my weekend at home

Here's the rundown on everything that happened going into this weekend and coming back:

• I told Sarah before we left to go to the Stinemetz' house that we would be going home. Her look was not one of joy. She began to think about the details she THOUGHT I might have missed. She smiled soon enough, though.
• Friday morning, I played football at the annual Turkey Bowl at HBC. The highlight of the day (at least for me) was when I lost my left shoe, my pants, and almost my boxers while I dragged a few players from the other team. I did not lose the football, which was the most important part. All that made me thirsty, so I drank a 2-liter of Cherry Coke by myselph.

• Friday afternoon, I met the newest member of the family. He's adorable, and he tells the best jokes. You should have heard them. His name is RJ Volz. Holding him was weird. I hadn't held a newborn since Nathaniel. He did not spit up on me, though, cause he loves his white Uncle Jeff.
• Friday night I went to Cousin's Tasty Chicken with my parents. I eat with them there every time I go home. I think I like the broasted chicken more than I like my parents...or maybe not. I'll get back to you.

• Saturday, we hung out with Shawn and Heather in the early afternoon, and then at Josh and Maureen's for dinner. Josh was hilarious. He made me tell a joke he brought up. I think he was afraid of crossing the line with his wife. Then again, he crossed the line more than once, and then he would start mumbling some compliments in an effort to redeem himself. Maureen wasn't falling for it, though.
• Saturday night, I decided out of nowhere to shave for the first time in a month. No shave November ended early. Much to my delight, I still only had one chin.

• Sunday we went back to Heritage for the first time in years. It was a little weird going back to a more traditional church now that I've been at New Hope, but it would be spurious of me to say I did not enjoy it. Oh yeah, Pastor used the term "spurious consecration." It was awesome.
• Sunday night we visited the Gathering. It was like a little piece of New Hope at Heritage. We both enjoyed it. The only sad thing was that everyone there was in our small group when they were in junior high. Now they're in college.
  
• Monday we tried to leave for home, but we got pummeled with snow. We didn't make it very far before we turned around and headed back to Aunt Sue's place.
  

This is the best time I've had at home in years. RJ probably has a little something to do with that. The last time I went home and met a new family member was four years ago when I met Elizabeth. I think the other thing was that we had time to relax, and we didn't to drive 24 hours to get there. It's been a while since we had quality time to spend while visiting home. The last few times have seemed like a whirlwind, and I was more tired and aggravated when I left then when I got there. Three more weeks and we'll get to do this all over again.

We will go rejoicing

Thanksgiving is upon us. Here's what I'm thinking about this week. This is what I'm thankful for.

• I am thankful that I am saved. I am glad that I am a sheave that has been brought in. See the great video below.
  
• I'm really happy to have my wife. She wrote me a kind note just this morning. She's awesome. I'm not allowed to say that she's smoking hot. She doesn't like that. So I won't.
  
• My family is pretty dang sweet.
• I have more friends than a guy needs. Seriously, more than enough. If we are friends, and you want a break, let me know. We can work that out.
• Understanding freedom in Christ is such a relief.
• I've grown a lot this year. Sadly, I haven't gotten any taller. I've just grown spiritually. God has broadened my understanding.
• AND, I'm glad I can give my wife a hard time, and she still loves me. And, in honor of her, I am posting this video:

So what are you thankful for?

R-E-S-P-E-C-T

We all wanna be loved. We all want just a little respect. We all wanna be loved. Tell me what's wrong with that. I suppose DC Talk is right. There is nothing wrong with that. It's okay to want to be loved and respected. The only problem I see is that we are more apt to desire respect and honor than we are to give it. I was praying this morning, and I was thinking about respect. I was thinking about wanting the leaders in my children's ministry to respect me. But then something hit me. Shouldn't we give the same level of respect to those above us that we expect and hope for from those below us? Jesus said the leader would be the servant. Maybe the best way to earn R-E-S-P-E-C-T is to give it people who deserve it in our lives. Now that's the tricky part, isn't it?

the Sticks

the sticks | recap from thesticks.tv on Vimeo.


What's the conference with yellow feet? The Sticks, the Sticks. What's the conference from 21 Jump Street? Not the Sticks, Not the Sticks. The Sticks. The Sticks. I can see how the Cheat's Theme Song doesn't work as well for talking about our conference. Oh well. I still like the song. So, about the Sticks...I'm not going to give you any spiritual nuggets I learned. That's not how my mind or blog works. Here's the stuff I took note of at the conference:

• We have some real freaks here at New Hope. Apparently, Sarah's not the only person I know that doesn't sleep. Kevin, Vicki, and Nicole don't sleep, either.
• Kevin West is a genius who likes invisibles and Johnny Rogers really is that funny.
• We had more people in ties at New Hope on Tuesday and Wednesday than any other time in church history.
• I need to exude more confidence. Hard to believe, isn't it?
• If your shirt has a design, and it's not off to one side, it's just not cool.
• Our worship guys really aren't that metrosexual at all. Good job, fellas.
• I can handle meeting famous pastors without stammering, sweaty handshakes, and shaking like my dog. I pretended I was as cool as them, and they downplayed how cool they really are.
• Macguyver's bomber coat is supreme, and his mullet really gleams.

