I have a blog?

I logged on to our church website today, and went to the youth ministry section. My mouse pointer grazed over the youth ministry link at the top of the sight to reveal that there is a new drop-down menu. On that very drop-down menu I saw something that read: Kenny's blog. This must be some kind of mistake. I don't blog. I don't think I have ever been much of a blogger. But apparently, sometime in the past, I created a blog.

UPDATE: No i didn't keep my running schedule going.

I have committed to another go-around of training for a race. It seems like a marathon is in my future. I mean, if you are going to set a goal, why not set it high? My body and mind wanted to commit to run one 5k this year. My ego wanted to run a marathon. Why not?

So I guess, if you are vaguely interested, I will be training for a marathon. And one day that marathon will turn into a triathlon, which will one day be the Iron Man.

Please pray for my ego.... my body hates it.

I have decided to get back into shape. If you have seen me around recently, you probably wouldn't say that I am a very large person or anything, but I just feel out of shape. Take yesterday morning for example...

I have been trying to wake up earlier for a few reasons. The first reason is that I want to be able to spend more time with my wife, and she wakes up fairly early. Another reason is that I want to go run. For two weeks I have had intentions of running in the morning, and I accomplished my task for the first time yesterday morning. I laced up my Asics, plugged in my Nike+ sensor and hit the road. I didn't run very far, just a little under 2 miles.

But it all hit me when I got home. I felt it; all of the aching joints, the usually dormant muscles. Not only did I feel the pain, but my wife noticed my heavy breathing so much that she decided to ask (with a small hint of "are you serious?" in her voice), "Are you okay?" That's when I made the decision:

I am going to get back in shape.

And I don't mean "in shape" very lightly. I want to be in marathon shape. No, make that IRON MAN shape. Okay, well maybe not that intense, but I at least want to run without having someone question my health because of my breathing patterns.

So here is my declaration to all of the two people reading this- I am going to take part in at least a half marathon within a year's time. Hopefully more, but let's start low.

"For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come" - 1 Timothy 4:8

Looks like I have more work to do.

The Power of Together

Today has been an absolutely great day. I couldn't help but look back to last night's worship with the teenagers of the church. In our tiny youth room we had about 30 teenagers ready to worship. Once the singing began, I was blown away. Our group is mostly girls, so it isn't often that I get to stop and just listen, but last night our guys in the group just came ready to worship. In this crazy world, it was absolutely mind-blowing to be a part of a group of teenagers worshiping the True God. There are so many places that they could be, but they chose to be together for one purpose. It will probably be a night that I won't forget for a long time.

And then this morning came, and I was looking forward to a regular day of work. I got to the office early, expecting for no one to be there except for me. When I walked in the door, the three other ministers were already there and and ready to leave. I had the chance to go with them to a special ceremony for someone in the church. A Venezuelan lady from our church became a citizen of the United States today. The most amazing thing to see was the amount of different cultures represented at the ceremony. There were 772 people becoming citizens, and they came from 96 different countries. I believe every one of them had a huge smile on their face. They were there for one common purpose, and being united in that purpose, they were one people.

I am glad that we can feel that way all of the time. We don't have to wait for a special ceremony or event. Being a part of the Lord's church is being a part of one body. We are never alone. I am so glad to share this with my church family. It is truly a blessing from God.

I just wish the whole world could feel the same joy.

Florida Cold

What a beautiful morning it has been. When I woke up, I had no idea what to expect. My heater was working perfectly in the house, and I stepped into a steaming hot shower. For the first time in a while, I actually got to wake up and see my wife and spend a little time with her. So everything was toasty and perfect.

Until I got outside.

Instantly upon walking out of the front door, my ears hurt. My nose turned bright red and my hands went numb. I actually had to go inside and get my gloves. (The only reason I own gloves is because we take an annual trip to Tennessee). This is not how Florida is supposed to feel. Did we do something wrong to deserve such a punishment? I greatly prefer the warmth of being inside my house. It is much more comforting.

Like being in Christ.

Matthew 11:28-30: (The Message)
"Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you'll recover your life. I'll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me- watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won't lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you'll learn to live freely and lightly."

Talk about comfort! I am fully convinced that no comfort is greater than when we find ourselves in Christ. No matter how warm and cozy my home is, no matter how many amazing massage chairs I can sit in at Brookstone, nothing compares to having comfort in my soul.

I want to consume myself in Christ.

No One's Going to Ready This...

I have never had any desire to blog. For the Longest time, I didn't know what blogging was.

And then there were all the blogs. People everywhere wanted to blog, wanted to let people know about their lives. Like people cared.

People from within our church congregation told me that I needed to blog. They told me that I should type out my life for people to see. Like people would care.

I have never been more sure of something in my life: No one is going to read a blog by a youth minister. No one cares. But here goes nothing- I now have a blog.

Before, I said that the most sure thing in my life was that no one would care. Well, that's not true at all. The thing that I am most sure about in my life is that I want to follow Christ more completely. I want everything in my existence to be completely dedicated to HIM: my marriage, my speech, my conduct, even my precious kitty Ben. Everything in my life is HIS.

I am convinced that this is the only way to have a truly fulfilling life: Give it all to Christ.

I watched the inauguration today on the internet, feeling for the first time truly hopeful for our new president. I hope he succeeds in fixing our nation, but I think many people have placed their hope in the wrong place. No man can fix this nation, only the Creator can. But we have to give it all to Christ.

Personally, I'm nervous now. I have my yearly evaluation at the church, as conducted by the loving eldership of our congregation. This could be my first and last blog as a youth minister (hopefully kidding). But I know everything is in the power of God. I have to give it all to Christ.

No matter what I have or don't have, everything will belong to Christ.