The American Church:

Someone suggested that this Wendys commercial was a good metaphor for the American Church...What do you think?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Qd5UEfs4W8

Time Flies:

Not that anyone follows my blog...but it has been a stinking long time since i wrote anything. It was actually the first day of summer camp...the last time I posted anything. There are a lot of reasons why...but mostly exhaustion! Today was the first time that I even read another blog.
So I just wanted to let you know...I'm back! I wouldn't be on the lookout for anything profound, deep or insightful, just stuff I think about!

Summer camp:

It is 7:30am and in less than 3 hours we will be loading up vehicles heading for Hume Lake San Diego! It seems like so long ago that we began promoting camp...but at that same time I can't believe it is already time to go. I was thinking this morning that for over a decade I have been measuring time by summer camp...I have been to a lot of weeks of camp. The camp I grew up going to was called "Woodland Lakes Christian Camp". I have a lot of fun memories about camp...How about you?

Counting down:

I am now less than 24 hours away from leaving for camp. There are dozens of things still left to do...mostly just double checking forms and permission slips and reservations, but I always have this haunting feeling that there is something that I have forgotten. I have never forgotten anything big...it is usually deodorant or a towel...or underwear. Have you ever forgotten anything funny on a big trip?
This year is a little more nerve racking because we are going two weeks back to back. First High School and then Jr. High. We will have one day in between to come home do laundry and then head back to San Diego.
The other thing I am counting down to...I am going to be an uncle again anytime now! By brother Micah and his wife Junko are going to have a little girl any day now. We are very excited to meet the newest addition to the McSwain family.

Swimming!

Growing up in Cincinnati not many people had a pool, and if they did it was an above ground pool! But out west in California, it seems like everybody has a pool...except us! Today though, our friends the Thomas' let us go swimming in their pool. We had a blast, it was the first time that the family got to swim together! Isabella loves swimming she would have floated around all day. We had to make her get out so we could put more sunscreen on her!

My Girls:

I took this picture on Sunday afternoon. I am blessed with two California Girls...I had a great fathers day...I got a new hat and a new grill! I am very excited, I don't know if there are many people that like to BBQ a lot...I do...and I am going to get to do a lot of it now because I got a sweet new BBQ from my awesome wife!

Fathers Day

Fathers day! Today is my first! I have to be honest...it is a little overwhelming, kids don't come with manuals. Maybe because I work with students I see the results (more often bad than good) of what fathers can do to there kids. In April I heard Andy Stanley say this about fathers at a conference..."My only unique role in life is to be Isabella's father" That is heavy...there are a lot of things that I will do in life...different jobs etc. but only one unique just to me!

I love my little girl!!!

Family Adventure to Malibu

Last Saturday we loaded up the car and headed west! We live about 30 miles from Malibu, and we thought we should try going to the beach. I say try because I have never taken our family to the beach with the intention to stay several hours...we have just made quick trips. But I have to say I think we did awesome! We managed to only have to make one trip from the car...I figured out how to set up the baby shade/half tent in a reasonable amount of time, and we had a blast! Isabella loved it she played the whole time and she loved watching the sea gulls and the other people playing at the beach. We are so blessed to live so close to the beach, I sure we will be making more trips to Malibu. (as long as we can afford the gas...thats for another post)

Did I really just say that?

So...around 1:00 today I am talking to Kristin on the phone...the usual...how is work, how was your morning...then I offer up some sweet information. "Isabella pooped this morning...yeah a lot...it was kinda greenish...ohhhh it smelled awful, yeah she finally got it out!" Never, ever, ever did I think that I would have that conversation, and never, ever did I ever think that a conversation about poop would be the highlight of my day...but today was a slow, boring Monday, and there was nothing that could top a good poop story!

Prescription Drugs

A month ago I went back to Visalia to do a funeral for a student who was in my youth group. He had taken some prescription drugs that one of his friends gave him...they were from his parents medicine cabinet. They weren't bought from a dealer or by illegal means. Parents, your job is difficult, I learn this everyday more and more, there is no handbook on how to be a parent or raise children. My friend sent me this from Fox News...after our conversation about Cory's funeral. Parent, Please watch this and act on it!