There was so much more to see, hear, and learn. I am just too tired to give it to you. Go to Kevin's, Charles', or Tim Stevens' blog to read more details.

Happy Veteran's Day

I'm really proud of those that do or have served in our military, especially those in my family. My brother Steve and my father-in-law are the only immediate family members I have that have to honor on this day. This one's for you. You guys rock. Thank you, sincerely, to everyone else. I really hope God blesses you.




I will get to blogging on The Sticks later. This is more important today.

Me, Myselph, and I AM

Okay, maybe it's not spelled that way. It's really Me, Myself, and I AM, and IT is a book about your relationship with Jesus Christ. I've always been suspicious of books that tell you HOW to be closer to God, when the time you spent reading the book could have been used to accomplish just that. Christians are a funny sort, aren't we? This book is less directive and more introspective. Have you ever asked yourself, "How close am I to Jesus?" This book will help you assess that.

The pages are mostly blank, leaving room for you to answer questions about yourself right now, your childhood, your teen years, how you spend your day, what your faith means to you, what you think of Jesus, etc. I think most of the fun will come when I have answered all the questions and I go back and read my answers. I think I'll look at it again next year. Maybe I'll answer the questions each year to assess how I've grown. Who knows?

Because I do not like reading, but love to write (especially about myself:), this is the best book I've been asked to review. It's great to take a personal assessment of your spiritual life, and it's even better when someone provides you the questions. Go get the book. Click the link above or ask Leslie to stock it at Next Steps.

Are we doomed?

There are a lot of Christian Americans talking about some impending doom for our country. I guess I'll buy that, but I'm not so sure it's directly related to Barack Obama's election. Do I think our country is in trouble? Yeah, but we've been in trouble for a while.

God stopped being this country's leader a long time ago. I think that's when we got into trouble. Money is the god of this country. But what about abortion? Oh, yes, that is an egregious sin that is sure to be judged, but it is a symptom of the larger problem. Babies are essentially sacrificed to the god of money. And it should be noted that a lot of Christians that are in an uproar are screaming louder about the socialist views of Obama than his lack of respect for the sanctity of life. Everyone whose complaints I've read is VERY concerned about their money being spread around. I have no money, so I'm not as worried about it, but I do disagree with the socialism. The point is, though, that even a lot of Christians are upset for the wrong reasons.

Here's a great quote from my friend, Matt: "the reaction by many is sad...they say that their hope is in the risen King yet they show that their hope is in a fallen king." Yes, it is sad. God really is in control. It's not just a cool saying we throw around to hide our frustration. Like him or not, Barack Obama will be YOUR president and MY president, so please stop saying, "He's not MY president..." unless you're not American, in which case, proceed. Our job is to pray, not moan about it. And no, the way the other side has treated President Bush is not a justification for you doing the same to Obama. Be in it, not of it. God bless America.

I'm Jeff Selph, and I approve this message.

election day thoughts

I have not had much time to think about election day today. Frankly, I'm not sure I would spend much thought on it, anyway. I did my homework a long time ago, and I came to the conclusion that I really don't like either candidate. Sorry for those that do. I have had just a few moments open for thought on the days events, though, and here's what I've been thinking.

Why doesn't the President leaving office ever do really sweet pranks on January 19? If he does, how come we never get to hear about it? What's the worse that can happen to him if he does it? The Secret Service could even be in on it, sort of like a gentle hazing. This is a short list of pranks I think President Bush should pull on his successor the day before he leaves:

• Butter every tile floor in the White House.
  
• Stash some open cans of sardines in an air duct somewhere.
• Put vaseline on the receiver of every phone.
  
• Put a mannequin with all black on, including a black ski mask, in the closet of the master bedroom.

Why should a President stoop to such a low? Cause he's just a person, and people like to have fun. Do you have any suggestions for great Presidential pranks?

Jesus Rocks

How awesome is Jesus? Seriously, great stuff is always happening, and you know Who's behind it. Here's a quick run down of cool things I've been experiencing lately.

• Kids are getting saved in XK weekly lately. Go read about my little buddy Greg HERE.
• I learned how to make the links on my blog open in a new window automatically. Yeah, I praise God over small things like that. I guess I'm easy to please.
  
• Disciple's new CD is kicking my spiritual butt and melting my face. Pick it up at Next Steps Bookstore if you are around New Hope.
• Got to go to a kicking concert for FREE on Thursday. We wanted to go to it anyway, but decided we couldn't afford it. I guess God wanted us there anyway, maybe so we could see THIS.
• Friday was Wacky Day at C.E. Budd School. Two kids decided to dress up as me...well, as my made up superhero. I was honored.
• Still excited about Josh and Maureen's wedding. I look forward to hanging with them in December.
• Saw snowflakes falling for the first time in three years this week. Call me crazy, but I love snow.
• Sarah hasn't gotten tired of me yet. God still does miracles.
  

Is there anything cool happening in your life?