was given that name because it was where we used to hold funerals – yes – funerals in our homes!

We are so afraid of death that we really can mess things up for those we leave behind.  I’m going to use this service because I think my whole life is on Google anyways, so why not my death .

I had to turn on the lights in our family room and get this shot of our daughter Reagan asleep on the couch with our dog, Fergie.  I am a bad dad for leaving my daughter on the couch, especially since my wife just repainted her room at our daughters request.  She said her room needed to be updated to reflect more of a “tween” theme!  Am I in trouble or what.

Yes, I know that Amy is not 29, but she’s more beautiful today than 8 years ago (oops, just gave away her age)!

Happy birthday my love!