Diving in!

Sundays are pretty routine. Every week is almost the same thing, and I work hard at making it that way, so people...leaders/students/band knows what to expect and where they fit in to the Morning program. This Sunday was different. I didn't have to speak this week and I was in town to hear the person that spoke. He did awesome, Kevin, one of the newest Jr. high leaders did a great job communicating. He really connected with the students and communicated the message! I am so blessed that he is on our team.
Second, I had three Jr. high girls talk to me after the service about getting baptized! It was a great day...

8:00pm

I look forward to this time every day...

long time no blog...

So...yeah...it has been a while! The Orange Conference was great, I have not been able to process all of what we saw and learned. But hopefully over time I will be able to process and go through some of the things and share them with you. So, I don't have a laptop...and the computer at the hotel we were staying at had one...but it was always down and whenever I had free time...i couldn't get on line...so I'm trying to get back on the Blog Horse!
The other reason I have not blogged in a while is i just didn't feel like it. I have been wrestling with life and just have not wanted to write or been able to organize my thoughts long enough to put down any complete thoughts...
On the Monday after we got back from "Orange" I got a phone call from a Mom of a student in my old youth group...She called to ask if i would officiate his funeral. Cory White had died Sunday May 4th after his prom...he was in Jr. high when I was his pastor...I am still trying to work out my emotions...watching a family say good by to their son, brother or grandson...the stupidity of his friends...how dumb it is that society accepts certain activities as normal, looks the other way, and then is shocked when tragedy strikes? I have wondered if there was something I could have done or said that might have changed the course of Cory's life...thoughts to be continued later.

Reggie Joiner spoke at the first main session and spoke on the prodigal son...it was awesome. If you can find it...listen to it...it was that good.
Stewart Hall spoke at one of the break out sessions that I went to...I really enjoyed that too.
Donald Miller spoke at a breakout and a main session...a lot of people I know don't get him...I do I really enjoy and relate to what he has to say about "story" how we fit into God's story and our lives' are telling a story...deep stuff. If you haven't Blue like Jazz is good...and its not cool to be reading it any more...so it is almost retro! ...more orange thoughts later!

Orange

I am in Atlanta for a few days at a family ministry conference...the name of the conference is Orange! More updates later...I miss my girls...a lot!

One of the best mornings:

So my wife, Kristin, teaches high school. So, she leaves for work between 6:30-7:00am everyday. This means that I watch Isabella, who is almost 8 months old, until I drop her off at her nanny's house on my way to work. Some mornings she sleeps until 8 even as late as 8:30 but this morning she was up at 6:30...well Kristin has laid her in bed with me and normally she would sleep there until I get ready but this morning she is wide awake talking (making noise) and clapping her hands, squeezing my noise and playing with my face...until...she gets tired then she laid her head down on my chest and fell back to sleep. This was one of the best mornings ever!

The best steak pt. 2

So, Kristin and I really have not gone on to many dates since Isabella has been born...so when we worked out a sitter we were defiantly going to make the most of our night out!

We started out with an appetizer...seared ahi tuna...it melted in our mouths! Then we split a salad, it was surprisingly good...for a salad. Kristin order the garlic crusted halibut. I only got one bite, but it was some of the best fish I have ever had.

I decided to go all out...(I have been avoiding a lot of red meet trying to get healthy and loose some lbs.) I ordered the T-bone. I would tell you all about it...but I don't know any words that I could use that would do it justice. That is how good it was! We finished the night off with some coffee and a creme brule...it was terrific!

If you ever get the chance, and you want to splurge (it was pricey) it was worth it. The service was amazing and the food was out of this world! I need to quite writing about it...I'm getting hungry! Ruths Chris

The best steak ever...

We went to Ruth Chris Steak house for dinner tonight...it was awesome! More later...

April 17th 2004

April 17th 2004 was a good day...the best day! There have been one thousand four hundred and sixty one days since that day.

There have been some good days...some bad days, some hard days and some awesome days! But, averaged out, the past four years have been amazing and I wouldn't change anything about them. Because when you take the sum of the 1461 days, they have made us closer, stronger and made our love for each other grow more and more as every day passes.

Today is our 4 year anniversary...I am blessed to have a beautiful, loving, supportive, passionate, fun, crazy, challenging, great mom to Isabella, wonderful teacher, who makes me a better man...

Kristin Kari...I love you, now and forever...I give you my promise!

Our first family trip to Disneyland

Brian Berman

One of my best friends...ever...is Brian Berman! Ever since I moved to Simi Valley Brian has been one of my closest friends. He was/is one of the adult leaders of the High School ministry at Discovery Church. Not just one of them but he was pretty much doing everything with the help of Cassie. (another leader) Brian was my sushi buddy, we would meet for lunch a couple times a month and talk about ministry, work, life and ladies!

Eventually, the subject of Brian doing ministry started to come up more and more...well this past fall Brian quit his corporate job and moved to the Dominican Republic and is a missionary with G.O. Ministries.

In March I went down to the Dominican Republic and spent a week with him and did some work on a church building and went to some feeding centers and did ministry at a couple of churches. What I saw was amazing! Brian has learned the language fast, he translated for me all week long, and he would tell you that he hardly know anything but God has blessed him so much. The Dominican people love him...everywhere we went people would smile and talk to him like they had know each other for ever...

If you get a chance you should check out his website and his ministry...and if you have a few dollars laying around...he is totally living on support for people like you and me...you can join my family and send him some "Love" ($)

Brian, I just want you to know we miss you tons (the church, kids, leaders)...and we are very proud of the work you are doing! We look forward to seeing you soon!

Fridays

Fridays are a little different for me. Since my wife Kristin is a teacher and I have Fridays off...Isabella (my 8 month old) and I have the whole day together!

I have to be honest, this scared me to death at first...what were we going to do for the whole day? But we have had a blast. (at least I have, she could hate them...and it might come out in a therapy session later on in life) I am so blessed to have an awesome chill little girl. She started playing peak-a-boo last week and clapping. Any time she hears clapping T.V/church she is all over it! We walk to the park almost every Friday and this week we sat in the swing together, it was great she loved it.

It breaks my heart though when people see us out they always are suprised because they hardly ever see dads and their babies out with out "mom". If you don't ever get "Dady Fridays" you should take one! It has become the highlight of my week!

Teathing stinks!

My beautiful little girl is cutting teath/teathing and it is killing us! My little lady is so misrable at times and my heart breaks for her. It has been a rough couple of weeks and so far there is only two little nubs poking through...I read today that it could take up to nine (9) months for all of her teath to come in. God, please don't let teathing last nine months!

My Girls!

My girls had matching dresses for Easter...I dare say there were not two more beautiful ladies in the entire state of California that day! Having a daughter is one of the scariest things period. (I will probably blog a lot about that) It has been an amazing adventure so far, and it gets better every day!

Mike Wallace

My guess is most of you don't know who Mike Wallace is(not the news guy)...Mike is one of my best buds who lives in Visalia . You my friend are the very first person who has commented on my blog. You have been blogging for a long time, and someday I hope to be as poetic, thought provoking and flat out cool as you...long live the Vintage Press!

The title of my blog?

I wish I was more creative...I have put off "blogging" for a long time! And now that I have taken the plunge...this is the best I can come up with for a title..."My Blog"! I have thought about it for a while and...I got nothing! I have friends that have catchy titles and sayings...cool stuff they have done with their name, even just their name(that's really cool)...all I have..."my blog"? Maybe that is enough! I'm open to suggestions.

Dominican Republic Spring Break 2008

I am just now recovering from taking a team from our church to the Dominican Republic (DR). It has been a tough transition back...I still think about how no one has access to clean water, every time I brush my teeth...It is still a little weird being able to flush toilet paper...How complicated life is here in the USA compared to how simple it seems there...they have a very rich sense of community(I'm not talking about face book and blogs...they still hang out at the local store and in the streets and on their front porch)

I am very proud of all the students that went...I can't get over how hard they all worked and how freely they gave of their love to the Dominican people...One of them is going to do an internship there this summer and I know several others that want to go back...

I am always amazed by how much I "get" from going, when I start out planning on "giving" so much. You can see a video of our trip here: